LU Song: A Warm Breath Set the Leaves Stirring: Solo Exhibition

LU Song: A Warm Breath Set the Leaves Stirring

Curated by WANG Jiang

March 9^th – April 30^th, 2024

Don Gallery, 2555-9 Longteng Avenue, Westbund, Shanghai

Don Gallery is pleased to announce LU Song’s solo exhibition, “A Warm Breath Set the Leaves Stirring”, which will open at the gallery on 9 March 2024 and feature a series of brand-new paintings created by the artist over the past two years. The exhibition was curated by WANG Jiang and will run until 30th April 2024.

The leaf clusters swung in the warm, gentle breeze. "The green leaves, which are the lungs of the tree, and so the wind is its breath", Robinson went on to say. He imagined his own lungs being open outside of his body, along with the sea complexes, thorn bushes of purplish-red flesh, coral bones of living coral, and still-growing scarlet membranes and mucus-secreting flowers, as well as the lush, delicate, and sensitive bouquet of fleshy flowers that was ceaselessly waving in midair and the scarlet joys that poured into his body from the main trunks of the channel that was filled with scarlet blood......

The passage above is taken from Friday, or, The Other Island (1967) by Michel Tournier, a novel that reconstructs the Robinson Crusoe narrative as told by Daniel Defoe. The quote not only depicts a natural phenomenon but also symbolises a transition in the protagonist Robinson's perception of the natural world and himself. Robinson transforms from a rationalist to an "elemental man" who lives peacefully with nature as a result of his isolated experiences on the island. The author intends to investigate the deeper meaning of human existence as well as the conflict between civilization and wildness in this way.

The exhibition title "A Warm Breath Set the Leaves Stirring" conveys LU Song’s exploration and contemplation of the interaction between man and nature in addition to echoing his portrayal of nature and celebration of vitality in his works. A further metaphor for LU Song's conception of artistic creation can be found in the background of the narrative that is cited. Similar to Robinson's metamorphosis in Tounier's book, LU Song's inventions reveal his ongoing investigation and understanding of the self and the outside world.

The exhibition will centre on two series, “Dance of Trees” and “Marron Hugger”, whose pictures capture the strength and beauty of life as it exists in the natural world, as well as how resilient and transcendent it is in the eyes of humans. Humans need to engage with nature not just to survive, but also to reach a higher state of consciousness. This transcendence could be the discovery and comprehension of life's purpose or the awe and respect for the force of nature. LU Song paints nature, and while he does not include any human figures in his works, his viewpoint conceals how a man would think and see the natural world. The ideas of transcendence and survival are frequently intricately interwoven into spiritual inquiry, and his aesthetic experience transcends the necessity for survival and becomes a significant aspect of one's spiritual life.

Furthermore, LU Song’s Theatre series has turned its attention from external partnerships in the past to self-talk conducted inside. He started altering his own photos that he had taken at various points in life to create new, fractured images. There is room for interpretation because the photos lack a distinct main topic or coherent storyline. His painting style is a reflection of his reflection and integration of his earlier works. He has developed a unique painting language by exploring the philosophical and arbitrary aspects of painting and by constantly refining his methods.

LU Song’s paintings imply that life is both a physical and a spiritual journey in a world of wonder and change. As Michel Tournier stated in Friday, or, The Other Island, "The true journey of discovery is not to look for new sights, but to have new eyes."