Qin Ai 秦艾
The Gate of Wonder 4 眾妙之門4, 2018
Ink and colour on paper 水墨設色紙本
170 x 114 cm
Copyright The Artist
The Gate of Wonder 4 (2018) is a memory between the artist’s husband Xu Hong and herself. Qin Ai remembers: “One year’s winter in Nanjing, I went hiking with my...
The Gate of Wonder 4 (2018) is a memory between the artist’s husband Xu Hong and herself. Qin Ai remembers: “One year’s winter in Nanjing, I went hiking with my husband to Jiming Temple. The moment we arrived, I was inspired by the design of the arch at the entrance and a picture formed in my mind – an elk and deer standing together under the arch, deep in conversation about the crossroads of life.”
The meaning of the phrase “the gate of wonder” in Chinese is the “door of perception”, which is from a famous quote by philosopher and scholar Laozi. Taken from the classic Tao Te Ching written during the Spring and Autumn period (approximately 771 to 476 BC), it reads: “Reaching from the mystery to the mysteries is the door to all knowing.” The quote implies that everything on earth is unified under one universe and the same circle of life, which is also in line with the artist’s own philosophies and beliefs.
《眾妙之門 4》是秦艾與丈夫在一個寒冷的冬天登上了南京雞鳴寺的古塔而得到啟發。雞鳴寺的拱門正是《眾妙之門 4》裡的拱門 。麋鹿在作品中是一種隱喻人站在交叉點之上，萬物仿佛是很渺小。 秦艾說：「當我站在這個門外的時候，我的眼前是灰蒙蒙的玄武湖，蕭瑟的台城，遠處是雲霧繚繞的紫金山。我忽然想起了老子的那句『玄之又玄眾妙之門』，仿佛宇宙裏的一切，天地萬物都歸於一體，又仿佛水比水更深，山比山更遠。」
The meaning of the phrase “the gate of wonder” in Chinese is the “door of perception”, which is from a famous quote by philosopher and scholar Laozi. Taken from the classic Tao Te Ching written during the Spring and Autumn period (approximately 771 to 476 BC), it reads: “Reaching from the mystery to the mysteries is the door to all knowing.” The quote implies that everything on earth is unified under one universe and the same circle of life, which is also in line with the artist’s own philosophies and beliefs.
《眾妙之門 4》是秦艾與丈夫在一個寒冷的冬天登上了南京雞鳴寺的古塔而得到啟發。雞鳴寺的拱門正是《眾妙之門 4》裡的拱門 。麋鹿在作品中是一種隱喻人站在交叉點之上，萬物仿佛是很渺小。 秦艾說：「當我站在這個門外的時候，我的眼前是灰蒙蒙的玄武湖，蕭瑟的台城，遠處是雲霧繚繞的紫金山。我忽然想起了老子的那句『玄之又玄眾妙之門』，仿佛宇宙裏的一切，天地萬物都歸於一體，又仿佛水比水更深，山比山更遠。」