Artist's Beijing solo continues literati painting tradition

The contemporary artist's ink and wash paintings speak louder about his return to the millennium-old literati painting tradition.

Much smaller compared with his oil paintings, Shen's ink-and-wash paintings depict bamboo groves and landscapes. Featuring a smattering of brush strokes against a light black background, they are immediately evocative of the xieyi (literally "drawing spirit") style in traditional Chinese paintings.

"While in America, even though I had a 3,000 square-meter studio, I couldn't paint a single painting. In retrospect, I realized that's because of cultural differences," he said.

"I want to explore our Eastern aesthetics and create something new using the contemporary art language."

Shen Xiaotong's solo exhibition runs through Dec 24.

For more details:

10:30-17:30, Tuesday to Sunday, B1-01, Building 4, Beijing Fun, Langfang Toutiao 21, Xicheng district, Beijing