Artist:  He Tian
Duration: 2023/1/5-2/17

Object Momento is pleased to present He Tian’s Solo Exhibition The Grassland on January 5th, 2023.ThisExhibition will present the artist’s recent works mainly about grasslands and forests, in which he does meticulous artistic representation about nature. In his works, he leads viewers to appreciate natural landscapes, delivering innerperceptions about what he sees and experiences in nature. The exhibition is curated by Wu Jingyao and will last till February 17th, 2023.

He Tian was born in Qinhuangdao in Northern China，and his deep memories of the primitive forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains in his childhood became the main depicting object of his early artistic exploration. Hepays attention to the guardian spirit of the forests and depicts them into his paintings. And then he became interested in the theme of grasslands, in which he expresses more about the present, depicting various forms of grasslands as a symbol related to the zeitgeist.

He Tian made multidimensional artistic explorations along his career. He’s works trace along characteristics ofboth abstract and figurative style. Through the linear elements of the grass leaves in certain directions, thepaintings would produce fluid space and forms. Besides, painting the grass is like ‘writing’ it uses techniqueapplied from Chinese calligraphy. In terms of techniques, the artist prefers to explore techniques of ancienttradition in which he creates a glossy effect on the canvas, yet the style still remains contemporary. Thus, the work extends the perception from nature to personal emotions, releasing the viewers’ own self imagination.

The exhibition features a series of He’s green grasslands in the south of the gallery. Each painting depictsvarious shapes of grasslands in different depths of field，strokes line up into clusters with rhythm on thecanvas, bringing the viewer into the natural landscape with different forms and details. In the adjacent space are bluegrasslands series, with a different atmosphere conveying the artist's unique expression of color and life. The slightlymelancholy color from Love is Blue also comes from the pianist Richard Klaidman, expressing the author's thoughtsand emotions. As you walk through the space, a series of nature works greet you in the north of the gallery: thecracked earth, withered grasses, water ripples, streams and forests, and some other natural scenes with mysterious and symbolic meanings. The finale of the gallery lies the Tree Hole, where viewers stare into the abyss of the tree hole as if gazing deeply inside into one’s own heart.

He Tian's works construct tranquil atmosphere and the lust for life. The multi-faceted representation ofgrasslands and forests are not only the explicit and individual portrayal of the artist's inner emotions, but also theexpression of multidimensional observations on social realm, the concern for nature and human collective habitat, and the reverence for life.