On April 10th, “Meditation In Incense” opened at Between Space. Curated by Yan Yan, the academic deputy director of the Today Art Museum, the exhibition showcases forty-three paintings and sculptures by artist Ouyang Wendong that combine the senses of sight and smell to create a multisensory art experience. Ouyang combines traditional Chinese culture with contemporary art, using fragrances such as pine, rose, frankincense, dragon’s blood, agarwood, sandalwood, osmanthus, cypress, clove, turmeric, anise, and maple to create his works on wax, rice paper, and su oil. With a deep understanding of fragrance after years of research, Ouyang chooses to express his art through the sense of smell, believing that fragrance comes from nature and directly connects with the spirit. He believes that fragrance art should not be limited to the realm of decorative art, but should be integrated into daily life. The exhibition invites the audience to break through their preconceptions of art and to experience art in a multidimensional way.
Olfactory Form
by 昱寒(Shao Fan)
Through sensory organs, humans perceive the external world and process information through interconnected and interactive brain functions. A single dish can be savored through multiple senses, such as color, aroma, and taste, with repeated and careful attention. The ‘Meditation in Incense’ series is a sublimation of Ouyang Wendong’s more than a decade of incense-making. He incorporates visual elements into the original olfactory experience of incense, using countless fragrance pills arranged in a wax-sealed case in a nearly meditative manner, creating a sky full of stars or a Buddha’s hair bun. When viewed, the aroma is simultaneously present, and the visual and olfactory senses work with equal force, mutually prompting and increasing entropy to generate imagery. The process of interpreting the artist’s series is something I would call ‘Experiencing’.
In today’s world, we have entered the era of globalization, and our culture faces the challenge of how to inherit and develop while entering modernity. Integration with Western culture cannot be a simple concept, as such integration often comes at the cost of losing the unique characteristics of weaker cultures. In China, incense itself is a cultural carrier with a long historical background. Ouyang Wendong’s works are valuable in that they start from the unique cultural system of China to explore the possibility of expanding ancient cultural art and shed light on contemporary art.
About Between Space
Between Space is a new public space opened by the Today Art Museum in Beijing. It is located between galleries 123 and 124, and is different from gallery 123 in that it offers a two-way interactive experience between visitors and art, incorporating visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory, and gustatory elements for a multi-sensory art experience. Its aim is to create an ideal living environment in 100 square meters of space. Located just 68 steps from the street, it is a must-visit destination for those exploring the museum galleries, and overlooks the Today Art Restaurant. It will become the newest cultural destination in Beijing’s CBD.
The keywords for the space’s repositioning are centered around the French word “ESPACE,” which means “space.” E represents experiential, S represents spatial, P represents pioneering, A represents artisanal, C represents creative, and E represents experimental. The focus is on the intersection of art and commerce, allowing visitors to enjoy the pleasure of buying art that they can see and experience, and integrating art into daily life.
Exhibition Informations:
Exhibition Name
Meditation In Incense
Curator
Yan yan
Artist
Ouyang Wendong
Exhibition Time
2021.4.10–2021.5.9
Host
Between Space Beijing , Beijing Muyun
Exhibition Location
Between Space
Click the link below to visit Today Art Museum’s official website