Artist's embrace of heaven and Earth seen in new show
Ten years ago, Beijing-based artist Tai Xiangzhou was pursuing a doctoral degree in painting at Tsinghua University. He visited the sixth-century Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Hebei province, with his friend Hang Kan, a professor and director of Peking University's School of Archaeology and Museology. There they saw a revolving wood repository that measures 2 meters in diameter.
Hang told him that centuries ago, monks used the repository as a library where they kept and retrieved sutras. He was inspired to create an installation of similar structure in 2010, called Gateway of Expedient Means.
Tai has placed it at the entrance of his ongoing solo exhibition at Beijing's Ink Studio. He says he hopes it not only reminds people of the importance of knowledge and extensive reading - it directs viewers' attention to Chinese cultural traditions' worldviews.
