arts // no. & theotherpress.ca Latest art gallery exhibition displays traditional Chinese style > Inks on rice paper painted by Alex Wang Caroline Ho Arts Editor luid inks in smooth brushstrokes sweep across the walls of the Amelia Douglas Gallery in its newest exhibition, Etherealize, featuring the works of Burnaby-based artist Alex Wang (Wang Zhihao). Etherealize, which opened on March 1, is a collection of figure paintings in the style of traditional Chinese painting. Made through ink washes on large sheets of rice paper (or Xuan paper), the seemingly-simple shades of black and grey flow across the canvases in rich, dynamic shapes and lines. “Xuan paper has a characteristic: It is to record every stroke of ink and water,” Wang said in the exhibition’s artist statement. This irreversibility gives each piece a vivacious, ephemeral quality. All were painted from live models, Wang told the Other Press Inside the colourful and creepy world of Takashi Murakami at the show’s opening reception, and all were completed fairly quickly. “Every picture, you just spend 10 minutes, or at maximum 20 minutes. You have to finish it, and some pictures you draw [are] not successful and you fail,” said Wang. Though Etherealize showcases 20 works, these are selected from hundreds of similar paintings that Wang has done. The exhibition opening also featured Wang himself giving a live demonstration of his work, painting a colourful portrait of two young girls at the reception, in front of an audience of captivated watchers. Wang said he isn’t nervous about painting in front of a crowd, but he does find it tiring to work on such a large canvas and having to move up and down the paper. However, he said he also finds it very exciting. Wang has exhibited at the Amelia Douglas Gallery previously, with a solo exhibition called Alternating > The exhibition is open from February 3 to May 6 Katie Czenczek Staff Writer I: case you haven't noticed the giant octopus hanging on top of the Vancouver Art Gallery, or the numerous advertisements riddled throughout the city, The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg has come to Vancouver. The title of the exhibit is based off a piece of Japanese folklore that features an eight-legged cephalopod chewing off its leg in order to keep the its body alive. Not only that, but the real chameleon of the sea is able to eat its leg as an afternoon snack and have it eventually regenerate. This notion of self-sacrifice in the name of survival is a universal struggle that many can relate to, especially in a city like Vancouver where the cost of living can be debilitating. The exhibit, then, enables viewers to ask themselves the question: What are they devouring in their own lives in order to survive, and is it worth what they’re keeping alive? For Takashi Murakami, the answer seems simple. He attended Tokyo University for the Arts, where he majored in Nihonga—an art form that revives thousand-year-old conventions, materials, and techniques characteristic of early Japanese artists. In his career, however, he has blended tradition with pop culture to create his eclectic sculptures and paintings. He also draws inspiration from manga and anime, and originally planned to become an animator in his younger years. Responsible for the Superflat movement and the vibrant cover art for Kanye’s Graduation album, Murakami’s rap sheet is memorable. He makes numerous cultural allusions that span time, bridging the gap between old and new. In “100 Arhats” (2013), the artist depicts Buddhist monks morphed and deformed from the 2011 earthquake in Japan. The painting also references Seasons in 2010. In his previous Douglas show he used a different type of paper, allowing him to create more detailed works, such as intricate illustrations of trees—some examples are currently on display in the gallery. “This time it’s raw rice paper, so it’s hard to control the colour, but the first exhibition it [was] easy to control the colour, and then you can draw more detail,” he said. “This is the difference, and this time it’s freestyle.” Since the works of Etherealize are quick studies, Wang is also happy to donate most of the proceeds from the exhibition back to Douglas. The paintings are on sale for $100 each, and a generous portion of this price will go towards scholarships and other funding for student education. The Amelia Douglas Gallery is located on the fourth floor of the New Westminster campus, and Etherealize will be open until April 21. the Nepalese Yeti and Buddhist Chintamani Stone in an impressive spread that covers an entire wall in the gallery. Murakami’s attention to detail is insane. On the backdrop of this already highly-detailed piece, he’s painted thousands of skulls piling up. It’s a difficult piece to stomach, but it is absolutely beautiful in execution. For more modern references, Murakami’s “Klein’s Pot A” (1994- 97) looks as if he’s taken Sonic the Hedgehog and disfigured him horribly. The painting is undeniably the beloved character, with the blue, peach, and red colour scheme popping out in every direction, making Sonic look like he’s in front of a fun house mirror at your local carnival. Other references the artist has made to culture both old and new include Katsushika Hokusai’s famous painting “The Great Wave off Kanagawa’—more commonly recognized as the waves painting that everyone’s Photo by Analyn Cuarto Photos by Analyn Cuarto getting tattooed on themselves. Murakami’s famous Mr. DOB character is found throughout many of his paintings, along with his happy flowers that can’t help but put a smile on your own face as you explore the exhibit. Critics of Murakami have viewed his collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Vans, and Shu Uemera as “selling- out,” for contributing to the “lower art forms” such as fashion and other commercial works. However, it seems as if he’s the one laughing to the bank, because his artworks sell for thousands of dollars a pop. He’s managed to do what many artists have failed to do in the past—make money while still being alive to collect it. The messages in his art can be conflicting, where he seems to comment on consumerism and commercialism, yet he seems to thrive off it. Or perhaps that’s the entire point of his artwork and the collection, “The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg.”