10 Chancery Lane Gallery presents a diverse program of artworks by artists Wang Keping, Laurent Martin “Lo”, Dinh Q. Lê, Huang Rui and Chan Dany. Wang Keping’s dark wood sculptures balance the movement and lightness of Laurent Martin “Lo’s” mobiles in bamboo. An intricate weaving of photo montage by the late Dinh Q. Lê is a rare work of commenting on the conflicts of war. The paintings of Huang Rui in dark blues offer a journey in the zen gardens of Kyoto in a reflective appreciation of nature. Chan Dany’s Cambodian motifs made with pencil shavings compliment the materiality of the exhibition. The works have an interconnectedness, complexity and simplicity.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Renowned sculptor Wang Keping (b. 1949 China, lives and works in France), a Franco- Chinese artist, discovers the essence of his creations within the wood he works with. Through careful observation, he uncovers hidden depths in the knots and branches. Wang's journey as a wood sculptor began fighting for artistic freedom in China four decades ago. Today, he stands as a master artist, finding inspiration within nature. Each year, his mastery grows, capturing the material's essence and exploring its possibilities through evolving forms that range from intimate and flowing to raw and primitive. With skilful manipulation, he sculpts interlocking forms and delicate incisions that evoke various emotions, humorous gestures, and thought-provoking intentions.
Wang Keping has lived and worked in France since 1984. He is currently exhibiting a series of large sculptures at the Chateau de Fontainebleau and recently, he has participated in exhibitions at the M+ in Hong Kong, and in France at the Musée Rodin, The Musée Guimet, The Chateau de Chambord and at The Centre Pompidou where he has been recognized and revered for his long accomplishments to sculpture.
Renowned sculptor Wang Keping (b. 1949 China, lives and works in France), a Franco- Chinese artist, discovers the essence of his creations within the wood he works with. Through careful observation, he uncovers hidden depths in the knots and branches. Wang's journey as a wood sculptor began fighting for artistic freedom in China four decades ago. Today, he stands as a master artist, finding inspiration within nature. Each year, his mastery grows, capturing the material's essence and exploring its possibilities through evolving forms that range from intimate and flowing to raw and primitive. With skilful manipulation, he sculpts interlocking forms and delicate incisions that evoke various emotions, humorous gestures, and thought-provoking intentions.
Wang Keping has lived and worked in France since 1984. He is currently exhibiting a series of large sculptures at the Chateau de Fontainebleau and recently, he has participated in exhibitions at the M+ in Hong Kong, and in France at the Musée Rodin, The Musée Guimet, The Chateau de Chambord and at The Centre Pompidou where he has been recognized and revered for his long accomplishments to sculpture.
Dinh Q. Lê (1965-2024 Vietnam) wove his works as one would weave a traditional grass matt in Vietnam, however the strips are photographs, and the result is several layers of imagery that play tricks on the eye and at once stir emotions of happiness and sorrow like a beautiful colorful dream that changes into the nightmarish pictures of the Vietnam war and its history. The images play a sort of hide and seek on the patterns and the viewer needs time before the intricate composition of imagery on the basket-woven pattern can be fully appreciated. The success of his works is that it leaves the viewer in a state of searching the cinematic montage coming in and out of the images that fade into one another.
A recurring theme in Lê’s work is the interplay between real and imagined memories of the Vietnam War. In his iconic series From Vietnam to Hollywood (starting around 2000), Lê saw how Vietnamese people were often stereotyped or erased, while American soldiers were portrayed as heroes. This prompted him to question the power of visual culture—films, photos, books, and news media—in shaping public understanding of history.
Laurent Martin "Lo" (b. 1955, France, lives and works in Spain) is a visionary French artist who deftly manipulates bamboo to create breath-taking sculptures that float or balance with an otherworldly grace. His deep understanding of bamboo's inherent qualities, combined with his keen exploration of tension, balance, and movement, results in a body of work that is both visually captivating and conceptually rich. With each sculpture, “Lo” invites viewers to embark on a sensory journey, immersing themselves in the delicate interplay of materials, light, and air. Through his dedication to advancing his practice and pushing the boundaries of his chosen medium, “Lo” has emerged as a trailblazer in the realm of mobile sculpture, reimagining the possibilities of contemporary art.
Through years of observation and studying of this amazing plant of bamboo, “Lo” has come to understand its multitude of possibilities. His creativity is thus born out of his learned skills and understanding of his material. His artistic palette is within the physical and sensorial virtues of bamboo: it’s very sophisticated organic structure, but also its energy and spirituality. Establishing an intimate dialogue with bamboo, “Lo” experiments with its flexibility, resistance, density, lightness, mathematics and poetry, a language that allows him to combine both tension and compression, creating sculptures based on movement and balance. His work seems to defy gravity and levitate. His structures swing, drawing curves and harmony in the air. Compositions that take over the space and establish a dialogue, where the space around the piece also becomes another defining element of the piece itself, pieces with a thousand different point of views.
Huang Rui (b. 1952, China, lives in Beijing) stands as one of China's most esteemed artists. His artistic creations are deeply rooted in intellectual observations of history, music, politics, and the world at large. Huang Rui can be described as a philosopher artist, delving into both the past and present to express his ideas through various mediums such as paintings, sculptures, performances, and installations. What sets Huang Rui apart is his ability to distil complex concepts and ideas into simple and accessible forms. Through his artistic endeavours, he strives to communicate a universal understanding that resonates with individuals from diverse backgrounds. His work embodies a golden rule of comprehension, transcending cultural, social, and ideological boundaries. Huang Rui's artistic vision goes beyond aesthetic beauty; it aims to provoke thought, challenge conventional wisdom, and inspire dialogue. His works serve as catalysts for introspection, encouraging viewers to contemplate the complexities of the human experience, the interplay between history and the present, and the dynamics of power and politics. Since the 1970s, Huang Rui has been active at the forefront of Chinese contemporary art as an artist and instigator, who notably co-organized the “Stars Art Exhibition” in 1979 and pioneered contemporary art practice in China.
The Sea of Silver Sand series, conceived over the past five years, finds its origins in an initiatory journey Huang Rui undertook in 2000, when he visited Kyoto’s Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) and its famed Zen rock garden. This experience left an indelible mark on the artist’s spiritual and artistic practice, shaping his continued exploration of nature’s fleeting yet eternal presence. His canvases evoke the shifting light, textures, and moods of the Sea of Silver Sand, where subtle shades of blue reflect both the materiality of the landscape and the inner states of the artist’s mind. The interplay of color and form mirrors Huang Rui’s evolving emotional and spiritual connection to this profound space, which he describes as a place of sand and stone, waves and rivers, moonlight and stars—a landscape in constant transformation.
Cambodian artist Chan Dany (b. 1984, Cambodia) lives and works in Phnom Penh and graduated from Reyum Art School in 2005. It was there he learned traditional Khmer forms and techniques from master teachers. After graduation, Chan participated in Reyum’s experimental Workshop Program for two years.
Chan Dany is one of the few emerging artists in Cambodia creating contemporary work that employs a flexible knowledge of kbach rachana, or Khmer decorative forms – an ancient code of organic shapes and patterns applied in different styles. For example, a circle derives from the fish egg, a stele shape references the buffalo’s tooth, a bulbous triangle is the lotus petal, and so on. The use of kbach rachana defines something as classically Khmer - from architecture to women’s jewellery.
His practice requires a repetition and patience reminiscent of traditional master-artisan methods of production, such as silk weaving. From a distance Chan’s art even resembles tapestry work, but upon closer viewing his technique is revealed.
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