ArtDepot is pleased to announce the presentation of the solo exhibition "Unforgettable Memories" by exclusive agent artist Lin Tianlu at 798 Space in Beijing on June 8, 2024. The exhibition displays 16 painting works and a set of sculpture installations, systematically showing Lin Tianlu's life and creation in recent years, telling the story of "MoMo" in bright colors, showing the idyllic scenery of the artist's studio, and the joy of painting process.
Preface:
"Unforgettable Memories" signifies a persistent bond within everyone's mental and spiritual world. Lin Tian Lu believes that genuine life experiences are paramount. His artworks draw viewers into deep reflections on their past and present, creating a fascinating space-time transformation. People often reminisce about the past and look forward to the future, feeling lost in the present. Lin elegantly portrays a seamless "Peach Blossom Spring," capturing the fleeting sorrow of beautiful moments, which remain significant in our life journey.
Lin Tian Lu's art excels in depicting life's subtle emotions and efforts. He distills complex developments into simple, innocent forms that touch our hearts. The emotional impact of his paintings stems from his inner richness and the distinctive "fur" in his visual language. Although the "fur" is not explicitly defined, it evokes a strong sense of intimacy. Since ancient times, touching soft fur has symbolized hugging and caressing, reducing distance and promoting oxytocin release, thus providing spiritual relaxation.
Color plays a crucial role in Lin Tian Lu's creative language. "Unforgettable Memories" uses vibrant contrasts to evoke vivid impressions, allowing memories to quietly resurface and providing warmth through recollection. His studio, nestled in a green courtyard reminiscent of his childhood, reflects this natural setting. The seasonal blooms and lush vegetation are depicted in candy-colored grass and skies, with an overall green tone bringing the vitality of late spring and early summer. Within these scenes, the artist's iconic "MoMo" figures transform into an adventurous couple and a family of three braving life's storms, narrating the "unforgettable memories" in everyone's heart.
MoMo Rabbit, an iconic IP image in Lin Tianlu's recent creations, is inspired by the artist's vivid childhood memories of the natural environment in his hometown of Sichuan, as well as his warm recollections of the rabbits raised by his mother. With the gradual enrichment and deepening of the artist's personal experience and artistic exploration, this image also carries a deeper understanding and expression of the true nature of life. The MoMo's are covered with thick and soft hair, which is both light and soft, but also heavy and solid, just like the epitome of lush vegetation on the humid mountains in the southern region, showing the abundant vitality of nature. It not only gives us warm strength and a sense of security, but also reflects the deep concept of harmony between man and nature in oriental philosophy.
In most of the works, the eyes of the MoMo rabbit are portrayed as sharp metal cones, which is not only for the sake of artistic expression in order to create a visual contrast between strength and weakness, but also symbolises MoMo's desire for self-protection and vigilance against the unknown. Together, these figurative features give MoMo a multifaceted spiritual connotation, giving it a warm and affectionate side, as well as an independent and decisive one. It represents people's pursuit of a pure attitude towards life and their cherishing of beautiful things, encouraging us to remain tolerant and accepting while remaining firm and prudent.
MoMo seems to exist in different age stages. In addition to the large and full-bodied MoMo, there are also many miniature juvenile MoMo, which often appear in scenes full of life atmosphere, accompanying other MoMo and telling us every warm moment in our daily life. Their eyes are no longer the smooth, sharp metal of the sculptures, but rather the animated eyes of the little creatures, as if to represent the simple and innocent side of the creatures in their infancy. These scenes not only add rich life details and emotional colours to MoMo's story, but also reflect the artist's artistic sublimation of personal and family life.
In some of the paintings, MoMo has grown a more anthropomorphic torso and limbs. This is particularly evident in the sculptural installations handmade by the artist: the strong and tall MoMo walks on the sand, which has been repeatedly eroded by the wind, symbolising the endlessness and eternity of linear time. Familiar conical eyes grow on both sides of MoMo, pointing to the two sides of human nature——The tower it faces symbolises human desire. From one side, MoMo strides forward with their heads held high, running into the distance, but from the other side, they look downcast, drifting away from their inner expectations. In fact, underneath the warm and cheerful visual appearance, the artist's personal understanding of materiality and reflection on artistic language are also implied. In this exhibition, the "Velvet Flower" series is particularly noteworthy, which is a new extension of the artist's recent work from the perspective of subject matter. Lin Tianlu's art creations have always been concerned with the expression of materials and textures, and for the artist himself, texture itself is a powerful symbol of representation. Whether it is a furry animal or a still life, the texture is soft and evocative of warmth and intimacy, as well as the desire to be protected.
Although the works in this series are relatively uniform in terms of subject matter, technique, composition, and size, they give off very different psychological feelings. In one of the paintings, the colours are predominantly cool, with an upwardly mobile bouquet of purple and pink pompoms nestled in a thin-necked vase of light blue, against a green background that is both cool and elegant. On the other hand, the green background is filled with orange-red flower bulbs, their fluffy petals so full and plentiful that they seem to be so full of life that they can no longer hang on, fluttering all over the table. MoMo Rabbit is a vivid narrator used by artists to connect personal emotions with universal experiences. Through this touching image, Lin Tianlu demonstrates his insight into the relationship between art and life, making it an art symbol that can transcend ages and cultures, so that every viewer can find resonance with the world of MoMo Rabbit, and feel the simple and pure moments of joy in life.
Instead of being a healing journey for the soul, "Unforgettable Memories" is more of a fairy tale told by the artist to adults. In the fairy tale world, there are not only sweet candies and happy endings, but also all kinds of unexpected difficulties and challenges, and even insurmountable mountains - the seemingly contradictory things such as softness and sharpness, warmth and coldness, happiness and sorrow, etc., are all coexisting and relying on each other in reality. As long as we feel with our hearts and honestly face the true nature of life, we will be able to experience those simple and pure, but at the same time is also the most secret moments of happiness in life.
