The sound of creativity

Most Chinese intellectuals know the Czech Republic from its modern literary greats: Milan Kundera, Jan Neruda and Jaroslav Ha?ek are renowned writers and their works are discussed by many well-read Chinese. But how much do you know about Czech art? Can you name some of the country's modern artists? In fact, when compared with the popularity of modern Czech literature in China, modern Czech art is a virtual unknown. But the seeds of change are being sown this week as Czech artist Milan Grygar's exhibition Light, Sound, Movement was unveiled yesterday at Today Art Museum in downtown Beijing.

Grygar's fame extends beyond the borders of the Czech Republic where he is considered one of the country's most important artists. His impact on Western art history has been profound and his unique ideas have imbued his works with their own personalities. In particular, his "Acoustic Drawings" have marked him as a different kind of artist. These works are inspired by sounds, and he considers sound to be an invisible part of his work. Light, Sound, Movement will be his first solo exhibition in Asia and will contain a sampling of his works accompanied with sound recordings, thus integrating his work and their influences.

As an artist, Grygar avoids traditional barriers. Where some draw arbitrary lines between the senses, he merges and creates. Huang Du, the curator of the exhibition, explains. "Through this he establishes a brand new style of art," he said. "By introducing sound he gives his art more vitality. Sound provides a sense of space, something which paintings can't really do. In his hands art is more than just colors and sounds but a tool to examine the limits of human creativity."

Many modern artists are addicted to experimenting with new materials like polyester and glass, while Grygar's success seems based on different methods of painting. Huang pointed out that it is Milan Grygar's creative ideas rather than materials that make his artworks unique.

"In fact, most of Milan Grygar's artworks are created with ordinary objects like paper, ink, wooden sticks and reeds, these are all quite common things," said Huang. "Milan Grygar's great ingenuity is in how he paints."

As an example, when seeing the dots on a painting, would you imagine that they came from a baby chicken with a match in its jaw? Would you realize that the circular parallel lines were drawn with a comb? These activities all leave marks, both real and symbolic, thus enriching the diversity of Grygar's work.

Milan Grygar was born in Zvolen, Slovakia in 1926. He was deeply influenced by Hungarian Bauhaus master Moholy Nagy's concept art in his early years. In 1963, he gave up his work with oil paints and began to explore the relationship between sketches and sound. In 1965, he created his first "Acoustic Drawings" collection and has received critical acclaim ever since.

Most of his works are collected by world famous galleries and museums, including the Centre National d′Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou in Paris, the National Galerie in Berlin and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, to name just a few.

In addition to the exhibition the museum will also show three documentaries discussing Grygar's works. Pieces on display include Grygar's works from the "Acoustic Drawings" collection and a photo exhibition showing the creation of "Acoustic Drawings" and "Tactile Drawings."

When: Until June 18　

Where: 2nd floor exhibition hall of building 1, Today Art Museum, Building 4, Pingod Community, No.32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district

Tickets: Free

Contact: 5876-0600