Dancing in the light of yin and yang

A shining steel ball caught in the cracks of a crag reflects the sun; a tender, fresh flower, immersed in crystal water, glows with a mysterious, purple light; a blooming rosebud catches fire from above.

Alwin van der Linde, a Dutch-born Spanish artist, impresses viewers with his poetic photographic works, oil paintings and thought-provoking remarks.

The versatile artist, who crosses over many art genres, is holding a joint art show with Shao Hua, chairperson of Chinese Photographers Association, at the Beijing World Art Museum. On show are some 90 works of photography and oil paintings created by the two artists. In her works, Shao has successfully created images that allude to oil paintings, lithographs, relief works and even traditional paper cuttings.

Linde says Shao's innovative photographic works, featuring both Chinese and Western stage shows, "share so much with my works that try to break the boundaries of art genres".

Visitors marveled at his innovative creation of illusory beauty.

"Linde's pictorial rendering and personal interpretation of the images maintain a magic and artistic vibration that touch me deeply," says Yun Fei, an art critic in Beijing.

Some works, such as the Burning Rose Bud, puzzle the Chinese viewers. However, Linde declines to pinpoint the meaning of his paintings. "For me, art is more to raise questions than to give answers," he explains. "Our world is a mystery; our life is a mystery; art is a mystery; and my art is my way to explore the mysteries."

"Art helps bring together people from different backgrounds. The juxtaposition and interaction of works by Linde and Shao shows us how art transcends time, space, and cultural differences and wins the hearts of viewers," said Sun Jiazheng, head of All China Federation of the Arts and Literary Circles, at the opening ceremony last week.

Now living and working in Madrid and Montanchez (Extremadura) of Spain, Linde is working on the development of a foundation for the figurative arts and experimental music.

It is the first time Linde staged an art exhibition in China.

Born in The Hague in 1957, the artist first carved out his name in Paris in the early 1970s. His works range from oils, murals, sculptures and photographs to electronic music, video, installations and experimental theater.

A great admirer of Chinese culture, Linde is fascinated by his recent tour. "When visiting Beijing and Shanghai, I feel like I am in such Western metropolises like New York and Paris. But it is amazing for me to discover how China combines Western culture and its own culture on its way to modernization," says Linde.

Although Linde once tried his hand at various art genres, he has turned back to explore possibilities in the "traditional genre of oil painting".

"I do not think there is any art genre that is really old-fashioned. Nor do I believe there is any art form that is more modern than others. And my works are far more modern than they appear to be," Linde claims.

In his view, "art forms, material, techniques and new technologies are but vehicles to explore this mystic world we are living in".

Later this year, Linde plans to hold a solo exhibition of a larger scale in Shanghai, along with a master class for art majors in the country. He admits in some oil paintings, he deliberately applies some rules of the Chinese ink art.

For example, he emphasizes the momentous role blank space plays and pays attention to striking a balance between yin and yang - the complementary flow of energy that helps build visual tension in a composition.

For the master class, he will suggest the students visit Mount Huangshan in Anhui province, an ever-lasting fountain of inspiration for ancient and modern ink masters.

"We would first do a three-hour meditation on the mountain to ponder over the essence of art before starting out to capture the beauty of nature," he says.

The joint exhibition runs until May 22 in Beijing.

(China Daily 05/13/2008 page19)