Amid seemingly endless contemporary art and high-tech art exhibitions currently running one after another in Shenzhen, a new exhibition partly featuring beloved Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis’ endearing paintings is like a fresh breeze through this warm winter.
From patterns of her iconic white cat to rustic images of horse-drawn carts and oxen to the relaxing landscapes of the picturesque coastline of Nova Scotia, Lewis’ small-sized paintings resonate strongly with viewers for their cheerful depictions of a tranquil pastoral life in Canada. The happiness Lewis (1903-1970) conveys through her paintings is more remarkable given the difficulties of her life.
Maud Lewis’ painting “White Cat.” Cao Zhen
“Lewis’ paintings appeal to viewers not only because they are bright, colorful and happy but also because they allow us to see her resilient human spirit through the paintings,” said Sarah Fillmore, curator of the “Maud Lewis and the Nova Scotia Terroir” exhibition at He Xiangning Art Museum last Saturday.
“Lewis’ paintings are not fine and her strokes are loose because she was born with juvenile arthritis and never received education in art,” Fillmore added.
Beside her paintings at the Shenzhen exhibition, there is a replica of Lewis’ house, where she lived most of her life in poverty with her husband in Nova Scotia in the east coast of Canada. In this one-room home, she created hundreds of paintings that captured many aspects of rural life and sold hand-drawn Christmas cards for a living.
Visitors walk past a replica of Maud Lewis’ house and take photos of her paintings. Courtesy of He Xiangning Art Museum
She also used other surfaces for painting, such as boards, walls, cookie sheets, boxes and doors. Inside the house replica, her bread box painted with flowers is exhibited alongside her other paintings.
The Shenzhen exhibition also features contemporary artworks by six living artists from Nova Scotia, who present a dynamic and engaging exploration of the province’s rich contemporary visual arts community.
Textile artist Frances Dorsey, who teaches at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University), uses local plant to source dyes for her weaving. She stitched designs and dyed images on found handkerchiefs for her “Halifax Harbor 1940 Series” to record troops and sailors departing for the European battlefield during World War II.
An immigrant from the United States during the Vietnam War, Dorsey believes that the trauma of war can leave a mark on subsequent generations, and she tries to understand how all of these big events penetrate into the smallest corners of our lives. “These handkerchief artworks evoke the tears and pains of people leaving their family behind or being left behind,” said Fillmore.
Melanie Colosimo, director of the Anna Leonowens Gallery at NSCAD University, commits to simple materials — air mesh and paper — to explore memory, transitory states and trace imagery.
“Colosimo’s cut-out paperwork ‘Chain-link Fence’ is like something keeping us together or separating us. It shows that we are trying to have a conversation in a global sense. Her air mesh ‘Transmission Tower I” hanging from the ceiling seems to hold little power, but warns of technology’s fallibility and the challenges inherent in any form on communication,” said Fillmore.
Interdisciplinary artist Charley Young has brought her giant rubbing work “Carbon Copy: The Charles Morris Building” to the exhibition. In 2010, she draped the 7.3-meter-tall Charles Morris Building, which was to be demolished, with white fabric, and rolled ink onto its surface to record the texture and memories of the historic architecture built in 1764.
She also created a series of intimate drawings of Rocky Mountain textures and ridges based on photos taken from helicopters. She said she seeks to record and make portable site-specific interactions with places, searching for their marks and depositing her thoughts.
Artist Anne Macmillan, who is displaying her three videos, said she is interested in the power dynamic between a subject and an object. In her “Surface Scratch,” white lines are generated based on a tree branch’s movement, and she explained that the video is a small gesture to listen, to provide a surface for inscription and a means to read what these subjects have to say, even if the translation is incomprehensible.
A still from Anne Macmillan’s video “Surface Scratch.” Cao Zhen
Multidisciplinary artist Ursula Johnson’s work combines the indigenous Mi’kmaq tradition with contemporary art. In her large printed sticker “(Re)al-location: The Festival of Stewards, LandMarks 2017, Canada,” she aims to “(re)locate local knowledge and traditions to address concerns related to natural resources and stewardship of the land.”
NSCAD University fine art teacher Sarah Maloney’s tulip embroidery works reflect her interest in feminism, gender roles and the body. During the exhibition, He Xiangning Art Museum will hold two embroidery workshops at 10 a.m. on Dec. 21 and Feb. 8. Visitors can follow the museum’s WeChat “hxnartmuseum” for sign-up information.
Entry: Free
Dates: Until March 22, 2020
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays
Venue: He Xiangning Art Museum, Nanshan District (南山区何香凝美术馆)
Metro: Line 1 to OCT Station (华侨城站), Exit C
