LIN Wenjie: Promeneur: Curated by WANG Yaoli

BONIAN SPACE is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition, Promeneur, by artist Lin Wenjie, from July 20 to August 18, 2024. Curated by Wang Yaoli, the exhibition features the artist's recent acrylic collage paintings on canvas and paper.

The works presented in this exhibition are important pieces where Lin attempts to break away from her usual focus on depicting figures and rethink the placement of people within landscapes. Since beginning her artistic journey, Lin has consistently drawn inspiration from people and objects that resonate emotionally with her. She enjoys observing how those around her react to their immediate environment and space from an intimate bystander's perspective. Through her paintings, she rephrases and preserves the indescribable emotions and states that move her.

Lin primarily focuses on portraits and landscapes in her paintings. While studying oil painting in the Third Studio at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, she explored the use of gray tones in depth. Later, Lin went to study in France and lived there for decades, which resulted in her works displaying much brighter colors. She sensitively and honestly reflects the changes in her painting style brought about by different environments. Consequently, the figures observed from an outsider's perspective in her paintings appear in their most natural and vibrant state.

David Hockney's close friend once said in an interview, "David Hockney is an artist who will always be remembered, and will always be remembered in a happy way, for someone who had a sense of beauty." Lin is happy to talk about how Hockney's attitude toward life deeply influenced her, and she never shies away from sincerely conveying her positivity and optimism in her work. Just as portrait, landscape, and still-life appear brighter against a grayscale background, Lin Wenjie's works challenge our insight into life, guiding us to think about the essence of seeing.