The Maestro of Modern Monochrome Ink Painting

Ms. Li Yan has lived in Tokyo, Japan, for over 34 years. She is a traditional ink painter from China.

She is a self-taught artist, while her husband is a distinguished Chinese calligrapher. She has a deep understanding of traditional monochrome ink painting. At the same time she has been experimenting with introducing colour into her works. She uses Japanese “Washi” paper which has its own unique qualities and attributes. Her fresh and rich sense of colour in her “Monochrome Ink in Colour; Conscious and Unconscious” series personifies modern ink painting. Where is this charm born? What does “Conscious and Unconscious” mean?

What Ms. Li Yan wants to capture in her works is the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness. In this context “consciousness” happens during [new discoveries and new experiences], while “unconsciousness” comes from [skills cultivated through experience].Let me explain it! First, she has a flash of inspiration for creating something, (this is a conscious experience, her mind is very active in thinking about this new idea), then she starts creating and painting using techniques so familiar she does it subconsciously, relying on her instincts and muscle memory (this is an unconscious experience). While she is painting, unexpected reactions on the Washi paper and interactions between the water and the colours happen. There she discovers something new (awakening her consciousness). She then returns to focusing on creating what she wants, relying on her skill from years of experience (an unconscious state) until she succeeds in creating what she had in her mind.

For her, moving between “Consciousness and Unconsciousness” is how she experiences life and her art gives us a window into her way of perceiving the world. I feel this is the secret to the depth of her works.

In the late 70s Ms. Li Yan relocated to Tokyo when she was in her 20s. This was soon after the normalization of relations between China and Japan in 1972 and it was in the middle of the Japanese economic miracle. She said that she worked at a bakery in the morning, at lunch time a Chinese restaurant, and a Japanese Izakaya in the evening for at least three years. I could imagine how tough it would have been, working all day long in a different culture. However, during this experience she mastered observing her surroundings. She learned to sense things consciously in life while working abroad and this has become a big part of her art. Ms. Li Yan has completed a new series of ink paintings which she calls Monochrome Ink in Colour. How to express art is borderless and its interpretation ultimately comes from the viewer, not the artist. However, what she wants is clear; she wants to harmonize the black ink with colours. That is her own original style and her eternal theme.