Cutting time

Preface

For many years Yunnan and Tibet have been fascinating places. If you can‘t be on the scene personally just read Ren Qirui’s “Four Chapters of Yunnan and Tibet” and share the faraway, lonely beauty that he has caught.

Over the past 10 years, as a free photographer, Ren Qirui has earned himself more than 10 awards and authoritative authentication. His works has been exhibited in over 10 countries in Europe, Asia, North America, and UN’s authorities. But all these things did not affect him much. Still, he is cooperating with nature and he is traveling around in Yunnan and Tibet with passion and patience. Different from many other people, instead of comprehending nature with abstract thoughts, he accepts her calmly. There has always been a durable, powerful, unrestrained communication between Ren Qirui and nature.

Nowadays, some people are telling exhausting hypocrites in the name of art and culture, but Ren Qirui never abuse the power of his lens. Pure clean, perfect quiet, and composure are the elements that forms his work, no passage of time but only platonic love between life and nature. He once said that what he wants to tell is this: ”The truth lies between heaven and earth.“

San Chun
March 2003

Chapter 1 ： Red Earth
Dong Chuan and Xun Dian are located in the midst of Dian (Yunnan), over 100 km from Kunming. Between them is an area of red, hilly land that stretches in length and breadth; rivers run deep, high mountains, valleys and farms. Hardworking people and nature created all of this.

Chapter 2 ： Spirit of the Mountain
The highest point of Meili Snow Mountain (in Eastern Yunnan) is over 6000 meters. With supercilious she looks at all the challengers. Actually, for thousands of years people that live there have already accepted the fact that no human being can compete with nature. I believe that the ancestors got this message from God when they were meditating.

Chapter 3 ： Superlative Craftsmanship
Yuan Yong, in northern Dian, is a muggy place. That‘s why the Ha Ni people there like to live on cool, mountainous peaks. Thousands of times the steps of diligence have overlapped which eventually formed the spectacular, splendid “Art of Terra”.

Chapter 4 ： Kingdom of Heaven
Tibet is an attracting place to our souls. She is always showing us the truth of life. Hundreds of years ago the earth was a place as pure and simple as her. With the development of technology life has been analyzed with formula and diagrams. But still, we can only watch the land close to heaven with our hearts and souls.

Cutting time–Folk traditional woodcarving collection exhibition

The traditional wood-carving used to be the most important part of life for all Chinese people. It was used everywhere, different parts of building’s were decorated, like doors, windows, columns, banisters, screens, furniture etc. This fine work was created by some unknown folk artists and not made by famous masters. It was, however a special environment where people were full of life and with passion for culture. In this atmosphere many famous and important people were born.

Today the development of science and technique give us more comfortable lives. But we have lost some culture, individual character and concern about life. Nowadays, buildings are made of clinker and aluminum, which make them look the same everywhere. They have lost their character and create an environment that lacks of enthusiasm and vitality. The art of woodcarving is disappearing.

This exhibition shows pieces of wood-carving from buildings which are now gone. These pieces are impossible to copy, since all of them are works with an old-time-spirit. The pieces of wood-carving are all that remains of this big part of history. We hope that this exhibition will remind people of another time without steel bars and cement; that they will feel the spirit of the land that our ancestors gave us but which we have abandoned.