Exhibition: Silk Road – An Art Journey from Xi’an to Vancouver
March 29, 2018 – March 31, 2018
Lipont Gallery brought six renowned artists from China to the multicultural Vancouver to practice art; meet the local art community, experience the beauty of Vancouver and capture it in their art. The 19-day trip provided them with a time of reflection, research, and presentation.
“Silk Road – An Art Journey from Xi’an to Vancouver” kicked off on March 14, 2018 at Lipont Gallery. Artists Beiping Guo, Lixian Zhang, Wangping Li, Guodong Han, Xiaoyang Yang, and Jianjun Ke visited local attractions such as the scenic and artsy Granville Island, Whistler, Gastown, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Vancouver Island. They built a meaningful cultural exchange by visiting professionals at local art colleges and art institutions.
After the event, an exhibition of their work completed on the trip was held at Lipont Gallery from March 29 to 31, 2018.
At Ease
Xi’an Libang Enterprise Union Management Co. Ltd. is a comprehensive cultural and fine art enterprise. Since its establishment in 2008 the organization has focused on “appreciating the beauty of art and investing in art” and “welcoming art into thousands of households” as its business philosophy and pursuit. For a long time, Libang Enterprise has attached great importance to the various collaborations made with outstanding artists in China and abroad. The company believes that it has a social responsibility to reinforce international partnerships in the arts and to promote cultural exchanges worldwide, particularly in the integration and development of Chinese and Western arts. Since 2013, the company has invited artists from Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries to Shaanxi China for such art and cultural exchanges. With the launch of its online platform www.yklm.com (YKLM), the expansion of Lipont Place in Vancouver, the acquisition of Old Abbey Ales in Abbotsford, BC Canada and the successful launch of BEASTIE brewery, Libang Enterprise has been able to provide artists at home and abroad with an exceptional environment for art activities.
Between March and June 2018, the Lipont Gallery, in conjunction with YKLM, invited six professors from the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts: Guo Peiping, Zhang Lixian, Li Wangping, Han Guodong, Yang Xiaoyang and Ke Jianjun, to visit Canada and the United States for a residency of art exchange and field activities. Although the residency program concluded last year, the memories of the experiences had been still fresh, and will be forever rewarding.
Early spring in Vancouver brings the end of the rainy season. The fisherman’s wharf in the city of Richmond’s Steveston neighbourhood is the artists’ first stop in Canada. The town had just recovered from a harsh winter and it was still a little chill, but the spring wind was slowly blowing with a light fragrance of flowers and fresh-cut grass. From the wharf you can see the rippling blue waves of ocean, white clouds against a blue sky, and many boat masts, like a crowded forest. While roaming the shore and enjoying the exotic scenery, everything was cheerful and new. Guo Beiping, with a slightly tipsy smile, turned his head and said to the artists who were with him: “Guys, let’s get to work!” For nearly half a month in Vancouver, their footsteps have been to places such as Canada Square, Butchart Garden, Fraser Valley, Victoria, Whistler Ski Resort, Gastown, Vancouver Art Gallery, The Emily Carr University of Art + Design, U.S.-Canada border and the Central Library in Seattle. The artists captured their experiences onto their canvases, such as the Pacific Northwest’s vivid blue skies and harbours, the moored fishing boats, a country ranch, the many British-styled streets, intricately landscaped gardens, and a craft brewery.
At Lipont Place in Vancouver, a reclining model looked into the distance, at ease, like a goddess sitting under an enlightening tree in a sacred garden. It was so quiet that you could even hear people breathing. At that moment, the artists’ pursuit of beauty had reached the realm of selflessness. Every composition, colour and expression made them feel the sacred existence of the human spirit. I was amazed by how paintings have the ability to amplify perceived beauty. In this materialistic world, we were touched once again by this given beauty.
The opening reception attracted many great artists, art lovers and local media to Lipont Place. Although the paint on some paintings was still wet and the works were not framed, they impressed the audience with their visual beauty.
During their stay in the United States, the artists visited the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. No matter where you came from, you can always find the root of your culture there. Behind the glasses, you can see the Egyptian pharaoh’s thoughtful smile, the beautiful Greek teenager opening his arms to the sun, the South American hunter’s gorgeous headdresses… to my surprise, and at the end of the corridor through a flower gate, stood a Ming Dynasty-style Suzhou garden courtyard. The beauty of art is not limited to space or time. Every piece is so meaningful and everlasting that worth a closer look. Cezanne says: “Art is not to simply reproduce, but to recompose and create a new world.” The great moments from these trips will not only stay in our collective memory, but also on the artists’ canvases. After one year of careful preparation, their exhibition of the works completed on this trip is finally complete. I hope that this exhibition will bring some warmth to yet another cold winter and leave a fine impression to those that see it. During their residency, the artists came to an agreement with local artists and art lovers through their conversation that art creation and daily life should be unperturbed. It is not only a mental state, but also an attitude towards life. Hence, the exhibition is called At Ease.
Du Wei
Libang Cultural Group CEO
September 2019Xi’an, China
永不焦虑
——西安美院六位教授美加写生交流侧记
力邦文化产业集团是一家综合性民营文化艺术企业，自2008年成立以来，始终把“品鉴艺术之美，彰显投资价值”和“让艺术走进千家万户”，作为经营理念和价值追求。一直以来，力邦文化十分注重与国内外优秀艺术家的合作，其中，加强艺术家国际间文化艺术交流，推动中西文化融合发展，是一项重要的社会责任。自2013年以来，力邦美术馆就多次邀请加拿大、美国、日本、朝鲜等国的艺术家来陕西进行艺术交流活动。随着互联网平台“艺空联盟”的上线，温哥华力邦艺术港Lipont Place的开馆以及加拿大老修道院精酿啤酒厂（Oled abber ales)的收购和BEASTIE精酿啤酒的成功落地，为艺术家的国际交流提供了优越条件。
2018年3月和6月间，力邦美术馆联合“艺空联盟”，邀请西安美术学院郭北平、张立宪、李望平、韩国栋、杨小阳、柯建军等六位教授，先后赴加拿大和美国进行了近一个月的艺术交流和采风写生活动。活动虽然结束一年多了，但两次异国艺术之旅中的所见所闻却让人记忆犹新，回味无穷。
温哥华的初春，雨季不再。列治文渔人码头是画家们来到加拿大的第一站。刚刚从严冬复苏的大地，尚有许些寒意，但春天特有的风，带着花草香味徐徐吹来，站在码头放眼望去，碧波千里，春水荡漾，白云蓝天，桅杆林立。画家们徜徉在岸边，欣赏着异国风景，心情不觉开朗起来。郭北平露出了微醺而惬意的微笑，转过头向同行的艺术家招呼道：伙计们，就从这里开工吧！在温哥华的近半个月时间里，从加拿大广场到布查特花园，从菲沙河谷到维多利亚，从惠斯勒滑雪场到煤气小镇，从温哥华美术馆到艾米丽艺术学院，从美加边境到美国西雅图的中央图书馆，都留下了艺术家的身影。所到之处，水天一色的港湾，停泊着的渔船游艇，北美风情的乡村牧场，英伦风格的城市街道，错落有致的园林景观，老修道院精酿啤酒的厂房……，眼前的景致悉数被画家收入画布之上。
在温哥华力邦艺术港人体写生大厅，半倚半躺的模特凝神远方，宛若伊甸园菩提下的女神，表情安泰自如。室内静得可以听见人的呼吸声，艺术家对美的专注已达到忘我境界。每一幅人体写生的构图、色彩语言以及神韵传达都让人感到灵魂存在的无比神圣，不同视角中，绘画对美的感悟延伸都令人叹谓。在物欲横流的世界里，艺术的陶冶让我们再次感叹上帝赐予这美的尤物，美永远主宰着人们的内心。
在温哥华写生作品展览开幕现场，上百位中外艺术家、艺术爱好者以及当地媒体以极大的热情来到温哥华力邦艺术港展览大厅，尽管展出的油画尚未干透，也没有画框装饰，但丝毫没有影响作品给人们带来的视觉冲击。在场的中外艺术家和宾客无不被来自西安美院教授们的艺术表现力所折服。温哥华主流媒体及电视台对展览进行了及时采访和报道。
在美国期间，艺术家们相继参观游览了纽约大都会艺术博物馆、纽约MOMA现代艺术馆、所罗门·R·古根海姆博物馆和美国自然历史博物馆四大博物馆。置身大都会艺术博物馆，无论您来自何方，都能从这里找到自身文化有质感的根源：埃及法老在玻璃后面若有所思地微笑，希腊美少年对着阳光张开双臂，南美洲猎手羽冠上绚丽的翎毛……走廊尽处，垂花门里，甚至坐落着明代苏州的小庭院。艺术之美没有国度，置身其中，尤如穿越时空，仔细观看慢慢品读，每一副作品都是那么意味隽永、百看不厌。
塞尚说：“艺术不是简单的再现，而是在自然中找出严密的秩序，然后重新构成画面，从而创造出新的自然。”北美艺术之旅的美好不仅仅保留在我们的记忆里，也永远留存在艺术家的画布之上。经过一年多的精心筹备，西安美院六位教授美加交流写生作品展终于和广大观众见面了，愿这次展览能够在古城寒冷的冬天给人们带来一股暖风，在艺术界留下浓抹重彩的一笔。
在美、加期间，与当地艺术家、艺术爱好者以及新老朋友互动交流是一项重要内容。当谈到艺术创作和日常生活应该持有的状态时，大家的共识是“不焦虑”。不焦虑是一种心理状态，是一种生活态度，是一种人生修行，也是当下人们普遍需要的一种精神追求 。因此，我们不妨给此次展览起名为《不焦虑》吧！
是为序。
力邦文化产业集团董事长 杜伟
2019年12月于西安
Beiping Guo
Born in 1949 in Xi’an, Beiping Guo is currently the Vice President of China’s National Academy of Painting in Oil Painting and is a professor at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. He is also a revered doctoral supervisor, the vice chairman of the Shaanxi Artists Association, and the director of the China Oil Painting Society. His works have been selected on over thirty occasions into the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Chinese National art exhibitions, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd national Chinese Oil Painting Exhibitions, and the first Chinese Painting and Figure Painting Exhibition, among which he won eight awards (including one gold, two silver, and five bronzes for excellence). In 2009, his work Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art was selected for a major national art exhibition. In 2016, his work Yangshao Culture was selected for the History of Chinese Culture Art Project hosted by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and was acquired by the National Museum of China. He has published more than 20 books and monographs and published more than 400 articles. He has served as national art commissioner and judge on more than ten occasions.
Lixian Zhang
After graduating from the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Lixian Zhang stayed at the Academy as a professional lecturer. Between 1995 and 1997, he attended the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing where he continued to study oil painting. He is a current member of Chinese Artists Association, a professor of Oil Painting and a teaching supervisor at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, and a painter at the Loess Painting School. His work The Distant Sacred City won 9th place in the oil painting class of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His work August Flow and The Buddha’s Light were selected into the 9th and 10th National Art Exhibition respectively. His work The Boiling Yellow Land was selected into the first Tibetan art exhibition Peasant · Peasant. Another one of his pieces Happy Miao Village was selected for the National Art Exhibition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art. His work Tibetan Drum Festival was selected into national art exhibition United. His work Old Border Town was selected into the 80th anniversary of Army Day national art exhibition. His work The Bell was selected into the second Excellent Teachers’ Works national exhibition; Orchid Flower was selected into the Landscape and Expression – Small Oil Painting national exhibition; Woman Body was selected into the Chang’an Ink and Tang Poetry National Exhibition; Times was selected into Qinhuangdao national art exhibition; The Studio was selected into the French and Chinese Art Exchange exhibition. His works have been published by prestigious publications such as Fine Arts, Fine Arts Observation, Qiushi, and Chinese Oil Painting.
Wangping Li
Wangping Li was born in Mizhi, Shaanxi province. She received her master’s degree from Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in 1988 and is currently a professor and a supervisor in the Design Department of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. She is also a member of the National Artists Association, an art committee member of Shaanxi Art Association of Watercolour, the director of Shaanxi Modern Watercolour Pastel Painting Institute, the director of Shaanxi Sports and Arts Provincial Association, an editor of Contemporary Art magazine, the vice president of Chang’an Painting and Calligraphy Institute, and the director of the Shaanxi branch of China’s Democratic League’s Central Academy of Fine Arts. Her works were selected into over 30 major exhibitions including the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th National Art Exhibition. She has won 9 national awards, 7 provincial awards, and published her works on major journals on over sixty occasions, as well as publishing six articles and six books on her work. Her poster Fighting Desertification Depends on Our Hands won the third prize at the 9th National Art Exhibition, and her poster The Three Rural Issues won the Excellence Award.
Guodong Han
Guodong Han is an assistant professor and a supervisor of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, an artist of Loess Painting School Research Institute, a member of Shaanxi Oil Painting Art Committee, a consultant of Xi’an Oil Painting Art Committee, and a visiting scholar of the Paris International Art City Program. He has hosted many solo exhibitions in China and abroad and is a well published artist and writer.
Xiaoyang Yang
Born in 1960 in Xi’an, Xiaoyang Yang is currently an assistant professor at Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, the director of Oil Painting Field Research Department of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, and a member of China Artists Association. His works were selected into many major national art exhibitions including the 10th and 11th National Art Exhibition, National Sports Art Exhibition, and 80th anniversary of Army Day national art exhibition. His works have also been selected into many themed oil painting exhibitions such as the National Oil Painting Research Exhibition, China Annual Oil Painting Exhibition, and Chinese and Russian Artists art exhibition. He has published two books of his work and has hosted both solo and group exhibitions. His works have been collected by a variety of art organizations including the China Art Museum and China Modern Culture Research Center. His class has been awarded the second prize of Shaanxi University’s Education Achievement Award.
Jianjun Ke
Jianjun Ke was born in 1962 in Shaanxi province, and graduated from Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. Upon graduating the artist would remain at the Academy to teach in the applied arts. He is currently a professor, a designer and an oil painter. He is also a member of the China Artists Association, Shaanxi Artists Association and Xi’an Artists Association. Jianjun Ke has travelled to Japan and South Korea as a visiting scholar.
郭北平
郭北平 1949 年生，西安市人。现任中国国家画院油 画院副院长、西安美术学院教授、博士生导师、陕 西省美术家协会副主席、中国油画学会理事等职。 作品入选第六、七、八、九、十、十一、十二 届全国美展，第一、二、三届中国油画展，首届中 国画人物画展等全国重要展览三十余次，获全国奖 八次（一金、二优、五铜）。 2009 年油画《延安文艺座谈会》入选国家重 大历史题材美术创作展。2016 年油画《仰韶文化》 入选中国文联主办的中华文明历史题材美术创作工 程，并由中国国家博物馆收藏。 出版画册及专著二十余部。发表作品四百余件 次。十余次任国家级艺术委员和评委。
张立宪
张立宪 1975 年毕业于西安美术学院并留校任教， 1995—1997 年在中央美术学院第九届油画研修班 学习，中国美术家协会会员，西安美术学院油画系 教授、硕士研究生导师、西安美院教学督导，黄土 画派画家。 油画作品《遥远的圣城》获中央美术学院第九 届油画研修班创作优秀奖；《八月流金》入选第九 届全国美展；《佛光》入选第十届全国美展；《沸 腾的黄土地》入选中国美术馆首届“农民·农民” 藏画暨邀请展；《欢乐的苗寨》入选纪念“延安文 艺座谈会讲话”发表 70 周年全国美展；《鼓藏节》 入选“中华民族大团结”全国美术作品展；《边陲 老城》入选建军八十周年全国美展；《钟声》入选 全国第二届教师优秀作品展；《兰花花》入选“风 景 . 风情”全国小油画作品展；《女人体》入选第 十一届中华人民共和国艺术节“翰墨长安·唐诗意 象”全国名家邀请展；《岁月》入选“走进秦皇岛” 全国油画邀请展；《画室》入选中法艺术交流展。 作品多次被《美术》《美术观察》《求是》《中 国油画》等刊物发表。
李望平
李望平 陕西米脂人，1988 年西安美术学院硕士研究生毕业 西安美术学院设计系教授、硕士研究生导师 中国美术家协会会员 陕西美协水彩、粉画艺委会委员 陕西当代水彩粉画研究院理事 陕西省体育文化艺术协会理事 当代艺术杂志编委 长安书画院副院长 民盟中央美术院陕西分院理事 作品入选第六、七、八、九、十届全国美展及重要展览 30 余次，获全国奖九次，省级奖七次，发表专著六部，论 文六篇，重要刊物发表作品 60 余次。全国九届美展招贴《遏 制荒漠化靠我们的双手》获得铜牌奖，全国十届美展招贴《三 农问题》获得优秀奖，全国第四届城市运动会招贴《发展体 育事业、共创美好明天》获得铜牌奖，全国第七届体育美展 国画作品《激情与梦想》获优秀奖（均奖） 代表作品入编国家权威书刊。
韩国栋
西安美术学院副教授，硕士研究生导师，黄 土画派艺术研究院画家，陕西油画艺委会委员，西 安油画艺委会顾问，法国巴黎国际艺术城访问学者， 多次在国内外举办个人油画展，出版多夲个人油画 专辑和论文，诗集《栖雲啐语》 。
杨小阳
1960年4月22日生于西安
西安美术学院油画系副教授。
西安美术学院油画系外光写生教研室主任
中国美术家协会会员
作品多次参加如“第十届、第十一届全国美展”“全国体育美展”“全国建军八十周年美展”等全国艺术展览；
作品多次参加如“写意油画全国名家作品研究展”“中国油画年展”“中俄油画家油画作品展”等全国油画专业专题展
曾多次赴非洲、美洲、歐洲及全国各地釆风写生；
出版发行有《中国当代著名油画家·杨小阳卷》《油画家·杨小阳》等个人油画作品集
举办有《出长安记·杨小阳油画作品展》《耕种笔记·杨小阳油画作品展》等个人油画作品展和其它作品联展
多件作品被“中国美术馆”“中国现代文化研究中心”等国内外艺术机构和个人收藏。
所授课程曾获得巜陜西省髙校教学成果二等奖》
柯建军
柯建军 1962 年生于陕西省西安市，1984 年毕业于西安 美术学院师范系油画专业，留校在工艺系任教至今。 教授，设计师，著名油画家 现为中国美术家协会会员 ，陕西省美术家协 会会员 ，西安市美术家协会油画研究会会员 ，陕 西省美术加协会设计艺术专业委员会委员，西安美 术学院设计系教授，硕士研究生导师。先后赴日本 访问考察两次，韩国访问学者考察一次。