Alisan Fine Arts is pleased to announce our first solo exhibition for contemporary female painter Fan Yan, featuring her new series Mist and Ostinato at Aberdeen Gallery, and the sponsorship of Fan's exhibition at Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. Her latest series, Mist, is inspired by the subtle changes of sea mist. Fan expresses the rhythm of water and moisture with repeated and precise folding patterns on rice paper. The pink and soft colour tones are filled with the vitality and beauty of nature.
Trained as a classical musician, Fan Yan was a viola player with Hong Kong Philharmonic, prior to devoting herself to painting in 2011. Using her music background, her works incorporate musical elements, such as her new B/W series Ostinato which is inspired by the Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt (1923-2012)'s Canto Ostinato. The works in the exhibition are like musical pieces presented visually, giving the audience a new way to experience music and art. In conjunction with the show, a live performance will be featured during the opening at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, including a flute solo by Megan Sterling where she performs the music of French composer Debussy's (1862-1918) Syrinx. A mini concert including string quartet by Philip Glass will also be held on 7 May at the Visual Arts Centre. Performance will start promptly at 3:30pm. Seating is first come first served.
Artist statement: "In Ten Holt's Canto Ostinato, he wrote a short melodic phrase performed on four pianos, where the canto repeats in a constant rhythmic pattern. The effect is to create a shifting foundation of a circulating 'obstinate' song. My technique of folding rice paper in dye to produce patterns that vary slightly in depth and intensity echoes the repetitive yet changing music patterns of the Canto Ostinato. The way I 'compose' painting is how I imagine a musician reading a music score. A visual score, so to speak, inviting audiences to visualise images, forms and patterns of sound vibrations, and inspire all."
3 – 8 May 2023 at Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
13 May – June 30 2023 at Alisan Fine Arts – Aberdeen