Biography:
Dan Xu immigrated to Canada in January of 2001 and has lived in Saint John since then. She is now a Canadian citizen and works in the traditional Chinese painting style of using ink and wash applied with a wool brush to Chinese xuan paper. Her career spans over 20 years since graduating from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China in 1992.
Artist Statement:
Through this exhibition I intend to reveal the landscape of Saint John from the perspective of Chinese eyes. I hope audiences can experience my painting works by opening their hearts to read the intact original natural environment of the greater Saint John area.
The historic sediments of the landscape in this area are what I read. The wind language from forests of past millennia is what I hear. The deer rambling around the people is a sight that I appreciate. Because of this, I feel immersed in a world with the finest nature and purest environment.
The lighthouses and covered bridges here are evidence to the centuries of evolution in the landscape. They recorded the honesty and purity of local people… they are like guards to protect the people from mountain, hill and water.
Immersed in the landscape, as part of it, makes me calm and simple. It also gives me a feeling of an unparalleled luxury and beauty. How can I not appreciate that? I am always saying in various occasions that it is the landscape of Saint John that makes me truly understand the Chinese ancient paintings.
Thus, my Chinese pen is no longer for only describing the ancient Chinese landscapes. It is now time for it to illustrate Canada and what I see as the soul of the Canadian landscape.
To read my painting works and understand their stories, you do not need to know the Chinese painting language and do not need to know Chinese characters. What you need is calmness and to walk with me into the landscape that you are familiar with, and then you will be awakened from the soul travelling deep within your memories about Saint John and its maritime natural history.
This exhibition is an appreciation. It is an appreciation of the beauty and natural perfection of the landscape of the greater Saint John area.