After completing the successful program for the Cummins Inc. Global Distribution Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company hired Art Strategies to curate art for the headquarters of their business in China. The program includes two site specific commissions and approximately 45 individuals works of art. All of the art was sourced in mainland China and the majority of the artists—but not all—are Chinese.
Zheng Lu (Chinese, b. 1978)
Tinkling Stream, 2018 — Site-specific commission for the lobby
Stainless steel
235 x 520 x 170 cm
Zheng Lu created a site-specific sculpture for the lobby composed of Chinese characters taken from the Tang Dynasty poem Reflections on Still Water by Bai Juyi. He is celebrating the power of water and acknowledging that water, like all of nature, is vital to our existence. Water nourishes us physically but mentally it provides inspiration in its activity and self-reflection in its stillness. The artist is honoring the historic literati while pushing their ideas further and into new contemporary forms.
Fang Lijun (Chinese, b. 1963)
2014, 2014
Woodcut
123 x 163 cm
Fang Lijun uses the image of a bald-headed individual to probe contemporary issues in Chinese culture, referencing comics, folk art, and dynastic painting to indicate a national identity in a state of constant flux.
Qin Chong (Chinese, b. 1968)
From his Whatever series, 2013-2015
Paper and ink
98 x 125 cm each
The series here reflects the Chinese philosophy that the earth is square and the sky is round. In the middle is all that grows in between. Qin Chong has stated that the Whatever series is created when he clears his mind and simply makes marks on paper. Influenced by both western minimalism and Chinese calligraphy and philosophy, these works consist of ink applied to rice paper that is layered to create a single composition.
Zhou Xiao Hu (Chinese, b. 1960)
From his Scatter Perspective series, 2017
Stainless steel etching, laser cutting, baking paint
Various sizes ranging from 118 x 74 cm to 98 x 60 cm
Historic Chinese landscape painting uses scattered or multi-point perspective versus the West’s use of single point perspective. Scattered perspective embraces the notion that all people have different perspectives and that it is impossible to imitate nature. Zhou Xiaohu samples historic painting and combines it with modern geometric abstraction and a contemporary use of industrial materials.
Zhu Rixin (Chinese, b. 1986)
The Silk Road, 2018
Archival ink pen, acrylic and resin on stainless steel
120 x 240 cm
First announced in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, China’s “belt and road” infrastructure initiative—also known as the new Silk Road” initiative—is working to construct new ports, railways and roads across Asia and beyond. This original artwork by Zhu Rixin was commissioned by Cummins as a company that powers many of the modes of transportation moving goods and providing services around the world.
Zhang Ting Qun (Chinese, b. 1981)
2016.4.17 and 2016.5.1, 2016
Acrylic on canvas
95 x 160 cm
Zhang Tingqun paints intricate curved lines in layers by hand one at a time using a small traditional brush. Each line represents a unique internal thought or idea manifested on the canvas. The meditative repetition of applying lines with both intention and instinct creates an ordered system wherein individual lines, their intersections, and their density reflect potential and equilibrium, evoking notions of interconnectedness, determination and invention.
Liu Bolin
Target - Forest, 2013
Photograph
Edition of 6
100 x 300 cm
Liu Bolin paints himself and others to nearly disappear into their surroundings. This image conveys the human impact on nature and the environment and emphasizes the inextricable link between nature and culture. Target – Forest highlights Cummins’ commitment to protect and lower its impact on the environment.
Detail:
Liu Bolin Target - Forest, 2013
Photograph
Edition of 6
100 x 300 cm
Chen Yu
Whispers of Flowers, 2016
Mixed media
80 x 150 cm
Chen Yu is an artist and poet whose paintings capture both the spiritual and material expressions of nature. These compositions often feature semi-abstract floral imagery inspired by the forms, colors, and textures of plants. She creates them using lacquer, paint, and dried flowers.
Niu Ann
Scholar Stone—Orange, Green, Blue, Yellow, 2014
Ink on paper on canvas
43 x 40 cm each
Through free-spirited gestures that filter traditional techniques through a modern lens, Niu Ann’s “Scholar Stones” series melds poetry from the post-Cultural Revolution era with ancient objects of meditation. Drawing from both traditional techniques, such as calligraphy, and modern and contemporary movements, such as street art and Abstract Expressionism, she communicates the essence of evolution and invention.
Dufeichen
Mask and Sugar, 2016
Mixed media
100 x 100 cm each
Dufeichen rarely guides interpretation of his abstract work, and he assigns his works superfluous titles to avoid directing or leading viewers in any singular direction. Instead, he relies on the universal language of shape, form, and color to identify a shared impression or instinct among viewers, apart from cultural contrasts.
Thierry Bornier (French)
Blue Mirror, 2017
Pigment ultra giclee print, edition of 6
120 x 160 cm
Bornier seeks out high vantage points and uses an 800-megapixel Phase One digital camera to capture the breath-taking images of China’s landscape, such as this scene from a seaweed farm in Fujian Province. Beyond technical skill, Bornier connects with the people, cultures, and landscape he is photographing, producing images that inspire awe at the power of the environment.
Thierry Bornier is a French born photographer who has been living in Yunnan, China, since 2007.
Zhang Jian (Chinese, b. 1966)
Landscape Series, 2017
Ink on paper
68.5 x 137 cm
Zhang Jian began studying painting and calligraphy at age 12. He is a deeply spiritual Buddhist who uses monochromatic ink to create abstract patterns that hint at a landscape that is either becoming or fading away.
Lu Xinjian (Chinese, b. 1977)
Lucarno N1, 2012
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 180 cm
Both Lucarno N1 and Bellizona reflect the aerial view of cities in Switzerland. The artist did a residency in Lugano, Switzerland where he worked with artist Fernando Bordoni, a minimalist painter. This series of work by Lu Xinjian is important because it combines his earlier, more complex City DNA style with a more minimalist detail of the same aerial view.
Zheng Lu (Chinese, b. 1978)
Tinkling Stream, 2018
Stainless steel
235 x 520 x 170 cm
Zheng Lu created a site-specific sculpture for the lobby composed of Chinese characters taken from the Tang Dynasty poem Reflections on Still Water by Bai Juyi. He is celebrating the power of water and acknowledging that water, like all of nature, is vital to our existence. Water nourishes us physically but mentally it provides inspiration in its activity and self-reflection in its stillness. The artist is honoring the historic literati while pushing their ideas further and into new contemporary forms.