Naked Earth

Dear friends of the arts,

the Chinese are on the rise, and have been for some years now.

This was especially noticeable at this year’s Venice Biennale: the Chinese no longer simply copy, as they did at the beginning, but have by now developed a profile of their own and have thus become unmistakable.

The artist Musk Ming was born in China and has lived and worked in Berlin since 2005. A selection of his work is now on show at the Stiftung Starke.

Musk Ming has found a way of combining the old traditions of Chinese painting with modern, new techniques. His art visualises the “old soul of China”, and through his unusual life story and studies he has discovered for himself the diversity of the world’s many cultures. His art reflects international and intercultural aspects.

The absent or concealed sexuality of classical Chinese painting is combined with the freedom proclaimed in the West, creating a kind of irony that brings out the contradiction. Behind his nude painting, the focus is on the relationship between human beings, society and nature.

In his work, for example, Musk Ming subversively uses a Maoist style of illustration to point to China’s sexually “enlightened history”. Ming explores a return to Taoist values, which he regards as enlightened and tolerant. His works also visualise a longing for an open-minded China.