Shan Weijun

1962, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China

Introduction

Shan Weijun attaches great importance to the purity of expression in his paintings. On the surface he depicts the French countryside, however Jiangnan, China is the image's underlying theme. He skillfully uses Chinese traditional painting tools - rice paper, brush, and ink - and meticulously traces on the paper. The accumulation of different shades of lightly applied ink creates a rich, subtle suburban landscape. The artist compares the creative technique of painting in the studio every day in this calm and slow point-by-point manner as "a thousand points." This kind of pointillism is reminiscent of the Impressionist pointillism that flourished in France at the end of the nineteenth century. The difference is that Shan Weijun uses only grayscale ink. The subjects featured in most of his paintings include mountains, stones, trees, and clouds. The static landscape presents a kind of detached artistic conception, beyond attachment to the material world, and trains the viewer's eyes to stay on the image, allowing the viewer to enter the realm of contemplation. This undoubtedly has a close relationship with the artist's choice of "meditation style". The work may seem simple, or a Chinese copy of pointillism yet is actually a more complex masterpiece of ink painting that combines Chinese culture, French feeling, and contemporary aesthetics. "Thousands and Thousands of Points," as the artist explains, is his personal method of Zen retreat.


In Shan Weijun's own words:
“Silence is the foundation of simplicity." My art is rooted in Eastern cultural identity and artistic practices. By blending time and space, understanding the spirit of ink and wash, responding with my inner heart to the painting, I find the ultimate and pure escape.


BIOGRAPHY
1962    
Born in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China

1983-1987    Graduated from the Department of Plastic Arts (also called Visual Arts), the Wuxi University of Light Industry (now Jiangnan University), Wuxi, China

1991-1993    Graduated from the Department of Plastic Arts, University of Paris 8, Paris, France

2001    Established an art studio in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, Paris, France

Present    Lives and works in Paris, France

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018   

2017  
  • Pure Ink — Scenery in Motion, Co-organized by French Cultural Embassy, Shanghai, China


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024  

2019   

2018

OTHERS

  • China — Art Capital Forum, Shanghai, China
  • Paris Contemporary Art, Grand Palais, Paris, France
  • Contemporary Art, Social and Cultural Centre of Georges Brassens, Paris, France
  • Pierrefitte-Sur-Seine, Paris, France
  • Exhibition of 4 artists, Municipal Library Association of Yerres, Paris, France
  • Young artists exhibition, Paris, France