Hang Chunhui's artworks follow a Chinese technique. [Photo provided to China Daily] |
But if he walks to any side he realizes that he was misled: Hang doesn't paint the folds or wrinkles. They are formed by the wooden board that is pasted under the painting.
Hang uses the same "visual trick" in another work, Daily Series-White Desktop.
In this work, the viewers first think that the four edges are painted in gray. But when they go closer they find the gray areas are the frame's shadows, which are cast by lights carefully installed on the ceiling and angled.
Hang's experiments are grounded in an interdisciplinary academic background.
He studied sculpture for his bachelor's degree. He received a master's degree in visual communication and a doctorate degree in traditional inkbrush painting.
Hang says his works attempt to smudge the line between painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary approaches to ink art and abstract and representative forms.
"I hope that my identity as an ink artist is forgotten by the audience after they tour the exhibition."
While he says he no longer works in the realm of traditional ink art, he adds that this approach does not intend to dispel the Asian flavor of his creations.