Tang Ke’s paintings are based on his experience of growing wax gourds in his garden, as well as his day-to-day observation of them. He regularly writes notes on cards to document seasonal changes of weather and plants. After closely observing wax gourds for some years, Tang noticed that he started to intuitively grasp the rhythm of these plants’ life. “It is bound to flourish at some point, and bound to wither at some other point,” he wrote, “Time goes by in cycles. It never ends. I experienced this in my life, and I see it in the growth of plants.” Through Tang Ke’s painting, one may perceive the artist’s empathetic connection with his plants, an enduring engagement with them, a care for their life, and a resonance with their cyclic changes. This echoes the idea that painting follows the rhythm of the continuous creation of life, an idea rooted in traditional Chinese painting. Inherent in the white ground of Tang Ke’s painting is an innate sense of life.

Curated by Fu Qiumeng Fine Art