HOW Art Museum is pleased to announce that the solo exhibitionBeing of artist Guo Jian, will be on view from March 1, 2025. he exhibition shows artist Guo Jian's concern and reshaping of everyday objects. By folding objects, Guo Jian metaphorically describes individual life experiences that are unique and cannot be smoothed out like creases, thereby forming a multi-dimensional existence. The exhibition will be on display until May 11, 2025.
What do we really talk about when we talk about existence? French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre famously said "Existence precedes essence" - meaning our existence here come before any definition of our essence. Guo Jian's exhibitionBeing explores this idea through everyday objects that are transformed by his uniqueway of creatingfolded paintings. These creased artworks become metaphors for life's unique experiences - those personal "folds" in our lives that can't be smoothed out forma visual language that dances betweentheabstract ideas and the mimesis of the world.
For Guo Jian, ‘existence’ isn't just about static things, but dynamic process thatinvolvingtime, memories and emotions that reshape what we see. The objects in his paintings feel familiar, but each fold tells its own story.Being creates a visual playground for philosophical reflections. These folded and reshaped items aren't just reconstructed objects, they convey Guo's gazes and quests for the essence of being. When you walk into this world made of folded artworks, you're not just seeing multiple shapes. You're stepping into a conversation about what things really are versus how they appear to be.
The seeminglysimple lines in Gou’s folds are actually carefully arranged following strict geometric logic. By playing with the space between the abstract and the figurativeelements in his paintings, he changes what we see. The unique shapes created through folding build a flowing visual rhythm that bridges 2D and 3D. His works balance the recognizableobjects and respond to thewholestructure of the work. TakeBlossoms with its sharp edges, andColourful Splendor with its delicate details, orSurge where wild ocean waves become structured architectural forms, their lines all are wandering between the concrete and the imaginative, reating endless possibilities on the surfaces of the paintings. Guo takes the objects out of their everyday contextsand lead them into metaphysic consideration. His color choices also add deeper meaning to this approach. By building up the base of the work with bright and solid colors, Guo is able to highlight the emotional tension of the subject in the painting; the use of large area of black and gold with cold tones emphasizes life pulsing in the dark. The shadows and lights created by the creases in the picture form a unique time scale, both momentary and everlasting. They become Guo's personal diary entries about existence itself.
Being is like a mental gym where ideas flex and stretch. Folded objects break free from their usual roles, showing life where you least expect it. Staring at these works, you might realize: our relationship with objects isn't about possessing them. Where the physical meets the spiritual in Guo’s works, these creases become more than just folds - they are life imprints that transcendthe objects, pointing toward what truly matters.
written byCurator Zheng Guo
