Mao Xinguo paints mushrooms, horses, people, mountains, Buddhas, and even seemingly inexplicable ink blots. Typically, these painted "objects" occupy a portion of the paper space independently, rarely combined in a narrative manner, thus forming a series of highly distinguishable visual genealogies on paper, such as Ink Script, Face, Mountain Script, and Mushroom Script. When we examine these painted objects in the context of Mao Xinguo’s artistic language—his brushwork, color application, and composition—we discover how he transcends fixation on the objects themselves, instead harnessing the essence of ink and the primal energy of the self to create luminous worlds.
Mao Xinguo began his Face series in 2021. On the surface, Face depicts close-ups of various Buddha faces. The visage, from the neck up to the crown of the head, occupies nearly the entire paper, leaving only minimal blank space on the sides, resulting in a composition that is dense and planar. Yet, in contrast to the "solidity" of the layout, the artist employs an extremely minimalist approach to brushwork. The sense of volume in the facial features is often rendered only with loose, short strokes and faint shadows slightly darker than the base tone. The tension between the relaxed, minimalist brushwork and the densely packed composition lends the pictorial space a solemn yet ethereal presence. We may even notice that parts of the "face," such as the crown of the head or the outer edges of the ears, often extend beyond the image plane. If we regard the paper as the boundary of the creator’s psychological universe, the divinity represented by the "face" transcends the confines of the material world, becoming a depiction of the artist’s inner state—or rather, a spiritual condition that transcends mundane existence. Building on this understanding, the Ink Script series takes Mao Xinguo’s refined brushwork and his dissolution of objecthood to an extreme. Each Ink Script work typically consists of a single or a group of evenly inked blots. The rise and fall of the brush is completed in the instant the artist’s mind stirs. The creative process, by omitting excessive representation of technique, object, or spatial relationships, allows for greater focus on the unity of brush and mind as the ink meets paper. Technique, object, and the artist’s life force converge, making each stroke an offering of his inner radiance. Thus, a majestic rhythm of life leaps from the page. This exhibition presents Mao Xinguo’s latest works from the Face and Ink Script series at GALLERY WHERE’s Qianmen space. Their intrinsic energies silently converse, as if transforming the space into a shrine of clarity, immersing viewers in immense tranquility where they may freely encounter the "self" and behold endless forms.
Mao Xinguo (b. 1969) was born in Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, and currently lives and works in Beijing. His painting practice reflects a philosophy of brushwork that transmits the fundamental nature of ink. Free from attachment to representational forms, he uses lucid, intentional strokes to express the 'self'—charged with primordial energy—and its radiant existence.