Swanfall Art Gallery

2 May 2024 – 6 May 2024

Curators:

Swanfall Art Gallery
The Handbag Factory

Artists:

Amy Dury / Bai Liu / Cheng Yen Yu / Chun-Mei Wang / Daphne Ting Yu Chu, Teng Xue / Dann Xiao / Dora Yan / Enxi Liu / Fangmeng Liu / Haochen Ren / Haozhe Chang / Harmeet Sodhi / Jane Gao / Jane Hughes / Jessica Holmes / Jiayi Shi / Jingyi Li / Junshu Gu / Kieran McPeake / Keer Zhang / Li-Fei Liao / Liu Yang / Marcia Patterson / Marcus Murison / Mark Lawson Bell / Meizhu Huo / Naroul Wang / Oli Li / Rahideh / Richard Baker / Ruiya Xu / Shengdi Cui / Shiyao Xia / Sonia Martin / Tiange Chen / Violet / Wenhui Hao / Xiaojun Guo / Xiao Tan / Xianjun Liu / Xuanbo Cao / Xuran Guo / Xinyun Chang / Yang Yu / Yanxin Ma / Yiru Wang / Yixuan Han / Yizhi Chen / Zecheng Li / Zhaotong Du / Zhou Zhou / Zhu Wang / Zimeng Zhang / Ruo-Jie Yu

"About Time" Group Show

“And indeed there will be time, for the yellow smoke that slides along the street, rubbing its back upon the window panes; there will be time, there will be time. To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet; there will be time to murder and create; and time for all the works and days of hands, that lift and drop a question on your plate; time for you and time for me, and time yet for a hundred indecisions, and for a hundred visions and revisions, before the taking of a toast and tea.”
- TS Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1965)

Change is the only constant. In Buddhism, there is an emphasis on recognising the impermanence of all things. This concept holds that "all conditioned existences, without exception, are transient, evanescent, and inconstant. All temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a constant state of change, subject to decline and destruction." The Japanese term "物哀" (mono no aware), which translates to the pathos of things, reflects a subdued and enduring sorrow faced with impermanence. Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), a modern master of printmaking, is one of the representatives of the aesthetics of "mono no aware". Meanwhile, the "I Ching" (Book of Changes), as one of humanity's earliest efforts to position itself within the cosmos, employs sixty-four hexagrams as a system model for change. It advocates for a mindset of positive adaptation, seeking to understand and grasp the nature of change.

The process of art creation is the materialisation of momentary thoughts and experiences, where ideas are carried by canvas or other mediums, essentially constituting a confrontation with time. The exhibition "About Time" showcases a collection of paintings, photography, sculpture, film, and installations. Through a diverse array of media, artists communicate their encounters with transient thoughts and enduring truths, inviting the audience to share in the experiences of time, change, and eternity.

Date

2 - 6 May 2024

Location

3 Loughborough St London SE11 5RB

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