Marketplace | Photos courtesy of Andrea Jin

As part of Chinese New Year celebrations, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden launches the exhibition Gathering: Chinese New Year Folk Art by Chinese artist Gao Jing. Her art, which is considered innovative compared to classical Chinese New Year paintings, depicts traditions before and during Chinese New Year.

This is the first time that the artwork of Gao Jing, a well-known painter and art teacher in China, is on display in North America. The artist grew up in the city of Tongyu, Jilin province, the birthplace of the New Year paintings tradition.

Andrea Jin, the volunteer representative at the Chinese Garden in Vancouver, helped bring the exhibition to Vancouver. Jin says that Gao Jing’s paintings differ a lot from traditional Chinese New Year’s paintings, a tradition that is hundreds of years old and originally engraved in wood.

“Artists engraved pictures in wood but not many people have this skill nowadays,” says Jin.

A presentation of daily life

2016 Year of the Monkey

Gao Jing’s paintings represent the daily life of Chinese families in the days surrounding Chinese New Year. This is also how Jing’s paintings differ from traditional Chinese New Year paintings, explains Jin. The paintings convey a sense of community and family and depict strong down-to-earth individuals.

“She focuses on details, shows families as opposed to only good luck charms and symbols and uses more colours,” says Jin.

The Chinese Garden wanted to offer its visitors something new and special for this Chinese New Year.

“We wanted to bring China to the garden,” says Jin.

Since the artist couldn’t travel to Vancouver for the opening reception, the Chinese Garden, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, organized a live Skype interview with the artist.

Jin points out the detail the artist paid particular attention to: the colour red, which symbolizes good luck, prevails. One painting includes a girl that is kneeling down, revealing the bottom of her red sock, which has Chinese characters in gold painted on it. In other pictures, visitors can see the characteristic red envelopes that are traditionally handed out for Chinese New Year in order to wish others wealth.

A countdown to the new year

Gao Jing’s exhibition, which includes 19 works, represents a countdown to the new year; the artist painted pictures that depict typical preparations prior to the festivities as well as celebrations on the day itself. The exhibition starts with a painting of a family that goes grocery shopping at a local market, which is usually done 10 days prior to the new year. The paintings are arranged counterclockwise.

The painting Making dumplings, for instance, shows the women of a family preparing Chinese dumplings together, a tradition that typically takes place seven days before the new year and is unique to Northern China, says Jin.

The picture Making buns shows the tradition of baking steamed buns, which usually happens two days prior to the new year. Jin explains that all generations of a family spend Chinese New Year’s Eve together and stay up all night to celebrate together. Thus, in the painting depicting New Year’s Eve, visitors can see family members of all generations.

Besides the works that showcase Chinese traditions around New Year, the exhibition includes paintings that Gao Jing finished exclusively for the Chinese Garden: a painting of a monkey, since the new year will be the year of the monkey, as well as a picture of all 12 Chinese zodiacs. Jin and the staff of the Chinese Garden are pleased to have Jing’s paintings in Vancouver.

“Her art was shown at important events like the Expo in Shanghai and during the Olympics. Having Gao Jing’s work in Vancouver is unique,” says Jin.

For more information, please visit www.vancouverchinesegarden.com.