The Realm of Light

Text/Ning Wen

“The artist must have something to say, for mastery over form is not their goal but rather the adapting of form to its inner meaning."

— Vasiliy Kandinsky

In philosophy, "light" is often used to symbolize enlightenment and truth. In The Republic, Plato describes an ideal state, comparing the "highest good" to the light of the sun, which he considers the source of the world of ideas, perceivable only through the "eye of the soul." In ancient Eastern wisdom, "light" holds similar symbolic meanings. For example, in Buddhist thought, "The realm of light" resembles the Pure Land, symbolizing a world of purity attained through enlightenment and liberation. In Taoist philosophy, the realm of light symbolizes a transcendent heavenly realm. In Laozi's philosophy, light and its resulting phenomena of brightness and darkness serve as metaphors for the mind's capacity for knowledge. Laozi uses light as a metaphor to guide practitioners to reflect on and transcend the dualistic structure of things and language, realizing the Tao that is both bright and dark, neither bright nor dark, and ultimately nameless. This can be understood as a pursuit of transcending worldly cognition to achieve a state as clear and authentic as "light."

This exhibition features eight female artists born between the 1980s and 2000s: Jia Xinyu, Lv Huiyao, Ling Siaw Lyn, Ma Lingli, Wang Zichen, Xindi Wang, Fleurs Xu, Yao Guo. They use their artistic creations to enter the wise, transcendent, and sacred" the realm of light", and through various methods, each of us can also reach this realm. In my view, these artists share certain common traits in their creative processes: their paintings are highly spiritual rather than narrative, emphasizing intuition and metaphysics. Through their art, they explore the essence of life and the universe, pursuing inner awareness and harmony. Their works exhibit tendencies toward transcendentalism, mysticism, and symbolism.

The late American artist William Lumpkins, who was deeply interested in Zen, shared his artistic perspective in the early 20th century: "Transcendent aesthetics takes space and time as the a priori forms of sensory perception... We attempt to transcend the illusory forms of materialism and enter the reality of non-material forms." From this perspective, the eight artists in this exhibition are all exploring new forms of artistic expression, not by abandoning tradition but by building upon it. Through non-objective art, they simultaneously present different times and spaces, entering another reality - a spiritual reality - embracing a higher-dimensional, aware energy.

Jia Xinyu's water flows, Lv Huiyao's flowers, Ling Siaw Lyn's shells, Ma Lingli's light, Wang Zichen's sun, moon, and stars, Xindi's seashells, Fleurs Xu's forests, and Yao Guo's starry skies... Natural forces hold a special attraction for these artists, but they are not merely depicting nature, daily reality, or fantasy. Instead, they create works that originate from daily life but transcend it—works that are fully integrated experiences of their inner realities, landscapes of their inner cultivation, and moments of connection with the universe. Viewing their works, one can feel music, sense the vibrations of color, enter ancient subconscious realms, and even experience synesthesia. The late American artist and founder of the transcendental painting movement, Emil Bisttram, once said, "To conquer matter with form, to conquer form and matter with color, and to conquer form and color with spirit." Perhaps the spiritual awakening these artists subconsciously seek is what drives their creations.

A new era has quietly begun globally, as stars fall and rise, and chaos restores itself to order... The shared creative intentions and directions of this younger generation of artists may be an omen: setting sail from the realm of light, we hope to find a new order, a new consciousness amidst the conflicting aesthetic experiences of today. Embracing the power of awareness, it calls us to live, feel, and experience with higher energy. The realm of light, the realm of natural spirit, the land of those who act with knowledge.