Landscape culture: artistic dialogue between East and West

The Royal Botanical Garden of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Casa Asia inaugurated this past Saturday, March 8, the exhibition project entitled Landscape Culture: the mountain, the tree and the river. Drifts of the contemporary natural and urban landscape, between utopia and dystopia, which brings together for the first time the work of 25 contemporary Asian and Spanish artists united by their personal interpretation of the landscape. This exhibition is expressed through five formats: drawing, painting, photography, video and installation. The project, which can be visited at the Villanueva Pavilion of the RJB-CSIC in Madrid until May 11, 2025, proposes a journey through the representation of the landscape in contemporary art, going beyond the mere consumption of images. The exhibition raises essential questions about the relationship of human beings with the environment and their responsible participation in the preservation of the planet.

For her part, the director of the Royal Botanical Garden-CSIC, María-Paz Martín , positively assessed that two concepts of art generally as disparate as Eastern and Western "have coincided to bring us closer to personal views on the landscape with different forms of representation, thus contributing to the viewer appreciating and valuing our natural environment more and better, while being enriched with a greater knowledge of art". At the same time, she thanked a new collaboration with Casa Asia, "which means opening the doors of the Garden again to all the diversity of this important region of the planet".

Lac Télé (CON 1.1). © Jordi Bernadó

The general director of Casa Asia, José Pintor Aguilar , stressed in his speech that "this exhibition project gives meaning to the mission of Casa Asia as the main public diplomacy organization in Spain on Asia-Pacific, fulfilling its purpose of making initiatives that promote dialogue between East and West visible". He also highlighted "the support of galleries, museums and foundations, both national and international, whose contribution has been key to making this project possible, and, in particular, the collaboration with the RJB-CSIC, which began in 2022, with the Black Zen Garden, in tribute to those affected by the eruption of the volcano on the island of La Palma".

The Vice President of International Relations of the CSIC, Francisco Javier Moreno Fuentes , was also present at the presentation of the exhibition, who pointed out that "art and science share a series of basic characteristics that make them universal. Both try to contribute to giving meaning to our lives, build bridges between societies and provide a language that allows communication between languages and cultures. The Royal Botanical Garden constitutes an exceptional environment to present this initiative, which seems more necessary than ever in a context of growing isolationist tensions."

May I Open the book 04. © Key Takemura

For Menene Gras Balaguer , curator of the exhibition, "the project starts from the interest that landscape arouses in contemporary art globally and, respectively, in the globalization of a phenomenon that makes landscape the object of an artistic and aesthetic discourse that is not alien to climate change or the need to correct the impact of human action". As the curator adds, "Nature is not just a backdrop against which our lives pass. It is our home, our origin and our destiny. In this sense, the exhibition, in addition to gathering images for consumption, is also an invitation to think about our role in the conservation of the world we inhabit".

Translacions. Elements naturals en un espai no natural. Llit-arbre. © Fina Miralles

Dialogue between East and West

The project exhibited at the Villanueva Pavilion explores the different forms of landscape representation, covering both natural and urban environments. It is not just images for aesthetic contemplation, but a reflection on our relationship with the environment and the impact of the human footprint on the territory. It should be specified that, in contemporary art, landscape does not consist solely of a visual representation of specific environments, but rather of a set of discursive strategies that question individual existence as a social fact inseparable from the identity of the territory it occupies. As Gras Balaguer points out, "landscape is inseparable from our existence; its destruction is also ours."

In short, this dialogue between tradition and modernity, between East and West, as well as the semiotic hybridization of the corresponding images, is the core of The Culture of Landscape.

La naturaleza de los dioses. © Pablo Genovés

A total of 25 national and international artists

A total of 25 artists from seven countries participate in this exhibition: Spain, the Philippines, Korea, Iran, China, Japan and Indonesia. The Spanish representation is notable, with the likes of creators such as Ignasi Aballí , Sergi Aguilar , Manuel V. Alonso , Jordi Bernadó , Carlos Casas , Pablo Genonés , José Guerrero , Mateo Maté , Fina Miralles , Santi Moix , Marina Nünéz and UIyss3s.

As for the Asian part, East Asia is represented by Korean artists such as Han Sungpil , Koo Bohnchang , Timothy Hyunsoo Lee ; Japan with Mine Kawakami , Kei Takemura , Michiko Totoki ; China with Xin Liu , Yang Yongliang , Zhang Kechun , Miao Xiaochun and Taipei with Yuan Guang Ming . Southeast Asia is represented by Filipino artist Martha Atienza , Indonesian Timoteus Anggawan Kuso and Central Asia by Iranian Gohar Dashti .

It should be noted that this project has been possible thanks to the collaboration of galleries, museums and foundations from all over Spain and around the world (for example: Galeria Àngels Barcelona , Galeria Rocío Santa Cruz , MACBA , Museu d'Art de Sabadell , Galeria Senda , among others). In addition, the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO, included this project among its proposed exhibition visits during the fair held from 5 to 9 March 2025.

Adlaw sa mga Mananagat. © Martha Atienza