Ink Dreams: Selections from the Fondation INK Collection
Lui Shou-Kwan, Wood Houses in the Mountains, 1964, Chinese ink and color on paper
(Los Angeles, CA—Sept 02, 2021) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Ink Dreams: Selections from the Fondation INK Collection. Beyond the concrete materials of ink and paper, there is an intangible spirit uniting works of East Asian ink painting. Ink Dreams explores how this spirit of ink translates to other mediums, global makers, and contemporary times. Comprising 78 works of photography, sculpture, video, and painting, the exhibition proposes a new view of ink art for the contemporary era, one that incorporates qualities from the ink painting tradition and new adaptations of traditional subject matter, unbounded by traditional materials. The exhibition, curated by Susanna Ferrell, Wynn Resorts Assistant Curator of Chinese Art at LACMA, features the work of 53 artists from Asia, Europe, and North America, including Chen Haiyan, Shirazeh Houshiary, Lin Tianmiao, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Xu Bing, Yang Jiechang, and others.
Chen Haiyan, Horse and Rose, 2005, ink and color on xuan paper
Ink Dreams is the first major presentation of work from the Fondation INK Collection, a 400-piece collection of contemporary art in the spirit of ink that was promised to LACMA in 2018. Since the gift was announced, LACMA has borrowed key works from the Fondation INK Collection for special exhibitions, including Wu Bin: Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone (2018), as well as Sam Francis and Japan: Emptiness Overflowing (2023) and additional exhibitions to be announced. LACMA is also committed to publishing a series of systematic catalogues of the Fondation INK Collection over the next several years, including a 256-page catalogue that accompanies Ink Dreams.
Shirazeh Houshiary, Torn, 2009, pencil and white acrylic on canvas
“We are thrilled to present this inaugural exhibition of work showcasing the Fondation INK Collection,” said Ferrell. “Reflecting the larger collection, Ink Dreams offers a unique and novel understanding of contemporary ink art as a genre defined by soft qualities and common themes as opposed to one defined solely by the materials of ink and paper.”
“LACMA is indebted to the immense generosity of Gérard and Dora Cognié, profound collectors and founders of the Fondation INK Collection,” said LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan. “The transformative gift will position LACMA as a leader among U.S. art museums that collect, exhibit, publish, and promote contemporary ink art.”
Exhibition: Ink Dreams:
Selections from the Fondation INK Collection
On View: September 19–December 12, 2021
Location: Resnick Pavilion
