‘Broken Landscape’ is the extension and expansion of Liang Shaoji’s 2007 solo exhibition ‘Cloud’, a poetic expression of the Chinese state of mind. The artworks in ‘Broken’ portray a fractured visual image that incorporates ‘silkworm’ as a medium to reflect nature, life, science, history and society; and ‘Zen’ as a mental framework. These three characters are pronounced similarly in Chinese and convey profound meaning.

Through working with elements of nature, the exhibition stresses purity and simplicity, creating a sense of emptiness. The artist uses a variety of natural materials to exhibit the life-cycle of silkworms. Surrounded by ancient wooden remnants and suspended in air, the silkworm installation (about 10 meters in length) is reminiscent of a traditional landscape drawing. The wooden forms, shaped over time by river currents, reflect the imagery of a sunken boat: ¬ a symbol of fleeting life, suffering, and generosity, all notions found in ancient Chinese poetry. By using natural elements and alluding to Chinese thoughts, ‘Broken Landscape’ creates a poetic atmosphere, a virtual landscape of breeding silkworms and ancient wooden forms that provides visitors a space for quiet meditation.

Liang’s early work consisted of serenely abstract hangings and installations made from textiles, often including bamboo. In his representative work, Natural Series, he created a series of installations and performances using live silkworms, combining biology with art, and integrating sculpture, installation, and weaving. The artist also uses bamboo to deepen the reflection on the subjects of nature, life and society. As Liang Shaoji states, ‘I think art is all about the comity between societies, the faith in life, and the release which humans perceive from nature’.

Liang Shaoji, a close observer of the contemporary art world and frequent participant at all possible Biennales around the world, was born in 1945. He graduated from Zhejiang Academy of Ars. He is now residing in Tiantai Mountain in rural Zhejiang province, and working as a guest professor at the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou. His works have been widely exhibited at national and international art institutions, including: Chinese Avant-garde Art Exhibition (National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China, 1989), The 48th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale (Italy, 1999), The 6th International Istanbul Biennale (Turkey, 1999), The 5th Biennale d’Art Contemporain de Lyon (France, 2000), The 3rd and The 6th Shanghai Biennale (China, 2000 and 2006), ‘Cloud’ – solo exhibition at ShanghART H-Space (China, 2007).

Nov 15 - Dec 31, 2008. ShanghART Gallery & H-Space. www.shanghartgallery.com