Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    WU GANG, a nomadic painter, will hold an exhibition in Shenzhen of paintings featuring the Silk Road in May and June 2013.

    The exhibition will feature more than 50 pieces of Wu’s works, depicting the old Silk Road in Northwest China as well as what Wu describes as the “New Silk Road.”

    “Shenzhen, as the window of China’s reform and opening up, is an important starting point for the country’s ‘new Silk Road,’ by which I mean it is at the forefront of the country’s development. This moment in history should be captured in art,” Wu said in an exclusive interview with Shenzhen Daily on Tuesday. The exact location of the exhibition is yet to be announced.

    Wu’s paintings of the Silk Road recently became famous after an exhibition of them was hosted by UNESCO in Paris.

    “UNESCO has been studying the ancient Silk Road and its culture for years, aiming at promoting cultural exchange. As the first Chinese painter to devote myself solely to the Silk Road, it was a great honor. Now I want my own countrymen to enjoy my paintings,” he said.

    Born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Wu is a graduate of Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute. His jobs have included teacher and sketch artist. In 1990, he quit his well-paid job in a government department to travel across Northwest China and devote himself to learning about the ancient Silk Road.

    “I participated in a UNESCO program about the Silk Road as a volunteer in 1990 and toured with the delegation in some areas in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The tour inspired me, so I decided to make my own contribution to the efforts to promote the Silk Road,” he said.

    Since then, Wu has hiked along the ancient Silk Road from Henan Province to Xinjiang several times, passing by all the important towns on the road and making sketches of the most interesting scenery.

    It was rough terrain to travel on foot. “I spent three months in remote areas of Xinjiang. Once I almost died of thirst and once I had to jump into a river and swim to escape wolves,” he said.

    These experiences have given Wu a new perspective on life, making him more open-minded and tolerant.

    “Many people say that their first impression of my paintings was their ambition and breadth of scope. These things come from my years of experience and views on life,” he said.

    Another aspect of Wu’s work is its pastoralism. “Nowadays, most artists live in cities, and experience all the stresses and pressure of urban life. But I spend most of my time in the wild, so can experience a more simple and peaceful state when I paint and write,” he said.

    In the past, Wu liked to use simple brushes to demonstrate the views in his art, but now most of his works use broad strokes and strong colors. “This is one of the main changes of my style and this change comes from my different understanding of nature, history and culture,” he said.

    Wu’s exhibition on the Silk Road will also be held in cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and New York.

    He also plans to install art galleries in Beijing, Shenzhen, Lanzhou, Paris and Rome in the future. The galleries will provide venues for all the world’s art works related to the Silk Road.

    “I think paintings are one of the best ways to introduce the Silk Road and its history and culture,” he said.