Feng Xiao-Min on Qi Yun, Calligraphy, and the Paradox of Perfection

In a joint exhibition at Opera Gallery London, Feng Xiao-Min and Pieter Obels present a quiet, resonant dialogue across abstract landscape and organic steel sculpture. In an interview, Feng discusses how his decades of calligraphy training inform his painting through brush control and spatial composition, emphasizing the balance of xu (emptiness) and shi (solidity) as rooted in Chinese yin-yang philosophy. He describes qi yun (breath-resonance) as essential to a painting's magnetism, citing Turner's handling of space and light as a Western parallel. Feng reflects on the futility of explaining paintings in words, arguing that resonance depends on the viewer's feeling and experience. He also recounts his youthful pursuit of perfection, which he now sees as a trap: overly controlled lines lose life, while natural accidents and the collaboration of materials, time, and nature can yield results beyond expectation. The exhibition runs at Opera Gallery London.