Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain
Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain 是云，是雪，是春山 : Dan Luo’s Solo Exhibition
Date: 4 December 2021- 15 January 2022
Opening: 4 December 2021
Venue: LAN Gallery, Shenzhen, China
Curator: Shaofeng Duan
Executive Curator: Arthology
Poster of Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain: Dan Luo’s Solo Exhibition
FOREWORD
Dan Luo’s sculptural practice draws from three primary sources. The first is rooted in the grand tradition of Chinese Han and Tang dynasty sculpture, particularly the legacy of cave temple carvings. Traces of Dunhuang and Longmen Grottoes can be seen in Dan’s bold and weighty forms. The spirit of Han and Tang art gives his work a distinct Eastern sensibility—one that is deeply tied to his academic background. It was during field sketching trips organized by the Central Academy of Fine Arts that Luo first encountered grotto sculptures, an experience that has profoundly shaped his artistic vocabulary.
This academic lineage forms the second source of Dan’s sculptural thinking. Having studied both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Dan's education has provided him with a broad foundation spanning conceptual art to classical traditions. This breadth is evident in the tension and dynamism of his work. From aesthetic form to the multi-layered ideas of “balance” embedded within, his sculptures transcend mere visual appeal. His exploration of balance speaks directly to contemporary life—especially resonant in the world shaped by the events of 2020 and beyond.
The third source is an interweaving of realism, classicism, and romanticism. While his sculptures may appear distant from the everyday, their imagery and symbolism remain grounded in lived reality. Drawing from contemporary life, Dan builds a unique visual language that merges neoclassical clarity with a new romantic sensibility.
This exhibition presents his recent works created since 2019. The title Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain poetically frames the exhibition’s tone and symbolic reach. It evokes the evolving aesthetics and themes of Dan’s practice: the tranquility of clouds, the softness of snow, and the graceful presence of a springtime mountain. Together, these metaphors conjure the serene and harmonious sensibility found in his sculptures. In an era where art and life are becoming increasingly intertwined, beauty and inner harmony—as embodied in Luo’s works—are perhaps more valuable than ever.
We invite viewers to encounter the calm, poetic world that Dan Luo’s sculpture evokes, and to find joy in the beauty it brings.
EXHIBITION RECAP: LAN Gallery Exhibition Release
On the afternoon of December 4, LAN Gallery’s autumn solo exhibition Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain officially opened to much celebration. Following the opening ceremony, guests toured the exhibition with artist Dan Luo, whose work received widespread admiration and praise.
The exhibition is the culmination of over three years of collaboration between the artist and LAN Gallery. Curated by Shaofeng Duan, it debuted in December 2021 as a seasonal exhibition bridging the transition from year-end to the new year. Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain features Dan Luo’s newest body of work since 2019. Luo’s practice spans both contemporary sculpture and public art, and his works reflect this dual identity. In addition to freestanding sculptures, this exhibition also includes relief works—developed as extensions of earlier series—demonstrating his adaptability across different spatial formats.
The exhibition title subtly conveys the relationship between Dan’s work and the external world. Cloud and Snow suggest the artist’s interplay between lightness and gravity—a central tension in his sculptural language. Spring Mountain refers not only to the forms he depicts but also to the poetic, natural setting that completes the scene. These three elements together form a harmonious and ideal living state, reflecting both aesthetic and philosophical balance.
At the opening, curator Shaofeng Duan remarked: Cloud, Snow, Spring Mountain evokes a poetic atmosphere much like Dan’s sculpture itself—simple in appearance yet rich in meaning. His concept of “compression” explores the dynamic tension between inner and outer space within his sculptures, ultimately leading to his signature notion of “balance.” This idea of balance extends beyond the object, shaping the relationship between sculpture and its surroundings.
Here, cloud, snow, and spring mountain serve not only as metaphors for the qualities of Dan Luo’s sculpture, but also as components of a serene visual scene that aligns with the spirit of his work. Cloud and snow speak to the gentle lightness within the otherwise weighty material, while spring mountain—a classical metaphor for feminine grace—also hints at the natural setting in which this harmony unfolds.
