On May 7th, the “Charming Gengcai, Vibrant Hehai” Zhu Bingren Tianjin Art Exhibition grandly opened at the Tianjin Museum.
This exhibition holds special significance as May 25th marks the 19th anniversary of the birth of copper smelting art. This is the first Gengcai art-themed exhibition by Zhu Bingren, an 81-year-old realist artist and Chinese arts and crafts master. It is another milestone following his solo exhibition at the National Museum of China in 2024, showcasing over 120 works that connect the millennia-old heritage of copper sculpture with contemporary innovation!
[Image caption: Zhu Bingren Tianjin Art Exhibition scene]
At the opening ceremony, Zhu Bingren emotionally stated, “Copper is a living metal. I want to dedicate colorful art, life, and culture to Tianjin!” His specially created copper mural “Snowy Landscape with Cold Forest” and the “Tianjin Museum” landscape copper seal have been permanently collected by the Tianjin Museum, becoming the exhibition’s biggest highlights.
This exhibition is guided by the Publicity Department of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and hosted by the Tianjin Museum, China Cultural Figures Magazine, and Tianjin Artists Association. It is organized by the Zhejiang Zhu Bingren Bronze Sculpture Art Museum, with support from Xiling Seal Engraving Society, Fine Arts Newspaper, and Liuhang Town, Putuo District, Zhoushan City.
What is Molten Copper?
Although this exhibition focuses on Gengcai art, all its innovations stem from an accident in 2006.
Nineteen years ago, while constructing the Tianning Pagoda in Changzhou, Zhu Bingren witnessed an accidental fire that led him to discover the myriad forms of molten copper crystals. This discovery broke the traditional constraints of “molten casting” in Chinese copper art, ushering in an era of free creation “using fire as a pen and copper as ink,” marking a historic turning point in the development of Chinese copper art.
Master Zhu Bingren in his Molten Copper Art Creation
From a craft perspective, the core of molten copper art lies in “moldless and controllable.” “Moldless” refers to the unique forms formed by the natural flow of molten copper, while “controllable” reflects the artist’s precise control over the flow and solidification process of the molten copper. This innovative technique integrates concrete imagery into abstract forms, greatly expanding the expressive power of bronze sculpture.
Regarding the creation of this art form, Zhu Bingren movingly wrote in a poem: “A pool of golden water, no longer lonely; a thunderbolt freezes the moment, finally becoming a painting!”
Zhu Bingren’s work, Que Li, is in the collection of the National Museum of China.
In 2007, Zhu Bingren created his first molten bronze artwork, Que Li. The “que” (阙), as a gate-shaped structure symbolizing beginnings in ancient architecture, imbues the work with a sense of innovation. This work was soon acquired by the National Museum of China, highlighting its significant value in the history of bronze art.
When Molten Bronze Meets Haihe Culture
This exhibition is meticulously planned into three sections, with molten bronze art presented as a separate chapter, “The Realm of Molten Bronze,” cleverly integrating canal culture, agricultural wisdom, and national sentiment from the Haihe River culture. Several exquisite molten bronze works offer viewers a dual enjoyment of visual and cultural appreciation.
- Thousands of Waves Rolling Like Snow
Based on the philosophical idea that “the wise find joy in water,” water, as the source of life and the cradle of civilization, is used as the primary color in this work, employing the molten copper technique to showcase its powerful momentum.
The molten copper-sculpted waves echo the winding course of the Haihe River, poetically demonstrating the dynamic beauty of water.
- Ten Thousand Springs Returning to the Sea
Created using high-temperature enamel copper techniques, this masterpiece of copper mural art is magnificent in scale and vibrant in color, vividly portraying the inclusive spirit of the Haihe River as it gathers countless streams.
In 2021, the same work was collected by the Boao Forum for Asia, becoming an important medium for cultural exchange.
- Rice That Can Be Told, Extraordinary Rice
Rice That Can Be Told, Extraordinary Rice embodies Zhu Bingren’s deconstructive interpretation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching.
Between the solidification and flow of metal, the unique sculpted texture forms the shape of drooping rice ears, casting Tianjin’s famous “Xiaozhan Rice” into a metal totem, completing a sublimation from material form to spiritual symbol.
Burning Sunflowers
To commemorate the 125th anniversary of Van Gogh’s death, “Burning Sunflowers” uses molten copper as a medium to achieve a cross-temporal dialogue between Eastern copper art and Post-Impressionism. Zhu Bingren stated, “I threw Van Gogh’s artistic essence into the furnace, melting it to pay tribute to him, melting it to bring Van Gogh to life.”
The work garnered widespread international attention when it was exhibited at a solo exhibition in Berlin in 2018, and this year it appeared at the “From Beijing to Paris” Chinese Art Exhibition, showcasing the international influence of Chinese molten copper art.
Snowy Landscape with Cold Forest
“Snowy Landscape with Cold Forest” was created specifically for Tianjin, inspired by the Tianjin Museum’s prized possession—a landscape painting of the same name by Fan Kuan of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The artwork transforms the desolate snowscape of an ancient painting into a three-dimensional bronze sculpture using the copper fusion technique, giving new life to the millennia-old artwork within the metal material.
Step into the Tianjin Museum and experience the charm of copper fusion art.
Zhu Bingren uses the river as his warp and copper as his weft, forging the millennia-old pulse of the Haihe River culture between the coldness of copper and the heat of fire. Each piece embodies his unwavering pursuit of art and showcases the profound heritage and innovative vitality of traditional Chinese culture.
Master Zhu Bingren introduces “Snowy Landscape with Cold Forest” and copper fusion art on site.
On the 19th anniversary of copper fusion art, let us step into the Tianjin Museum and embark on this artistic journey through time, touching our hearts, and feeling the power of culture in the world of copper fusion.
