East meets west at new LAC gallery exhibit |The Mississauga News

The Mississauga News: East meets west at new LAC gallery exhibit

By Jason Spencer

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MISSISSAUGA – Remember the blackout in the summer of 2003? Iconographic artist Paulo Zen Shifu found the darkness that swept across North America's east coast on Aug. 14 to be quite illuminating. While driving on that day, Shifu recalled the sight of people helping direct traffic to be both "human" and "beautiful." Conversely, he remembers some taking advantage of situation when he entered a store to purchase water, milk and candles and found a huge markup on prices. That duality of human nature played nicely into a metaphor for a piece that he was to create a decade later. Entitled, Desire, the painting is one of Shifu's many creations on display until Jan. 18 at the Living Arts Centre gallery as part of the The Word of Art Exhibit. It's a celebration of Chinese culture through the ancient form of calligraphy. Using red clay and rice paper from the eastern tradition and mixing that with a more contemporary western approach of acrylic paint on canvas, Desire is a piece of cavernous depth that conveys the human struggle of light and dark. Incorporating an excerpt from The Mississauga News about the blackout, the piece delves into religious philosophies from both sides of the globe. Within the image, Shifu employs primary colours – red, blue and yellow – intended to be emblematic of the trinity in western teachings and the sweeping black brush strokes of what's known as the cursive school of Chinese calligraphy to convey a yin and yang concept from ancient Taoist teachings. Tina Luo, Shifu's wife, explained that the pictographic characters central to Desire express a saying in China that in a dark situation "the good people, the kind people, always appear." Another theme running through the pieces in the exhibit is a square, which Shifu said resembles a prison, with the Chinese pictographic symbol for human inside, an image reminiscent of a geometric compass. The motif is prominent in Shifu's more abstract installation, a sizeable 17-piece offering called Captivity vs. Freedom. Taking cues from ancient wisdom, he likens the square to the body because the body is like a jail. "People cannot control (their) body, but anyone can control (their) soul," said Shifu, adding that the exhibit aims to imbue viewers with a sense of self-reflection. Having moved to Canada from China about two decades ago, Shifu said the The Word in Art is a combination of his life in both places. This juxtaposition is amplified by several traditional black and white pieces denoting Taoist scripture hanging alongside the colourful, more modern paintings. To view examples of his work, which has been on display from Vancouver to Dubai to New York to Hong Kong, visit shifuart.net. The LAC exhibition also features the work of calligraphy artists Chun Song Zheng, He Liang Chen, Zhen Yu Fu and Jie You. For gallery hours go to livingartscentre.ca and follow the links. Admission to The Word of Art is free.

http://m.mississauga.com/whatson-story/5216809-east-meets-west-at-new-lac-gallery-exhibit/

Across Canada Dec 18 | 中国日报网 报道

CHINA DAILY USA

Mississauga

CHARACTER STUDY

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Iconographic artist Paulo Zen Shifu (left) presents his calligraphic work of re-scripted Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah to visitors at the opening ceremony of The Word in Art exhibition on Dec 11 in Mississauga. Organized by Mississauga Living Arts Center and North America Contemporary Arts and Calligraphy Association, the exhibition features artworks of five contemporary Chinese calligraphers including Shifu, Zheng Chunsong, He Liangchen, Fu Zhenyu and You Jie. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2014-12/18/content_19120676_11.htm

“書法自然the Word in Art” 展出作品

1. 石甫 · 破囚(裝置) photo 1

2. 石甫 裝置作品 "人與道德"(寫經書法) photo 2

3. 石甫意象書畫作品 "法自然道"、"大隱圖" photo 3

4. 石甫 絲路意象裝置作品 "天梯‧絲路"系列 photo 4

5. 石甫與林振福教授、許之遠教授研討寫經書法《道德經》 photo 5

「书法自然The Word in Art」书画展追踪报道

_08Q3      由加拿大密西沙加市現代艺朮中心 Living Arts Centre 主办, 北美当代艺术与书法协会学朮支持的, ［书法自然 the Word in Art］书画展, 于4/12/2014～18/1/2015 在Mississauga Living Arts Centre Gallery 举行, 并于11/12/2014 晚上7：00~9：00 在暴风雪中如期开幕！

      中国驻多伦多总領事房利先生, 钟洪糯領事, Living Arts Centre 美朩馆馆長Ron Lenyk, 议员Ron Starr, 參加了开幕式。加拿大OMINI TV, 加拿大新時代电视台, Mississauga News 等传媒，于暴风雪中來到現场报道, 來自中西方文化艺朮界的专家学者和艺术爱好者近百人, 在风雪中亲临现场, 送來溫馨的祝贺。

       明报、China Daily Canada、中国外交部fmprc.gov.cn网、Fairchild Radio Toronto、明声报等传媒作了跟踪报道。锦上添花滿堂喜, 雪中送炭倍溫馨!

      前北美当代艺朮与书法协会主席、加拿大艺术家石甫, 策划了这个学朮型的特別展。在72件展览作品中，有石甫的艺友：詩书画印全能书画家郑春松的真草书法和著名书画家陈鹤良的无边书法, 此外还展出了中国艺术硏究院中国书法院最年轻的研究员、青年书法家傳振羽和中国艺朮研究院专攻艺朮创作学的博士尤婕的五体书法作品，他们各献法门呈现一堂。

      展出至今, 反映积极，并得到了中、西方专家学者、艺朮策展人及爱好者的积极反馈。意大利和台湾的某书法网都將此展置顶聚焦报道。特別引人瞩目的是，当代艺术家石甫的意象作品。他將传统中国书法精神与欧美当代艺术形式溶合的首次在多伦多展出的＂东成西就＂意象作品系列：

      1) 书法传统Vs当代西方艺术的裝置作品 [破囚］

       2) 书写在絹絲上的[絲路•天梯]彩窗係列裝置作品(西安碑林博物館鎮舘之寶＂大秦景教流行中國碑＂)

      这是大多伦多主流艺术馆首次主办的艺道双辑盛会, 也是年轻的加拿大艺术与古老的华夏文冲击的浪花! 它期待着參与者的汇入成流 , 推而行之! 使中华文化艺术真正融入加拿大多元文化的主流。