Fu Qiumeng Fine Art is delighted to announce that artist Zhang Xiaoli's work "Box Unlimited" (2023) is acquired by Mark H. Reece Collection at Wake Forest University. Established in 1963, this collection is curated by a committee composed solely of students. New works are acquired every four years by a group of different students, the single constant being a steadfast commitment to selecting artwork that “reflect the times.” As the collection commemorates its 60th anniversary, it welcomes Zhang Xiaoli's “Box Unlimited" (2023), alongside works by seven other artists.
Zhang Xiaoli, Box unlimited 无限展开的盒子, 2023
Chinese ink and colour on silk 绢本水墨设色
15 3/8 x 15 3/8 in (39 x 39 cm)
At the beginning of 2024, Fu Qiumeng Fine Art unveiled Zhang Xiaoli's debut solo exhibition in North America, "Whimsical Maze," introducing this emerging female artist to a global audience. The exhibition explores Zhang’s deconstruction of landscape painting and the fusion of Chinese aesthetics with Western scientific theories. Selections from her LEGO Landscapes, Boxed Landscapes, and Mysticism series, along with an artist book, provide a comprehensive view of Zhang’s artistic journey since her student years in Hong Kong.
"Box Unlimited" (2023), featuring Zhang Xiaoli’s iconic LEGO elements, is a continuation of Zhang Xiaoli's "Boxed Landscapes" series, which she first created in 2015. The literati rocks, disguised as LEGO blocks, emerge with a sense of playfulness reminiscent of pop art; its deconstructive aesthetics echoe the symbolic aspect of traditional Chinese paintings that dates back to the Qing Dynasty's 'The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting.' The transparent pull-out box introduces a hint of uncertainty and surrealism to the visual space, with LEGO and literati rocks interlaced, pine trees peeking out from behind the panels, and clouds drifting across the box's surface or spiraling from the other corner. Perhaps a pull at the panels would transform the scenery inside the box, inviting contemplation on the shifting perspectives that also underlie Chinese ink landscapes.
Installation of "Whimsical Maze," ©The FQM
In Zhang Xiaoli’s words, "just as classical landscape painting expresses the ancient masters’ inner vista and spiritual pursuits, I want to portray the spiritual landscapes of the postmodern generation." In a time defined by globalization, modernization, and digitalization, Zhang’s meticulous layers of ink washes on silk convey a tranquility that revives the poeticness of traditional Chinese landscape painting.
Stay tuned to the unveiling of Zhang‘s works including "Box Unlimited" (2023) in the fall exhibition at the Charlotte and Philip Hanes Art Gallery at Wake Forest University. We hope Zhang Xiaoli’s art will spark new dialogue with the existing works in the university’s collection.
[Click here to read more about this acquisition and the collection at Wake Forest University]
