Water, the lifeblood of the Earth, is a force of paradox. It is both still and ever-moving, capable of the quietest of silences and the loudest of roars. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus elaborated the metaphor of Panta Rei to highlight the transformative character of water and in Chinese Daoism water, the origin of everything, is also connected to the notion of constant changes. From the calm, reflective surface of a tranquil pond to the unstoppable surge of ocean waves, water mirrors the dualities within nature and within ourselves.
Stillness, represented by calm waters, evokes a meditative quietness, a moment frozen in time. It is in this stillness that one can find clarity, peace, and an intimate connection with the present moment. On the other hand, water in motion—constantly shifting, flowing, and transforming—reflects the fluidity of life, with its unpredictability and boundless energy. For the second solo show at HOFA gallery, Chinese artist Zheng Lu will present a selection of works to explore the notion of water in its metaphorical connotations, as a symbol that embodies the tension between stillness and fluidity, serenity and dynamism.
Through a complex artistic praxis that seems also the challenge the very essence of sculpture as a solid, monolithic, and static medium, Zheng Lu creates ethereal forms of stainless- steel crystalized water drops that seem weightless and suspended in the void, while establishing perceptive and semantic dichotomies between hardness and softness, stillness and movement, solidity and liquidity, presence and absence. As viewers move through the gallery, they will encounter works that capture both the essence of water’s stillness and its ever-flowing nature. These pieces act as portals, pulling us into a space where time is suspended, yet perpetually unfolding.
Through the exploration of the theme of water and the celebration of its beauty and purity, Zheng Lu, on the one hand, references Chinese traditional philosophy, on the other hand, he seems to advocate a post- human approach aimed at breaking away from anthropocentrism to embrace a more holistic and inclusive vision of the world, based on a harmonious coexistence between mankind and natural elements, thus echoing also the traditional Chinese concept of “harmony between man and sky”, tianren heyi天人合一.
Zheng Lu’s works, taking traditional ethos as a starting point, reinterpret it through the lens of contemporary art: the artist, while retaining a personal artistic language and practice imbued with cultural specificity and connotations, manages to elaborate translational narratives that take into account global implications to explore the complexity of our existential experience and convey messages about our relationship with the world around us.
Creating a fascinating dimension where the boundaries between materiality and immateriality, fluidity and consistency, permanence and ephemerality, stillness and movement are blurred, Still Fluidity becomes more than just a dialogue about water. It speaks to the internal rhythms of our own lives, urging us to consider how we balance the moments of stillness with the ever-moving flow of existence. Through the lens of water, we are reminded of the tension between rest and movement, the known and the unknown, and the constant interplay between being and becoming.
