Human beings always seek a way to escape all the struggles, challenges and injustices of our reality. From the very beginning on art has served us troubled by introducing new perspectives and sometimes helping us to escape, carrying our burdened mind away to carefree worlds.

1918 ArtSPACE is proud to introduce to you four international female artists who pick you up to differently approach a “world of lightness”: CAO Weihong [曹卫红] (China), Lisa Tomasetti (Australia), Lena Revenko (Russia) and Stella Lai (USA).

Beauty is a haven of the restless. CAO Weihong conveys – with oil on canvas – day-to-day situations of beauties in ancient China. It seems as if these beauties are free of sorrows, just destined to delight us with the beauty of their simple way of being – relaxing in bed and admiring flowers.

Most of us consider childhood as an oasis free from worry. Though born into our very same troubled world, children have the ability to lie their focus on the most simple things sensing greatest happiness. Lisa Tomasetti’s photographic child portraits of light and shadow give us a link to connect with the purity and innocence we have left behind us some time ago. Just like our own memories Tomasetti’s objects are surrounded by shadows – fragmentary – and her perspectives limited, hence letting us only surmising.

Mythology, the opposite of reality, is the source of Lena Revenko’s work. On old book pages as well as origami paper Lena Revenko captures with her gouache brush creatures and persons from a fascinating world that roots in Japanese and Chinese myths. Just like popping out of the written words that tell their stories these characters are enabled to fascinate and amuse us, sucking our mind into their colourful and amusing world.

Stella Lai ties in with Revenko’s approach, mesmerizing us with her piercing blend of the magical, mythical and the romantic, reminiscent of the Chinese martial arts epic. In contrast to CAO’s demure and very quiet Chinese women, Lai’s women have evolved into rebellious, daring, exotic and unique heroines; challenging the stereotypical image of Chinese women.

Some might suggest that the critical sub context of Stella Lai’s work proves the illusional character of a “Lightness of Being”, unmasking this term as a craven escape. There is no doubt about life’s obstacles and the necessity of challenging them. However, it is up to each one of us to sometimes choose a different focus and let our attention be drawn to the simply delightful in order to regain strength. These four artists invite us to temporarily free ourselves from life’s burden – to enjoy the Lightness of Being.