equilibriarte.net

From 22th June to 24th July chinese artist Xu Longsen will expose in Rome a series of monumental canvases in an exhibition called "Xu Longsen. On top of two Empires".

At Roman civilization museum a visitor can see and climb the oriental spirituality simply observing the bidimensional signs over the canvas made of rice. The majesty of these landscapes strikes the visitor and gives to him the opportunity to think also over the relationship between Roman and Chinese Empire, as monumental also.

Over his career, Longsen has developed a striking signature style that derives its tension from his selective use of traditional drawing tecnique of China.
As a self-conscious Chinese painter, Longsen conveys the essence of Oriental culture: going through the Nature and contemplating it, someone can reconcile itself with the Nature, rediscovering own inner balance.

During the inauguration, I interviewed the artist:

1. The works presented tonight are the summa of Oriental art: bidimensional, the empty and full. Is it still holds true?

I hope to be the best Eastern artist! I put these works in this museum because I hope it creates a dialogue between these two civilizations, Roman and Chinese.

2. In fact, the canvases are large sheets of white rice with large blacks signs on: this is also a closeness to the Roman culture?

Certainly: the material I use for the sign is ink, an object very old: we use it for painting.

3. One thing that strikes the viewer is the lack of Western figurative plant: while recognizing the object, the sign has a greater importance.

Eastern art is abstract too, so my mountain is a symbol of the spirit, it is a research for spirituality.

4. These large signs applied on the rice paper are not also the sureness of the absolute?

Certainly, in ancient Chinese culture there is this idea of union between heaven and man, so I hope my work is so, that is men will go back to nature.

5. Speaking of absolute, which is the pillar, the stone rests his philosophy and his art?

They are divided into three phases, as my works exhibited here: the first phase of three trees; the second phase, there is a path on my reflection on the history; and the third part are the last six years works. So we can say that this show represents this idea: the clash between the ancient Chinese civilization and the modern, contemporary.