A vibrant art scene, with museums appearing like mushrooms, a dynamic economy, and a government enthusiastic about art; that’s the reality in China today. The Mountains & Streams exhibition at CFHILL, which features seven of the most buzzed-about Chinese artists today, is curated by Melanie, who was involved in building the country’s most prestigious collection in recent years: multi-millionaire Budi Tek’s YUZ Museum in Shanghai.

Mountains and Streams will be the fifth exhibition at CFHILL in recent times to highlight one of the current hot spots of the art world. Previous zeitgeist-inspired exhibitions visited New York, Tel Aviv, and London, and this spring, we showed LA Dreams, which, like Mountains and Streams, was curated by the American-Chinese art scholar Melanie Lum. Apart from keeping track of recent developments in these regions, she has been involved in spreading knowledge and educating a new generation of enthusiastic collectors.

According to her, the contemporary art scene in China has been characterised by expansion and vitality. Art, which has always played an important role in China, has served to bind together the domains of politics, the religion, and philosophy of life. Even in today’s intense economy, art exists in symbiosis with society. As a result of this, intentional actions have been taken to improve conditions for creative work. There is an accelerating influx of new galleries, museums, and art centres, and along with this, a growing international network of emerging major collectors.

– The exhibition seeks to bring Stockholm a contemporary view of a thousand-year-old concept that is essential for any understanding of Chinese history and aesthetics, says Melanie Lum.

Mountains and Streams has a deeper philosophical meaning, which originated in Confucianism and Taoism. The mountain is a symbol of the ever-changing, mercurial intellect, and water is the enveloping and immanent force of being. Here, together, they are given new meanings and a renewed relevance in our contemporary, high tech society.

– I am incredibly proud that CFHILL can serve as the perfect venue for these visits to the various power centres within the current global art scene. Unlike, say, a museum, we are able to show snapshots of these local scenes, and let Swedish collectors know what’s going on by actually bringing the art here to Stockholm, explains Michael Elmenbeck.

The exhibition, which is curated by Melanie Lum and Shi Zheng, includes paintings, sculptures and films.

Participating Artists
Gao Weigang, born 1976
Shi Zhiying, born 1979
Yang Yongliang, born 1980
Zheng Chongbin, born 1961
You Jin, born 1979
Yin Zhaoyang, born 1970
Zheng Lu, born 1978