Zong Baihua, the master of aesthetics, once mentioned “moving my emotions” and “moving the world” from the concept of classical Chinese aesthetics. Where do we find beauty? “Moving my emotions” and “moving the world” are two adequate requirements. “Moving my emotions” is the subjective psychological requirement when searching for beauty. The audience must first have their “emotions moved.” There is a need for certain subjective preparations (such as mental cultivation and training) and certain conditions in order to be able to appreciate so-called “aesthetics.” This transformation of our emotions for discovering beauty is exactly what Zong said about “moving my emotions.” One observes one’s feelings for beauty and expresses it through creations; thus, there is the creation of “beauty.” As for “moving the world”, it is the probing of which objective things can become active factors that help with the emergence of “beauty.” It is through changing the phenomenon of objective things, rather than through subjective psychological factors, that aesthetic conditions become beautiful objects. Zhang Dafu of the Ming Dynasty wrote in “Writings in the Plum Blossom Cottage” that “Shao Maoqi once said that the beauty of the moon can move the world.” The saying means that any ordinary object can be transformed to a beautiful scene under the moonlight; therefore, the moon can “move the world.” One can use powerful factors that help with art creations from one’s experience with many objects, becoming “the moon” and transforming the world; thus, presenting us with the image of “beauty.” This exhibition employs Mr. Zong Baihua’s concept of “moving the world”, and, to achieve this, three artists from different regions and eras were chosen. They are IIDA Kiriko from Japan, Tao Fa from Yunnan, and Dong Lin, who just graduated from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts with a major in sculpture. They present three different kinds of “beauty” by “moving the world” in their own ways. In the face of the gradual loss of aesthetics in contemporary art, we respond with an opposite direction. We simply start with the artists to inspire the audience’s “moving emotions”, then come seek beauty in the three artists’ “moving the world” at Soka. Through “moving the world”, the three artists make “beauty” an objective existence. First, they influence the audience visually. Then, they elevate the audience’s life and make it more interesting.

IIDA Kiriko (1970- )

Born in Hokkaido Japan in 1970, IIDA Kiriko graduated from the Hokkaido Institute of Design. Her snowy hometown, Hokkaido, gives her great inspiration. IIDA has a unique control over the color white. She believes that "white is the most inclusive color, and it can reflect the depth of other colors." She layers and blends characters, animals, and all organisms in nature in the snowy white earth of Hokkaido. They are woven together with refined touches. The artist draws out the essence of what she feels is nature’s beauty within her visual range. She creates beautiful pieces with a life force and story of their own. Under the influence of the Japanese cartoon culture and “Mysterious” aesthetics, IIDA’s works have a fine and sensitive beauty of emotions. There is also a kind of hidden sadness, taking the audience into a subtle and mysterious world. The scenes are mostly human images or animal spirits she created. There is also often space left blank or in the whiteness of the snow. On the surface, the scenes look serene and simple. In reality, the pieces are familiar with a lingering charm. IIDA creates another kind of mysterious world, expressing another form of the Japanese aesthetics “Mysterious”. This kind of aesthetics is based on forms, yet surpassing the forms at the same time. It hints at a kind of silence that is out of this world. IIDA’s works are melancholy, but not sad. She indirectly shows her attitude towards life. IIDA also developed a new direction that combines classical aesthetics and contemporary art with her drawings. The audience needs to feel and experience IIDA’s “moving world” through “moving one’s emotions” in order to find the beauty of the piece.

Tao Fa (1984- )

Tao Fa is Miao. Born in Yunnan in 1984, Tao graduated from the Art and Design Department of Yunnan University. He is one of the beloved protégées of Mao Xuhui. What Yunnan is to Tao Fa is like what Tahiti is to Gauguin. With influence from the Hmong origin mythology and the Qin Dynasty’s “The Classics of Mountains and Seas”, Tao’s works are full of primitive and mysterious power, like that in mythology. There is often a great amount of classical blues in his pieces. Like IIDA Kiriko, Tao’s works are not about judging society. Rather, they express emotions about nature and the forests of Yunnan that he grew up with. Tao inserts the polytheistic faith of the ethnic group in his works by giving the trees and mountains souls and life force. He often works after having a few drinks. With the help of the buzz from the alcohol, Tao expresses himself freely through painting. The stream of unconscious movements then becomes a scene. There are often symbols that look like mysterious words, conversing amongst themselves, appearing in his works. They express a primitive, plain aesthetic of a mysterious nature. Tao poetically gives souls to the wasteland, forests or farmlands from his childhood through “moving the world.” Although there is no element of society in his works, the audience can still relate to them. They can re-discover the ordinary world of nature. The state of his creations is extremely free. The works are full of emotions while simultaneously pointing out the original state of life. Tao’s use of classical Eastern colors and random unadorned lines form natural, classical aesthetics.

Dong Lin (1991- )

Born in 1991, Dong Lin studied traditional Chinese ink art when she was young. Then, she went on to study at the High School affiliated to the Central Academy of Fine Arts and graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a major in sculpture. Her creation for the graduation show “Voice of the Buddha in the Mountains” surprised all. Although it wasn’t a visually shocking piece, it held a quiet power that compelled the audience to stay and look. Dong went to Jingdezhen and made “Voice of the Buddha in the Mountains” after solving technical difficulties and three months of incubation. This piece shows the perfect combination of stereogram and the line drawing technique in traditional Chinese ink art. It is like a horizontal scroll of a Chinese landscape painting, but with contemporary elements. This piece has a strong Chinese impression. The styling of the characters is influenced by the Northern Wei Buddhist sculptures and the Chinese Portrait brick. Dong also draws inspiration from the Dunhuang frescos. She employs Chinese “classical aesthetics” and uses special Eastern materials like porcelain in her works. The artist exhibits a scene of the Buddha giving lectures in the mountains in her work “Voice of the Buddha in the Mountains.” The entire painting takes on the full view of the landscape, stretching six meters long. Soka will present the complete version of this piece for the first time. Through “moving the world”, Dong presents traditional Chinese ink art in stereogram. She expresses her respect and passion for tradition. It is rare for such a young artist to have such knowledge of, and to be able to recognize, Chinese traditions when creating.

Mr. Zong Baihua thus said: “Have we found beauty? I replied, we may have experienced the power of beauty and have confirmed her existence, but there is still unlimited rich depth that is waiting to be discovered by us. For thousands of years, poets and artist have seen much of the beauty and kept it in their works. In the next thousands of years, there will be new portrayals in this world. Every person who creates a new rhythm is the one who expands our emotions and takes them to a higher level!”

We hope that these three artists can also be the ones to create a new rhythm and touch more people with their poetic works.

                                                                                                                                           July 30, 2015