Yes, we’ve been looking forward to this, the first edition in an ongoing rotation of works from contemporary Chinese ink artists. But we’re also kind of excited because this exhibition marks the near-completion of the Huntington’s massively-expanded Chinese Garden.
Step inside the snug Studio for Lodging the Mind and you’ll find 20 poetic calligraphic scrolls that inspired inscriptions at named sites across the surrounding Chinese garden. For anyone who can only decipher the Latin alphabet, the wall texts help unpack the art behind the Chinese characters: one breaks down the order of strokes with a step-by-step diagram while another unfurls the different components of a scroll mount. Make sure to watch the five-minute process video to scratch some ASMR itches, plus another that mixes footage of handwriting and interviews from eight of the artists.
The delicate works on paper can only safely stay on display for a few months at a time, so the exhibition is split into two rotations: The first is up through mid-December, and then the gallery will go dark until the end of January for the second.