Exhibition shows poetic essence of Jiangnan-style study rooms

Tan Weiyun

THE Jiangnan region (the southern bank of the Yangtze River), known as the cradle of poetry and literary culture, finds its essence in Wen-fang, or traditional Chinese study rooms, which embody the poetic and artistic spirit of Jiangnan.

Understanding these study rooms is akin to grasping the exquisite cultural sentiment of Jiangnan and the gentle, poetic essence of tradi-tional Chinese culture.

Recently, the “Jiangnan Wenfang exhibition” opened in the Yunjian Cultural and Art Center. The event features nearly 30 artists from academic institutions such as the shanghai Chinese Painting Acad-emy and Beijing Chinese Painting Academy. Participating institutions include the Cheng shifa Art Mu-seum, Dong Qichang Calligraphy and Painting Art Museum and songjiang Museum, among other organizations.

From the lobby, visitors ascend to the second floor where a guqin zither master plays the ancient stringed instrument, creating a melodious atmosphere. surround-ing the musician are displays of traditional desks, wooden chairs and other elements that enrich the ambiance of a Wenfang.

The main exhibition hall on the fourth floor dazzles visitors with its stylish and spacious design. On display are exquisite altars, rustic benches, handcrafted lattice win-dows and small, intricately-carved desk ornaments such as brush rests, engraved water pots and trans-lucent jade seals. Contemporary landscape paintings add to the rich array of exhibits, allowing visitors to deeply appreciate the profound essence of Jiangnan culture.

The exhibition centers around the theme of the Wenfang, em-bracing various fields including art, philosophy, aesthetics, home decor, incense rituals and music, transcending the boundaries of time and space in traditional study rooms. It showcases the millennia-old charm of Jiangnan, refined through its interaction with nature, humanity, history and emotions.

The exhibition is divided into three sections: scenic Presentation, Artistic Works and Wenfang space.

The “scenic Presentation” com-bines reality and illusion, not only displaying the “Chinese Four Arts: guqin, the game of Go, calligraphy and painting” but also redesign-ing the exhibition hall to integrate concepts of Jiangnan gardens.A naked-eye 3D immersive expe-rience area has been created, set against the backdrop of Jiangnan gardens and featuring a “Celestial Constellations at sea” theme, offer-ing visitors a New Year’s message of the “Dragon’s Auspicious Journey.”The “Artistic Works” features more than 100 calligraphy works and paintings by young Chinese artists, while the “Wenfang space” offers visitors an intimate experi-ence of the essence of the ancient Chinese study rooms.

Dates: through March 31

Address: 69, lane 6, renmin road S. 人民南路6弄69号

A guqin master plays the ancient stringed instrument at the exhibition. — Ti Gong