Admired for its poetic qualities, ink on paper dominated Chinese art for centuries. When ‘anything goes’ was the only philosophy that defined contemporary art in the West, in the East, Chinese artists continued to practice and evoke this time-old tradition. Artists are forever expanding the possibilities of this medium, exploiting it for its traditional connotations and material capabilities.

For the first time, this exhibition by Art Scene China groups together artists from Art Scene Warehouse and Art Scene Classic. The diverse range of art on show demonstrates the full range of this artistic dialogue. The abstract forms of enigmatic artist Li Xi evoke both traditional and conceptual notions of ink painting. Contemporary artist Liu Yan plays on our conservative associations of the medium by painting hybrid ancient/modern scenes of hedonism, debauchery and materialism. Yang Moyin’s delicate paintings bring to mind traditional Chinese painting, yet use acrylic on canvas. Ink in this case is quite literally ‘on the run,’ having been made redundant by a modern medium. Such art poses the question as to whether ink on paper deserves as much attention as a philosophical concept as it does a medium.

Whether these artists colour their ink, let it run or choose to represent it via other mediums, their cumulative effects show that ink is here to stay. This exhibition is a testament to the maxim ‘it’s not what you do, but how you do it.’ Why not let the ink run- what’s the worst that can happen?