By Zheng Qiting

Guo Yan, at the opening ceremony of her Solo Exhibition “Bodhi” on February 26th, 2010. Photo: Zheng Qiting

The opening ceremony of artist Guo Yan’s solo exhibition “Bodhi” was held on February 26 at the Shanghai Zhangjiang Contemporary Art Museum. The “Bodhi” series is probably Guo’s most spiritual and intellectual work, depicting the spiritual world of “sleeping young girls” floating in the sky of the city. This illusive scene deals with the complex relationships and feelings of alienation between people and the city, as well as the survival experiences of modern world. Defined by the image of naked girls on the burning branches and fallen leaves of Bodhi trees, Guo’s latest oil paintings tugged at the heart strings of audiences who came to this unique exhibition.

Bodhi, which is a huge and antique variety of the papal tree, is most commonly associated with enlightenment, expressing the notion of awakening from a dream and of being aware of the reality. Over 2,500 years ago, Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, meditated about the Twelve Nidanas (what Buddhists consider the origins of suffering and other phenomena) under the Bodhi tree for 49 days. During this time he overcame countless evil temptations, and finally found enlightenment before dawn. Since that time, “Bodhi” has become a symbol of intelligence, initiation and excellent practice. The artist Guo Yan picked the key word of “Bodhi” as the theme of her exhibition, so as to imply the intelligence of awakening and liberation in the heart of human beings.

In her new series of “Bodhi”, Guo created a multiple “dreamlands” between young men and women. In one painting, a couple of sleeping young lovers dreamily floated in the air without any defense, and could slip into the unpredictable future in the depth of the remote sky anytime. Usually, she uses red, purple and black colors to present flourishing trees and jungles, creating an extremely uneasy and panicky scene and atmosphere.

“The images of sleeping young girls in the Bodhi Trees are meaningful and profound,” said Michael Lewis, a 37-year-old artist who came to the show from New Zealand, “and I can feel the helplessness and fragile innocence through the paintings.”

Bodhi NO. 35. Photo: Courtesy of Guo Yan

Other than the oil paintings, several white Bodhi Trees - made of abandoned steel and wood shavings- are also shown on her solo exhibition. The trees are all made from the industrial waste and the wreckage produced by human longing and desire, so as to convey artist’s concern about the endless pollution generated by modern civilization.

A graduate of the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Guo Yan made very apparent progresses in terms of oil paintings in the recent years. Through her previous series “Purple Impressions” (2006), “Waft” (2007), and “Float” (2007-2008) up through the latest “Bodhi” exhibition, Guo has worked to foster a sense of intellectual awakening and good will through her work. This can easily discerned from the aspects of her works such as her understanding of color tones and the crafting of images.  

Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, once wrote, “There is neither bodhi tree, nor stand of a bright mirror; since all is void, where can the dust alight?” Guo tries to reflect this in her work in the idea that people from all walks of life are searching for their own Bodhi trees in the city. Facing the uncertainty and unpredictability of life, each one of us is exactly like these defenseless, lonely and aimless girls trying to escape. “Loneliness has followed the majority of citizens’ their entire lives, everywhere they go,” said Guo Yan, “In bars, cars, stores, there’s no escape.” In the “Bodhi” series, she dealt with consideration and inquiry into relationships among lonely residents and the city.

“Art is a disease, just like suffering is the human being’s eternal ‘disease’,” Guo paused and added, “In my oil paintings, I try to transcend the disease with aesthetics, just as Zen Buddhism tries to cure the human being’s pain with ‘Bodhi’.”

Where: Zhangjiang Contemporary Art Museum, 419 Zuchongzhi Road, Pudong District
When: February 27 to March 17, 2010
Contact: Pu Yan, 51345052
www.z-artcenter.org/