Art as a bridge between West and East The seven artists from Germany all live or once lived at the river Rhine, in the region of Bonn and Cologne, where they worked independently from each other. A major project of artists of the region led us all together. Beside, we belong to the
Federation of Women Artists and Patrons of the Arts” (GEDOK), which supports female artists in fine arts, crafts, music, literature, and performing arts though art lovers with distribution of prizes and exhibitions since 1926. As the old Chinese proverb
Women without talent are truly virtuous” still has followers in present-day Germany, the support of female artists is still necessary in order to complete the image of our world in the reflection of art with a female point of view and mode of expression. In the course of cooperation on different exhibitions, we stated our common belief that nowadays cultural imprinting and artistic language are not mutually dependent anymore. Global information networks and communication technologies offer possibilities of intellectual exchange and artistic inspiration as never before. But still the willingness of reflecting view, for a painstaking personal dialogue with the
other” is often missing. On these paths of thought do the artists move, each in her own way, seeing themselves wandering in space and time. Some of them are, in the full sense of the world, on their road in remote or at least foreign regions of the world. Others follow search for tracks in the microcosm of nature nearby. On the way, which finally leads to oneself, the artists are looking for encounters with other cultural regions, other living conditions, points of views, units of values. Their special stage goal is to get acquainted with the still
Far East” which is based on the roots of Chinese cultures. There they want to linger, look around, look back and take future possibilities into view- not without speaking about themselves. The creative work of there seven decided individualists reflect facets of critical contemplativeness over the place of the individual in society and the relationship between person and natural. Central topics are the tension between reality and illusion, sharpness and blur of the individual perception as well as processes of inner and outer change. The artists set out to enter into a conversation. Those who have never been to the Far East intend to gain a first picture, others to deepen their knowledge through new impressions. Ursula Toyka-Fuong German Academic Exchange Service, Head of Section (This article excerpt from
On The Road” special edition)