From Autumn to Spring

From Autumn to Spring 复园志: Zhiguang Chen 2020 Solo Exhibition

Date: 18 December 2020 - 2 January 2021

Opening: December 18, 2020, 10:00 AM

Venue: Zhangzhou Art Museum, Fujian, China

Academic Host: Zhong Wang
Curator: Shaofeng Duan
Executive Curator: Arthology

Organizers: Publicity Department of the CPC Zhangzhou Municipal Committee, Xiangcheng District People’s Government
Co-organizers: Publicity Department of the CPC Xiangcheng District Committee, Zhangzhou Art Museum, Ant Nest Art Museum
Supporter: Zhangzhou Guoyuan Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.

Poster of From Autumn to Spring: Zhiguang Chen 2020 Solo Exhibition

FOREWORD

“From Autumn to Spring” marks artist Zhiguang Chen’s second solo exhibition in Zhangzhou, the city that has long served as the core of his artistic creation. From his 2017 solo exhibition The Return of the Ant King at Zhangzhou Museum to this 2020 presentation at Zhangzhou Art Museum, four years have passed. Though the two venues are only a hundred meters apart, the years in between have witnessed a wide range of personal and artistic highs and lows, with his works travelling across the globe.

On March 7, 2020, Zhiguang’s solo exhibition “Dragon Ant Metamorphosis” opened at the Contemporary Art Museum in Bonn, Germany. Later, on December 6, his show “Magical Space” opened at the Osthaus Museum Hagen. These two European exhibitions were held just half a year apart. In ordinary times, the artist would likely have accompanied his works across Europe, but in the exceptional year of 2020, global travel was halted by the pandemic. Unable to attend in person, Zhiguang responded symbolically through “From Autumn to Spring” back in China. In a world facing a shared crisis, art becomes the common thread that binds us—"a shared chill and warmth across the globe." This exhibition serves as a distant echo and source of encouragement for his peers in Europe. From “The Return of the Ant King” to the current “Ants in Europe”, Zhiguang’s works, in spatial terms, continue to explore the theme of migration.

If 2017 marked the collective return of his creations after a journey outward, then From Autumn to Spring reflects Zhiguang’s introspections during the year of the pandemic. These works also reflect his enduring life in Zhangzhou. Unlike many contemporary artists, Chen exhibits globally but chooses to remain rooted in the rhythms of life in southern Fujian. The Minnan lifestyle nourishes his art in a way that is both grounding and profound—though he appears to have left Minnan, in truth, he is deeply embedded within it. In his painting, sculpture, and calligraphy, Zhiguang transcends spatial boundaries.

The exhibition title From Autumn to Spring encapsulates the state of the artist’s creation, life ideals, and realities in the extraordinary year of 2020. Firstly, the title speaks to the nature of the works on display. For Zhiguang, art is not merely a reflection of reality, but an extraction of its fragments—infused with personal style. His Shadows of Trees and Bonsaiseries transform real-life materials into artistic forms, stylized and reimagined. At first glance, they may seem like acts of restoration, yet they represent a thoughtful continuation of his long-term reflections on Chinese contemporary society. These series extend from his earlier Migration (on ants) and Broken Wood sculptures, both of which touch on themes of transplantation and mobility. His work reflects how contemporary Chinese individuals move, adapt, and dream, often tinged with nostalgia and hope. This is the same movement that began with China’s Reform and Opening-up in 1978. Thus, From Autumn to Spring can be seen as a chronicle of Zhiguang’s observations and thoughts—a record of his internal garden reconstructed at this exhibition.

Secondly, the title From Autumn to Spring phonetically echoes the Chinese word for “restoration.” In a post-pandemic era, how does art respond to reality? During the height of the crisis, Zhiguang spent most of his time in the studio, creating steadily. This routine itself was a powerful response—a demonstration of resilience. In maintaining a normal rhythm of life and creation, art becomes a hopeful force and a means of confronting the world’s upheavals.

Thirdly, From Autumn to Spring reflects the artist’s intention to transform his studio’s garden-making process into an institutional “restoration” within the museum space. The word “from” implies not only recovery, but also repetition and continuity—a return of sorts. It resonates with The Return of the Ant King and evokes an imagined homeland, a mental sanctuary that Zhiguang calls “the restored garden.” These layers of meaning give the exhibition its depth and name.

In From Autumn to Spring, Chen Zhiguang presents a complete body of work from his Shadows of Trees painting series and his new Bonsai sculptures. The exhibition spans both sculpture and painting—fields in which Chen is equally accomplished. Though widely recognized for his sculptural work, he originally trained in oil painting. This show thus offers a full view of his recent creations in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms. Standing at the end of 2020, this exhibition allows us to envision a hopeful new beginning for the year ahead.

ARTIST STATEMENT

This exhibition features many of my recent works, most of which are being shown for the first time. These pieces were born from my life and studio practice in Zhangzhou. In creating them, I was both solitary and joyful. An artist must respond to their times through their work. For me, that response is made through confidence and strength.

With these pieces, I have constructed a vision of “Linquan(Forest and Spring)”—a garden of forests and springs. Song dynasty art historian Guo Xi once described “Linquan” as the highest ideal, and for generations of Chinese people, this vision of nature remains unchanged. As we face Yuanshan and stand beside the flowing Jiulong River, we are surrounded by real-world “Linquan”—these natural scenes are beautiful in themselves.

The idea of the “restored garden” represents an ideal: a return to tradition, the revival of an inner dream, and the restoration of everyday work and life. From Autumn to Spring is both a vision and a commemoration.