The artistic life of Li Gang, looks like a legend. Following his father path he started to learn painting with brushes, Xuan paper, water and ink. During his childhood he mastered the essence of drawing traditional paintings of flowers and birds.

　　After growing up, he entered a professional art college established to simulate contemporary education modes in western countries by teaching various professional skills used in western paintings. This college was baptized by the new artistic thoughts in China prevailing at this time, including the new trend: to give up all traditions and learn various styles of western paintings(circa 1985).

　　Later, he moved in the elegant hall of government-funded gallery where, while engaged in planning and promoting contemporary art exhibitions, he frequently observed the historical and cultural context. He also looked around the world how creation came from traditional ink paintings and contemporary trends.

　　He spend his next 20 years to develop his unique style , establishing a new way for “ink painting” representations.

　　If we put such an artist into contemporary Chinese history, the last thirty years we see a unique individual who while echoing perfectly ancient artists and traditions brings forcefully contemporary thoughts. He introduces a new style which is a great opening for the future of the art world.

　　This could be expanded by the use of water and ink, a media from the ancient times, while inspiration and forms are strictly contemporary. Opening the door to a complete new universe of communication with the freedom of creation in contemporary art.

　　This application of ink painting tradition to this contemporary universe opens up an unlimited future that is by nature impossible to describe in advance. Visually it is the future style of “ink painting”, conflicting with the past styles and opening up fresh visions in aesthetics.

　　“Contemporary ink painting” can be experimental, abstract, demonstrative or conceptual. For our purpose ink painting here must belong to the cultural concept of “contemporary times”. To be a possible form of contemporary arts, “contemporary ink painting” cannot be confined to selecting the skills in terms of representation, but must respond to widespread issues in contemporary arts or be a direct extension of the historic track of ink painting itself.

　　If Ink painting only plays with the materials, it is unrelated to contemporary arts and is far away from “contemporary ink painting” as a form of Art.

　　Li Gang’s creation can be regarded as an attempt of “conceptual ink painting”, focusing on conceptual exploration, involving macro issues such as contemporary cultural artistic ideas and thoughts around contemporary ink paintings. In form, it is mainly abstract, representative... Although Li Gang’s works present various perspectives of attention to commentators, “rhythmic order” is the focus of this exhibition. Among his creations, he gives less attention to so-called “ink” and “skills” and The way he organizes the ink painting area rejects general pattern of organization. By doing so he refuses the actual standard of judgment and he highlights specific points.

　　By means of various skills, including paper folding, color pouring and rubbing, he is using irregular squares, ink points and color spots to seek some subtle order among rules and disorders. His order is between square and round, entirety and incompleteness, traditional and non-traditional shapes.

　　He gives up the brush, mixing ink in a way looking like a dead end which turns out to be a new start.

　　Buddhist chanting, rhythm, fine pace of change and overall magnificence combine to produce an amazing power like a bell ringing in the silent sky.