The reclusion tradition of Chinese literati comprises the strategic retreat of Confucianism and the voluntary preference for anonymity and poverty to preserve one’s true nature of the Daoism. In the era when everybody is in a hurry, indulging in mountains and rivers becomes a kind of remote imagination. Yet the more chaotic the world, the more we need a rest of our hearts, a spiritual strength to get “far from the madding crowd” from the inside. 

The four artists involved in the exhibition, Chai Yiming, He Saibang, Jiang Qigu and Yu Peng all live in metropolis, among urban hustling, yet they all maintain some kind of distance from reality. Free from cynicism and purposeful pursuit of novelty, their works are possessed of serenity and internal integrity.

Our ancient literati loved mountains and rivers. With ink and water, they sought the universal harmony and engaged in self-cultivation. The four artists share their valuing of the training of mind, and respect for naturalness in art. So the twists originating from modern life in their work give us a trace of the texture of their inner worlds, apart from the reference to the long tradition of Chinese ink art.