Sharing troubled times through art

Collector exhibits paintings that reflect China's stormy past to help Kenyans move beyond struggles, reclaim culture

Tucked away in a leafy, serene Nairobi neighborhood is a cozy, English country-style house that is playing host to a handful of beautiful and transformative pieces of art from China.

The atmosphere outside the two-story house does little to betray the fiery passion of the artists who use ancient ink wash techniques to express a myriad of emotions experienced after a tumultuous time.

The art is owned by Italian architect Samantha Ripa de Meana, who has been collecting art for 15 years and who is married to a career diplomat.

The house is the home of CREA (as in "creative"), an association founded by three Italian women that helps locals create and market jewelry and art.

Ripa de Meana, who says she believes art can unite cultures, says the works will not be up for auction.

She says she hopes Kenyans will emulate the Chinese in holding onto their rich culture.

"I want Kenyans to know that they are not the only ones who have undergone a checkered period that threatened their cultural foundations. And just like the Chinese, it can be reclaimed using art," Ripa de Meana says.

"It is my way of opening the door for people who do not understand the Chinese. I strongly believe that there is a real need for this in Kenya because Chinese culture is profound, refined and beautiful.

"-This is a good way to communicate because art is something that drives dialogue and makes people come together."

The exhibition, called Made in China, is underway and runs to April 26. It features internationally-prominent artists Xu Ke, Chai Yiming, Yang Hui-Bahai and Zhang Hui Tian, all from Shanghai. They are not, however, well known in Kenya.

Ripa de Meana hopes to create a buzz about lessons the local people can pick up from China. She believes art is the missing link that will bring Africa and China closer.

"If we don't make any connections, a chasm will continue to exist where you have the Chinese and Africans living on opposite ends. So I think it's not only about teaching the language, which is currently going on in various centers across the continent, but it's also about trying to connect on another level, and this is where art comes in."

The artwork, some 22 pieces is on display around the house. "I want people to experience the emotions and beauty of the artists' work and to trigger debate and curiosity about the Chinese."

Her passion for the Chinese artists' work is palpable. "I have followed these artists since my first visit to China in 1996, when many art galleries were being opened," Ripa de Meana says.

One of the rooms upstairs holds work by Xu Ke. His work, according to Samantha, is not traditional. "For us it looks normal but it is a bit intangible from a Chinese point of view."

She explains that when the artist took up the post of a young red guard during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), he curtailed his dreams of becoming an artist.

His work shows the struggle to reclaim this. "His will was strong and it is evident in his strokes that show chaos but in a beautiful, structured way"

During that time of upheaval, a social-political movement was launched in China to purge remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from society.

Many intellectuals and artists were attacked. It paralyzed China's education system and significantly affected the country economically and socially.

The artist went through hard times, sometimes doing menial jobs to get by.

In his 40s, he went through an identity crisis and decided that he had to change. He decided to follow his passion and in his tiny apartment started painting.

"And I think this is a lesson to Kenyans who went through the colonization period that one's will is much stronger than commercial endeavors.

"This is something that we have to get through to a lot of local artists, especially the ones I host," Ripa de Meana says.

Xu's work is resonating with the international community. "He used the wash technique in a way that he could transmit something. He could convey all the stress he was harboring for many years and his will to become an artist. I admire that."

At one end of the corridor hang pieces by Yang Hui-Bahai. Ripa de Meana calls him one of the best of the older generation of artists who paint and also use photography. He is recognized as a progenitor of painters in the new movement of contemporary Shanghainese art.

"He left for France and came back in 1993 with a camera to connect with his people. When in France, he understood that the most important thing in his country was the people and this is what makes the soul of the country. And so he wanted to photograph the disappearing people," she says, explaining that he wanted to capture the rural face of China before it disappeared due to the forces of modernization.

The artist also captures these images through painting portraits. Ripa de Meana could only exhibit his black and white pictures because a lot of his work is "on huge canvasses that are bulky."

Another wall hosts Chai Yimin, whose work speaks of romance, a frequent subject of ancient Chinese poetry.

He wants to communicate this culture that is quickly being forgotten, he says. "It is connected to feelings, people, and expresses either distress or peace in a bold but conservative way."

Zhang Hui Tian is a master of calligraphy and calligraphy-influenced art.

His work conveys contrasting scenarios of right or wrong, black or white, and his painting seeks the balance that ultimately keeps the world turning, she says.

The Italian knows she may seem an unlikely ambassador for the two cultures. But she understands both cultures well.

"China needs a cultural center where all this can be showcased in a big way. The Kenyan Museum should also take up the task of bringing such work here to inspire local content and also to support bilateral relations currently between the two countries. I think the two cultures will benefit a lot from it," she says.

Ripa de Meana also has many works of Russian and Kenyan art in her collection.

"Art is like diplomacy. By showing art you can get through to a lot more people."

Contact the writers at lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn and houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/10/2015 page28)