Life is both complex and simple. Should we immerse ourselves in emotions or yield to the laws of nature? Look at water—unwavering, fearless, taking shape in union or dispersal, never extinguished.

(Chen Duxi)

Fu Qiumeng Fine Art is pleased to present Subjective realm: between form and flow, a solo exhibition by Chinese artist Chen Duxi(b. 1982). This exhibition features 23 exquisite works from the ChiYi 持颐 series, rendered in meticulous Gongbi 工笔 techniques (a Chinese traditional painting style that uses fine and controlled lines to define forms) on silk with vibrant mineral pigments. These paintings construct a multidimensional world where fluidity, eternity, and the fleeting moment converge. Running from January 4 to February 1, 2025, with an opening reception on January 9 from 5 to 8 PM, Subjective realm marks a significant continuation and evolution of Chen's artistic practice following his acclaimed first solo exhibition of the Er gong 尔躬 series at FQM’s New York space two years ago.

From the metaphor of water to the philosophy of line

The ChiYi series embodies over a decade of Chen Duxi's profound study of water, which provides the very language of Chen’s artistic expression - fluidity. Water's philosophical implication in Chinese culture transcends the boundary between the subject and the object, the observer and the observed. Hence, in these works, water serves as both a subject of depiction and a philosophical metaphor—expressing the continuity of time and the cycles of life. Through water’s fluid nature, Chen explores the intricate connections between nature and life, as well as the interplay of macro and micro perspectives.

The latest works in the ChiYi series, debuting in this exhibition, reflect Chen’s deepened understanding of linear expression. Through a meditative attention to his gesture and the intricate balance between the brush and the paper, Chen fully unleashes the philosophical potential of thebrushstroke-the cornerstone of classical Chinese aesthetics. These strokes capture the passage of time and distill infinite spatial possibilities. Each mark begins and ends with a distinct rhythm, representing the act of entering and exiting the pictorial space – a cyclical motion. The repetition of brushstrokes accumulates into an internal energy and resonance, imbuing the work with vitality. Their layering and interweaving a spreading momentum, while contrasts in density evoke dynamic waves and shifts, injecting the compositions with a unique visual tension.

A poetic continuation and philosophical dialogue

This exhibition extends and deepens the themes introduced in Chen’s earlier Er gong series. Together, the two series form a complementary relationship akin to the Daoist concept of Yin and Yang: Er gong expands outward, embracing the infinite possibilities of the external world and celebrating the diversity of all things, while Chi Yi contracts inward, seeking to distill the multitude of forms, movements, and elements into a single, universal essence. This interplay of introspection and outward expression, micro and macro, opposition and unity—seemingly paradoxical themes—are continually transformed and balanced within Chen Duxi's work, ultimately constructing a complete and profound philosophical framework.

Compared to the earlier works of the Chi yi series, which focused on observing and depicting the essence of objects, the new works showcased in Subjective realm exemplify as a recognition that the artist – his sensations and emotions – are integral to his observation of the world. This shift from external observation to subjective introspection is vividly expressed through the use of color, the refinement of line, and the structure of composition, skillfully drawing viewers into an artistic realm rich with personal perception and emotional depth.

Most of the artworks in this exhibition are created on silk, but Detached, I read a poem is painted on Jinjian (金笺, or gold paper), a medium unique of traditional Chinese painting dating back to the Tang dynasty. Silk, with its permeability, allows for seamless blending and layered colors, while Jinjian is crafted by applying fine gold or silver powder or foil to Xuan paper with adhesive, giving it a luminous, textured quality. In Chen’s Detached, I read a poem, the interplay of green and gold evokes the confluence of fresh and seawater at a river’s mouth. This imagery sprang from a serendipitous moment: after rinsing a brush, gold powder floated on the water's surface, forming a delicate film. When the brush touched the water again, the film dispersed, creating fluid, organic patterns. This flowing movement also mirrors the resonance of sound, as sound waves expand and ripple through space.

From the microcosmic act of rinsing a brush to the vastness of natural phenomena and the diffusion of sound, this work reflects the metaphysicality of artistic experience. The title of the artworks in the exhibition draw from the Tang dynasty ars poetica Shipin (Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry), a treatise that categorizes and illuminates the beauty of classical Chinese poetry. In Shipin, the section on Detached, I read a poem describes the transcendent experience of reading a poem: “Recite and contemplate, and its voice becomes ever fainter”. Chen’s Detached, I read a poem captures this fading resonance, blending the visual and the poetic into a unified artistic expression.

Similar to other works from the Contemplate series, Towards remote antiquity emerges from an immersive, all-encompassing mode of observation. This piece depicts a small waterfall in the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, where the ceaseless flow of water has smoothed the rocks over time. The once unyielding stone is transformed into surfaces so polished that the artist humorously likens them to “ice cream scooped with a spoon.” The rippling patterns in the painting depict water as both falling and rising, capturing the optical illusion of upward flow—a phenomenon known as the motion aftereffect, triggered by prolonged observation—while the fragmented portrayal of rocks further obscures spatial relationships.

For Chen Duxi, Remote Antiquity transcends the idea of “antiquity”. It embodies a primal clarity, a journey from raw, chaotic impressions to vivid, articulate expression. Chen draws inspiration from the stone carvings of the Wei and Jin dynasties (220–420 CE), which he sees as capturing the birth of a new form of artistic expression. These early works, unbound by rigid systems, radiate a raw, unrefined vitality. In much the same way, Remote antiquity reimagines the waterfall—an enduring motif in Chinese art—through the lens of the artist’s personal visual experience.

In Towards remote antiquity, water streams seem to suspend from the fragmented rocks, while in Flying into Fairyland, they cascade in a stepped progression. The segmented lines dividing the scene exaggerate the tectonic forces that fractured the rocks, while also capturing the artist’s experience of climbing them—pausing briefly between ascents. In Chen Duxi’s observation, the water glides in a thin, almost imperceptible veil over the stone, so subtle it seems to vanish. This silken film caresses the rugged bed, contrasting the hardness of the rocks with the ethereal lightness of the flow. In the painting, fine, short lines evoke the delicate yet persistent movement of water as it travels, layer upon layer, down the stacked stones. Though gentler than the turbulent waters in other Contemplate series works, this subtle stream leaves its mark over time, imprinting its presence on the rock. Fleeting yet powerful, the gentle water transcends time, carving its story into the enduring stone with quiet persistence.

In To be simple and thin, the flowing lines in this artwork resemble streams of water washing over the canvas. Varying in thickness, they intersect or overlap, aggregating to a sense of vitality. This piece draws inspiration from the artist's encounter with an old cypress tree. As he approaches the tree, it ceases to be an independent, distant image and dissolves into a world of interweaving details and textures. Part of the Contemplate series, the lines rushing across the canvas captures the fluid essence of life, leaving traces that flow through the subject itself. Three distinct planes carve out sudden depths amidst the textures, yet the lines do not halt; instead, they continue to stretch endlessly onward. The contrast between the ethereal quality of the lines and the solidity of the planes, as well as the delicacy of the lines against the fullness of the overall composition, creates a dynamic interplay. This coexistence of subtlety and substance, lightness and fullness, reflects the complex relationship between the individual and nature