Art in Translation: Students Show Off Ink and Installations

The NYU Shanghai gallery space was filled with skilled calligraphy, ink paintings and multimedia projects -- artwork from Professor Barbara Edelstein and Jian Jun Zhang’s Introduction to Studio Arts class and Projects in Studio Art.

Holding two separate exhibitions, the open space was transformed from a monochromatic labyrinth of classical-style paintings and drawings to a venue where ink was danced on foot, or animated to reflect grief and the loss of a loved one.  It was a show of technical skill paired with expressiveness and depth.

A large work titled Inkprints was the result of collaborative efforts by Vini Zaninovic and Saurya Risal, who implemented a variety of textures using different brush sizes and their own handprints. Frantic and dynamic was a large ink painting by Ewa Oberska, who impressively combined traditional techniques with her own unique style.

Amy Wang’s Passerby combined “Western techniques with Eastern materials,” for her paint and projection installation depicting the overwhelming flow of impressions people leave on each other throughout life.

Mei Wu’s video project Ink NYU Shanghai juxtaposed architecture of the academic building with the fluidity of Chinese ink, and Yugi’s Legend of the White Snake provided a painted story with a seamless narrative as it rotated on ancient style zou ma deng lamp.

“We are very happy that our students are using the traditional Chinese art methodologies taught in class with their own experience to create artworks that are contemporary,” said Edelstein and Zhang.

View the gallery here