The Buddhist magic of Mogao

THEMED on “Fantasy of Dunhuang”, Chen Xiejun’s and Chen Ying’s oil painting exhibition will raise its curtain on Saturday at Bridge 8 Art Space.

Featuring 120 paintings in total, the exhibition presents the transformation of Dunhuang culture over the last millennia.

Best known for the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang in Gansu Province was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. Like a pearl of the world’s splendid civilizations, Dunhuang art inherits the Buddhist thoughts and traditions of India.

Portraying scenes of everyday life of Bodhisattvas — Buddhists who have earned nirvana but delay going in order to help other beings — and landscapes, the paintings give visitors a glimpse of the history of Dunhuang and the glamor of its art.

Expressing Dunhuang art in a new way of oil painting, the exhibition is divided into four sections: mural art, great visions, geography of culture and comparative research.

The father and daughter duo did fieldwork several times, meticulously exploring, researching and creating.

Awarded as one of the “2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 20th century” by the International Biographical Centre, Chen Xiejun is a former director of the Shanghai Museum. He took doctoral courses at the department of philosophy at Washington University.

The versatile scholar is a painter and prolific author of over 100 joint or personal publications. In 2015, Chen held a solo art exhibition “The Palace Museum in the Eyes of a Museum Curator” at the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Following her father, Chen Ying, born after 1980, is devoted to oil painting and art education. She has held a series of exhibitions in China and the US.

Date: Through December 16 (closed on Mondays), 9:30am-5pm

Venue: No.8 Bridge Space of Art – 1908 Granary

Tel: 6346-2958

Address: 1274 Nansuzhou Rd