Introducing Artist Stone (Shi Cun) & His Work

SHI CUN

Born in Nanjing, China, Shi Cun started the learning of painting when he was nine from a well-established artist He Ye, the Dean of Art Department of Suzhou Art & Design Technology Institute. Shi Cun moved to New York in 1987 and started his career as a professional artist. Since 1988, his work has been exhibited in NYC, Europe and Taiwan.

In 1994, while Shi Cun was holding a solo show in Taipei IT Park, he was discovered by a famous Taiwan film director and became an instant star and icon representing the “New New Generation” on television.

He joined MTV Asia in 1995 as a VJ to host three daily shows. After MTV, Shi Cun became an entrepreneur by starting up his own multimedia company developing content for television, internet and mobile sectors. His years of experience in business has provided him with a new angle to view Chinese contemporary art as well as the social impact brought upon China via political and economical changes.

Using RMB as a totem to reflect his artist opinions and understanding of the Chinese society, he once again returns to contemporary art to portray today's China and its system the way he sees it.

RMB SERIES For many people, RMB may only represent the country's currency of China, but to Shi Cun the artist, the obscure significance behind RMB lies far beyond the concept of a currency. RMB, as microcosm of China, has showcased all the changes brought upon every Chinese's life impacted by the first three decades of political struggle to maintain power, as well as the post three decades of economic reform and development. Over the past six decades, China has been transformed from a closed-door backward country into one of the world economic powers and from a country advocating socialist ideology into one embracing crony capitalism, however, the center position of Mao Avatar on the RMB remain the same. This sends out a signal that the core content of the government remains unchanged regardless of the changing times and China's economic rise. No other currency can imply a more profound political meaning or endorse a changing social morality better than RMB. A once idealistic kingdom has turned into a country of Mammonism. Money dominates the spirit and consciousness of the political dignitaries, the crony elites as well as the ordinary people. RMB has become the status symbol of the power that people worship and strive for. There's no other totem in contemporary art that could better reflects the social phenomenon of China than RMB. Looking back at the 60 years of journey that China has taken on, one could say that RMB has become the microcosm of Chinese contemporary history since 1949, a portrayal of the changing social morality as well as a metaphor of social status.

RMB Series, oil on canvas, 51x103

RMB Series details, oil on canvas

• China born American artist Shi Cun created his RMB series of 6 oil paintings for the purpose of revealing the history of political changes and economical reform of the communist China as well as the impact it brings to the transformation of its society and disillusionment of its ideology.

• The currency of a country has always been closely associated with its politics. It reflects a country's political, social and economical history and its world status and perspectives. Inspired and intrigued by such history behind the currency, Stone decided to create a series of world currency to reveal the ongoing Currency War. If the 1930s’ currency war contributed to the world wide economic hardship, then what the Currency War of 2013 will contribute to the world is the theme of his Currency War.

• Shi Cun believes that a good artist should keep a keen eye on what’s happening around the world and record the current events as pieces of living history. Unlike many successful contemporary Chinese artists in China who still keen on portraying the era of cultural-revolution and its impact on younger generations, Shi Cun has moved on towards the current world events which China plays an important role. “Time is flowing history in which natural born artists are inspired and empowered. Responsibilities and concerns of a society, the world, and humanity encourage a true artist to stay intact with his observation and recording”, stated by Shi Cun.

• Though Shi Cun has moved on from his creation of RMB series, he continues to use the same “Zen Mosaic” technique inspired by his RMB series. Zan Mosaic is a transformation of Chinese philosophy and artistic Ideorealm.

• “Mosaic is a method and Zen is inner expression”. ” Schutze

states that the process of completing his mosaic oil painting is

the process of comprehend the state of mind of Zen. Zen is a

philosophy that expresses a state of mind, inner peace and

artistic Ideorealm. Zen Mosaic itself is the expression of artistic

Ideorealm and physical practice on the spiritual journey of Zen.

More than ten thousands of mosaic squares on a big canvas

filled with mixed colors of oil paint is so powerful to the human

eye that it completed registered into a person brain upon a few

glimpses.

• Besides creating currencies on canvas, Shi Cun has

developed a series of other oil-on-canvas paintings with the

same technique applied. The series of “Chinese Landscape”

combines the symbol of Chinese traditional landscape painting

and contemporary stock market, which reveals the current

situation of China - the influence of the traditional cultural, the

beauty of Imagery and Ideorealm of Zen, the inspiration of

economical development and the phenomenal of money

worship.

•

• With the creation of Zen Mosaic, Shi Cun will continue to

develop more works that truly express his inner emotion,

perspectives and artistic Ideorealm about China, the ancient

philosophy of Zen as well the world.

USD, oil on canvas, 51x119

Chinese Landscape , Oil on canvas, 12x12 set of 4

BLACK AND WHITE Oil on canvas 24x24 Diptych

Mosaic is a method and Zen is inner expression. The process of completing his mosaic oil painting is the process of comprehend the state of mind of Zen. Zen is a philosophy that expresses a state of mind, inner peace and artistic Ideorealm. Zen Mosaic itself is the expression of artistic Ideorealm and physical practice on the spiritual journey of Zen

• Exhibitions:

• 2013 Exhibition

2/8/2013 –3/8/2-013 “Gong Xi Fa Cai” Solo Show, Song Gallary,

Chelsea, New York

• 2012 Exhibitions:

• 12/21/2012-2/20/2013 “The First Contemporary Art Weibo Exhibition”,

Songzhuang Art Center (宋庄美术馆), Beijing China

• 11/2/2012-11/4/2012 “Art China 2012”, China Agriculture Exhibition

Center (中国农展馆), Beijing China

• 9/18/2012 – 9/30/2012 “Art Is Capital”, East Asia Bank Beijing Center

(东亚银行北京分行), Beijing China

• 1994 Solo Show

• 8/1994 IT Park Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

• 7/1994 Up Gallery, Kaoshuing, Taiwan

• Selected Exhibitions:

• 1993

• Maclaurin Art Gallery, Ayr, Scotland

• Gottingen City Hall, Gottingen, Germany

• Grimm-Museum, Kassel, Germany

• 1992

• Schwedt Gallery, Oder, Germany

• Rosenthal Theater, Selb, Germany

• Gallerie IX Atelier, Berlin, Germany

• 1991

• Open Window, New York City

• 1990

• "Positive Actions: Aids Timeline”, The Clocktower, NYC

• "Dia De Los Muertos", Alternative Museum, Manhattan

• White Colum, NYC

• 1989

• Wellspring Group Show, Kenkeleba Gallery, NYC

• Art Studio Group Show, Phoenix Gallery, NYC

• Juried Rye Art Show, Westchester, New York,

• 1988

• HRRISON Public Library, Westchester, New York

• Sabrina Fung Gallery, New York, NY

• Art Studio Club, Manhattan.

• Recipient of the Art Studio Club Scholarship

• Bibliography:

• Taiwan People Magazine, Legend, 1994, p120-p124

• Taiwan Magazine, Cover, September 1994

• Taiwan Collection Art Magazine, August 1994

• Taiwan Crown Magazine, 1994

Shi Cun and RMB Series documented by Shanghai TV

Broadcasted national wide in 2012