Displayed are two sets of works that he has specially created for the exhibition space. 500 Brushstrokes fuses painting, papercut, and collage into a new form of two-dimensional art. The artist first draws random strokes on xuan paper with ink and watercolor. He then cuts out the brushstrokes and uses them to construct new compositions. Inspired by Handynasty bronze “money trees”, Daydream Forest consists of mesmerizing 3D structures constructed from 2D images of fantastic beasts.
Both sets of works derive their concepts from the art of folk paper cuts but transform them into the language of contemporary art. Full of movement and dynamism, Wu Jian’an’s art merges concrete and abstract forms to generate infinite transformations.