SWIMMING UPSTREAM: Cultures of Watercolour

About

Ideas and materials move around our digitally connected world, but so do people. Professor Lei Yongbin, has been in residency at Arts University Bournemouth for the last year. He has immersed himself in the global visual culture that is being formed amongst the staff and students within the University. This can be seen through his portraits in this exhibition; reacting to the community of creators who have come to work and study from all corners of the globe and recording them.

People move around the world, but so do ideas and materials. Watercolour in the west has for too long been considered the media of amateurs, but in China it is a serious medium that has brought a renaissance to the painted arts. Chinese painting traditionally made use of water based ink, the arrival of water colour has evolved this art form and Lei’s work demonstrates this.

Lei uses watercolour to create these portraits from life, engaging directly with his sitters. To sit for a portrait by Lei is a unique experience. Over a sitting he works with rapid speed, the space between the viewer and the viewed visibly crackles with intensity of looking. This communication is essential to his work, in this world of snapchat and twitter it allows for a deeper rapport between artist and sitter to open up. When cultures meet, new concepts and artefacts are formed. Art is a global language, AUB is a global university and Lei’s watercolours reflect this.

A collaborative project with The Gallery, Short Courses, AUB and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.