Spatial Lines, Or The Speculation About Ontology
Bao Dong

Sun Xiaofeng seems to not care about the various description and definition burding on water-ink. For him, water-ink has nothing related to national identity, cultural class and value orientation, so it doesn’t matter what is traditional or avant-garde, conservative or experimental. The various arguments on water-ink since the 20th century and the intention to construct theory behind those arguments mean nothing to him, because he doesn’t place himself in the mission called water-ink, which for him is concrete, small, personal and literal – water-ink namely water and ink . Actually it is a dependable attitude instead.

From Traditional Chinese Painting to water-ink and from cultural ontology to medium ontology, the accomplishment of this conceptual change as a contemporary painting implies a historical narrative, namely the reductionism of modernism, reducing the culture to aesthetic sensibility, collectivity to individual, art to medium. The establishment of the water-ink concept drives the exploration to water-ink language, but the theory of water-ink medium would not separate itself from the cultural context, just like aesthetics unable to escape from the ideologial cultural background. In fact, among various new water-ink experiments, we can find the cultural similarity obviously from the subject tendency to form preference and to interest expression. In a word, it is totally different for a Chinese to paint water-ink paintings and for a foreigner to paint with water-ink, which can be recognized at a glance the significant difference. In other words, it is not necessary to define the cultural identity of water-ink in advance as culture and interest are the result of experimental construction and can only keep their meaning and vitality during the continuous construction experiments.

Therefore, Sun Xiaofeng reduces the water-ink to water and ink , not for the simple reduction from art to physical medium, but to emphasize, that the spirit and concept are only reliable and personal’s established by art through those sensory materials and experience. If there is a kind of water-ink character, then it is certainly not a closed interest and rigid style, but consists of the various possibilities to be found and explored under the water-ink medium. The water-ink character refers to a continuously open and ongoing experience level.

SUN Xiaofeng

Born in Chenghai,Guangdong in 1972
2006—2008 Deputy director of development department and curator in Guangdong Art Museum
2011—2015 Partner and art director of Sunshine Space
2016—2018 Chief curator of Guangdong Museum Of Art

Sun Xiaofeng has planned”Infiltration, Landscape and Fantasy”(with Yang Tianna and Wang Jia), “Guangzhou Station”(with Pe Daojian, Wang Huangsheng,Yang Xiaoyan,Chen Tong),”Wash Painting”,”Disguised Form-Ink Paintings’ Dimension”, “Post Lingnan School and the Pearl River Delta”, “In-between•Chinese New Ink painting Exhibition [Mexico]” and many other large-scale art exhibitions.
Sun Xiaofeng had participated in the 2ndGuangzhou Triennial-Beyond:an extraordinary spaceof experimentation for modernizationand “A Grain of Dust,A Drop of Water-The 5th Kwangju Biennial”.

2017 Tashan-Sun Xiaofeng Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition,Redtory E5 Art Gallery, Guangzhou,China
2016 Scenery Line-Sun Xiaofeng painting exhibition,Heritage Art Museum,Shunde,China
2016 City.Garden-Sun Xiaofeng painting exhibition,Huaxia Collection Art Museum,Shenzhen,
China
2016 Spatial Lines-Sun Xiaofeng Ink Painting Exhibition,Beijing Rainbow Wall Art Gallery,Beijing,
China
2015 Kaihui-The Exhibition About Abstract Of China,Shone-show gallery,Beijing,China
2015 Deep Shadows-Wang Huangsheng,Yang Peijiang,Sun Xiaofeng works exhibition,Shantou,
China
2014 Garden.Knight-Sun Xiaofeng&Luo Peng Duo Exhibition,Flower city art museum,Guangzhou,China
2014 My garden-Sun Xiaofeng Ink Painting Exhibition,Guan Shan Yue Art Museum,Shenzhen,
China
2014 Beyond,Beijing Rainbow Wall Art Gallery,Beijing,China
2013 Location.Nantong 2013:Sun Xiaofeng artwork exhibition,Nantong Centre Art Museum,Nantong,China
2009 The Opening Ceremony of the Exhibition in HAYA Art Shop ,Guangzhou,China
2008 Children Team 2008 of Sun XiaoFeng-Contemporary VisualProcess Series Exhibition,Xiamen,China
2008 Guangzhou Station-Contemporary Art Exhibition in Guangdong Art Gallery,Guangzhou, China
2007 Introduction Exhibition of Song Zhuang Artist,SunshineMuseum,Beijing,China
2007 The Second Art Exhibition By Guangdong Young Generation -Go!Go!Go! ,Guangzhou,China
2007 Sun XiaoFeng Solo Exhibition In Shang Zhen Gallery,Guangzhou,Guangdong,China
2006 New Reform-Academic Invitational Exhibition 2006,Guangzhou,Guangdong,China
2006 Wash Painting-Innovation of ink exhibition of Contemporary Ink,Guangzhou,Guangdong, China
2006 Urbanism Status-Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition,TallinnMuseum,Estonia
2005 The 2nd Guangzhou Triennial-Beyond:an extraordinary spaceof experimentation for modernization,Guangdong Art Museum,Guangzhou,China
2004 A Grain of Dust,A Drop of Water-The 5th Kwangju Biennial,Kwangju,Korea
2004OpenAttitude-The First Art Exhibition By Guangdong Young GenerationGuangzhou, Guangdong,China
2003 The 18th Asian International Art Exhibition,Hong Kong,China
2003 Changing Direction-Invitational exhibition by ContemporaryArtist Magazine,Chongqing, China
2001 The 6th Documental Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Arts,Shanghai and Beijing,China
2000 Individual and Society in Art Collection of Art Works by 11 Chinese Artists, Guangdong Art Museum,Guangzhou,China