April 2025 — Fu Qiumeng Fine Art is proud to announce that artists Wang Mansheng and Brandon Sadler are featured in the exhibition "Shuo Hua: Speaking Through Art," currently on view at the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem, New York.
This group exhibition brings together contemporary artists who engage deeply with East Asian aesthetic traditions while forging new pathways through experimentation, cultural exchange, and personal storytelling. The exhibition’s title carries a poetic duality: while Shuo Hua / 說話 means "to speak" in Chinese or "speaking through painting (說畫)" —to communicate across time, space, and heritage, its homonym Hua / 花 means "flower." All of the works in the show center around floral imagery, bringing a sense of renewal and springtime vitality to the gallery.
Wang Mansheng, White Lotus (2013), Ink, walnut ink and color on gold paper
Wang Mansheng’s White Lotus (2013) stands as a luminous embodiment of purity and natural harmony. Painted in walnut ink on shimmering gold foil paper, a pristine white lotus blooms in tranquil elegance. The subtle textures of the walnut ink—a material handcrafted by the artist himself—convey the unfiltered essence of the natural world. Wang’s artistic practice is rooted in a deep reverence for organic materials and ecological awareness. From creating his own brushes and pigments to sourcing local, sustainable materials, Wang’s work reflects a profound dialogue between nature and art. White Lotus encapsulates his enduring pursuit of elegance through simplicity and the spiritual resonance of the natural world.
Brandon Sadler, Into the Sun (2022), Ink on xuan paper.
Brandon Sadler’s featured pieces, Beyond the Moon & Into the Sun, offer a contemporary meditation on the lotus as a symbol of transformation and rebirth. Known for his studio, Rising Red Lotus, Sadler draws on the lotus motif as a metaphor for resilience—the journey from murky depths into radiant bloom. His expressive ink work, steeped in the principles of East Asian painting and calligraphy, balances precision with emotional spontaneity.
Together, the works of Wang Mansheng and Brandon Sadler engage in a visual dialogue with the exhibition’s central theme. Shuo Hua becomes not only the act of painting but also a transcendent language—one that bridges cultural traditions and contemporary sensibilities. While Wang delves into the material origins of artistic expression, Sadler explores its conceptual and emotional depths. Their lotus imagery reflects the exhibition’s dual meaning, where "speaking" and "flowering" become one and the same—offering a contemplative celebration of spring, resilience, and artistic voice.
"Shuo Hua: Speaking Through Art" is on view at the Hammond Museum through July 2 0, 2025.
For more information about the exhibition, visit: https://www.hammondmuseum.org/shuo-hua
