Sky Constellations

1.

For a long time, the blue sky and white clouds rarely appeared above the city where Zhao Zhao lived. For years, smog persisted, only revealing a few days of clear blue during the harsh winter north winds or the warm spring. During that time, many artists focused on expressing the realities beneath the sky, immersed in stories of people and cities shrouded in gray, which often carried strong realist implications.

However, the charm of this “gray story” often lies in an impressionistic portrayal of the sky and landscapes, akin to the common literary device of using scenery to express emotions or themes, enhancing the atmosphere of the stories and the psychological conditions of the characters. The absence of “blue skies” was seldom directly depicted. In that period, the city lacked a sense of clarity, transparency, and brightness, making the sky a missing aesthetic.

It was from that time that Zhao Zhao began his Sky series, which, along with the Constellation series, has since become two of his most longstanding artistic currents. In 2009, Zhao Zhao's first Sky work was exhibited in Berlin, which contrasted sharply with the sky of his city. That year also marked the beginning of a rise in the public awareness of smog, and that the blue sky that people would “occasionally” look up to was going to face its prolonged absence. Stories always change due to the occurrence of other stories; three years later, Zhao Zhao spent a period isolated in a room numbered “305.” The term “isolated” is somewhat embellished; in that confined space, there was only a 20 x 20 cm window, which is the sole connection to the outside world. The sky outside became the only non-constant to Zhao Zhao’s life, with occasional blue skies providing a surprising contrast to the city's persistent gray.

The stark contrast between gray and blue in the city created a captivating allure for the rare white clouds, capable of relieving stress and offering a brief escape from reality. Although the alternation between gray and blue resembled a series of enigmas without any pattern, gray always lingered in various corners of the city - room 305, a studio in the urban-rural fringe, dusk upon the 3rd Ring Road, and the empty city square. Yet, whenever there was a blue sky, photos of the sky or fiery clouds at dusk flooded the social circles of northern residents. Blue skies and white clouds, once a normal climate, had never been so tenderly observed.

“Sky” became the theme of Zhao Zhao's paintings during that time. However, as the series progressed, the sky shifted from the realities of the present to more distant histories. Zhao Zhao began to focus on the overlooked backgrounds in art history, trying to imagine what the sky meant in the ancient world and what kind of imagination it held. Thus, he started compiling and reinterpreting the skies from famous artworks. In medieval paintings, the sky served as proof of God's presence on Earth, casting holy light that illuminated all, reflecting the sacred halo of religion. During the Renaissance, the sky returned to humanity, becoming peaceful and tranquil. In the Romantic period, the sky re-emerged on the stage of historical upheaval, signaling the twilight of the old era and the dawn of the new. Throughout this history, the “sky” became particularly lyrical, revealing distinct aesthetic images and spiritual worlds in night skies, dawn moons, morning mists, withered trees, or architectural ruins. Impressionism concluded this historical narrative, as the sky was reconsidered through the lens of natural science; late 19th-century painters depicted the effects of light and air on the sky at different times of the day. Ultimately, the Wright brothers' airplane liberated the sky from divine ownership, transforming it into a realm for human flight, thus completing the transition of modernism towards cubism and futurism. The historical “sky” evolved into a personal “sky,” becoming a natural reflection of individual stories and subjective emotions.

Subsequently, the “Sky” series consistently appeared in Zhao Zhao's various solo exhibitions, acquiring elements of minimalism and conceptual art, existing in different emotional and spiritual states. At times, it embodied abstraction and eternity, hinting at the thousands of years of history experienced between the exhibits, and beyond that history, a timeless nature that transcended reality; at other times, it presented a momentary glimpse of the present, the abrupt changes of history and era, with time always being fleeting, everything poised to be consumed by the surging future.

2.

About a month ago, Zhao Zhao embarked on a journey lasting over 30 days along the Jingzang (Beijing-Lhasa) Expressway. Starting in Beijing, he traveled west through Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Gansu, eventually reaching Xining, then south to Chamdo, Lhasa, Shigatse, and Mount Kailash, before returning from Ali. Unlike the speed of planes and trains, this journey resembled a long road trip. From the moment he left Beijing, after crossing the North China Plain and the Inner Mongolia grasslands, the altitude began to rise, and the air became thinner, bringing him closer to the sky he gazed upon from Beijing.

The scenery grew increasingly majestic as he traveled west. However, the journey of over 10,000 kilometers could feel monotonous for the driver, with long stretches of similar, desolate, and vast landscapes outside the window. The undulating roads and shifting mountains made the changes in the sky and clouds the most enchanting and grand sights of the trip. The roadside restaurants and inns, often hundreds of kilometers apart, with their earthy colors and heavy atmosphere, made the western sky appear even clearer and purer. As he approached Tibet, the clouds began to descend from above, vast, numerous, and thick, with ever-changing forms. It required soft, grand words to describe the endless romance and freedom of the sky. Ultimately, he could only exclaim, “It's so beautiful,” a spontaneous and instinctive response.

Upon reaching Mount Kailash, the legendary place closest to the sky and the center of the world in Tibetan Buddhism, the sky took on a new meaning during the journey, imbued with personal life and spiritual significance, capable of holding time and humanity, much like the lifelong pilgrimage of a Tibetan monk. Here, the constellation and the sky began to synchronize, with starry nights and clouds revolving around the sacred mountain in a day-night cycle. Generations of Tibetans and monks circumambulated Mount Kailash while praying, performing this practice known as “kora,” in which people believed that for completing each one cycle, one can cleanse worldly misfortunes; ten cycles can free one from the pains of hell in five hundred lifetimes; and 108 cycles can lead to enlightenment in this life. The ever-changing sky during the “kora,” the mountain's perennial snow sparkling under the sunlight, together formed a breathtaking sight. And like the sky, it requires no stories, plots, or characters—just a feeling, approaching a sense of religious reverence and awe.

Thus, several works created after this journey, titled Travellers Among Western Hill, became a reflection of this legend and monk pilgrimage. The splashed points, the passage of time, and the irreplaceable coincidences all appeared for the first time in the Sky series. However, compared to past works, clouds and skies no longer needed to be depicted; they sought to escape the confines of imagery, aiming for a natural and effortless quality.

The exhibition's theme, “Sky Constellations,” is also impressionistic, pointing towards a more macro and philosophical direction. It does not represent a grounded existence; how could the blue sky and white clouds of the day possibly meet the starry sky of night? They belong to two different worlds and times, with distinct landscapes and emotions. Yet, from Zhao Zhao's perspective, this connection is valid; behind the sky and clouds, at distances far beyond thousands of feet, exists the constellations and the Milky Way. The star systems we see at night are obscured by sunlight in the eastern hemisphere but shine brightly in the dark of the western hemisphere. In a sense, the Sky and Constellation series are not from a human perspective but resembles the Hubble Space Telescope, traversing clouds and skies to reach the broader universe, imagining what lies beyond the distant and visible.

After years of evolution, the Sky series is no longer dominated by a specific, real story. It escapes from reality, pointing towards art history and past narratives, distilling abstract images from these stories, and striving for a journey akin to a religious ritual, distancing itself from the emptiness of formalism. The Sky series possesses a unique, abstract poetry, yet due to the hidden relationship between the sky and the reality, it carries a certain weight. The Sky series is rich in meaning yet concise, seemingly without narrative but encompassing everything.

3.

In 1898, the Star Ferry began operating at the Hong Kong Victoria Harbour, joining the Hong Kong Tram and the Peak Tram as transportation modes with over a century of history. Today, the Star Ferry remains a popular means for tourists and locals to travel between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. For nearly a hundred years, these vessels running across the bay during the day have infused the city with another scene waiting to be discovered: the surging sea surface leaves no trace of the ships' passage, and like the sky, it reflects this window of exchange between Eastern and Western civilizations and the brilliantly stunning architectural landscapes.

The coastal scenery between the harbors possesses a unique poetry and magic that belongs only to Hong Kong. Victoria Harbour is lined with towering skyscrapers, their glass curtain walls acting as reflective mirrors, screens that cherish the past and retain the moments that have just occurred. During the day, the Pacific's billowing clouds make the sky unpredictable, seeming to extend the sea surface. Ultimately, the sky and sea merge seamlessly in the glass curtain walls of the high-rises, creating a unity of sea and sky. As night falls, the twinkling neon lights and the city's colorful electronic billboards, along with the wave patterns left by busy ships, decorate and reflect each other, resembling an inversion of the city's starry sky and sea surface. The sky and starry sky mysteriously meet and converge in Victoria Harbour's nights.

In an instant, that “Prussian blue” in Zhao Zhao's painting, those colors indistinguishable between “Constellation” and “sky,” the fleeting time in the painting, the hidden undercurrents, are like this harbor - both fragile and eternal.