In 2011, the renowned collector of Contemporary Chinese Art Uli Sigg curated an exhibition at the Lucerne Art Museum in Switzerland, "Shanshui - Poetry without Sound - Landscapes of Contemporary Chinese Art". Prior to the exhibition, Sigg has invited Professor Yin Jinan of the Central Academy of Fine Arts to contribute an essay for the catalogue for the exhibition. In which, Mr. Yin has first proposed his ideas of "Post-Landscape". He pointed out that, "The Post-Landscape iconography neither respects the values of traditional literati, nor is it an extension of Marxist ideologies. Contemporary artists have the adapted as the various genres of images of classical landscape to the game system. In fact, landscape paintings of antiquity and contemporary landscape paintings or photographs would all become resources for parody and appropriation. " In an afternoon at the beginning of 2014, Mr. Yin Jinan, artist Ding Bin and myself sat in Ding Bin's studio in 751 Art District, Yin proposed "Post-Landscape Iconography" as we were determining the theme of the exhibition at the Today Art Museum. Finally, the exhibition is entitled as Studies on the Post-Landscape Iconography - Ding Bin's Artistic Practices in Chinese or rather in English Ding Bin and His Cartography ( named by his artist friend Ni Jun).

　　This exhibition consists of artworks created based on "maps". Indeed, Ding Bin considers the "map" as the creative "resources that can be adopted" similarly to "traditional landscape paintings, contemporary landscape paintings or photography". Noticeably, Ding Bin's "map" is considered as artworks is because of his subjective creation of the "useless" images that are objectively relevant. Adopting maps as the excuse, he constructed a world from bird's-eye view. The phenomenon of the world presented through these images lead the viewers into a certain speculation. Ding Bin is not painting the functionalities of the map, but to complete its "posthumous" values by appropriating its regenerative elements. 

 　　In the representation of the images, Ding Bin's maps are neither utilitarian nor demonstrative of any attitude, rather, they are calm. However, "maps" are nevertheless indicative of politics, power, war and sex that remain ambiguous on the images. Out of curiosity, and for the sake of more effective publicity of Ding Bin's solo exhibitions in the future, I think it's necessary to depart from the basic points to learn about Ding Bin as an artist, the maps and the process of making the artworks, by which to hopefully decipher the clues hidden in the maps.  Evolving narration on Ding Bin's art .

 　　Ding Bin, born in 1960 in Beijing, of a time described as "glorious". Then, he lived in a house where one could see Houhai through the fence. The best aspect of a community and courtyard life, and the most romantic flavor was a given as the air we breathe to Ding Bin's youth. After he became an artist, when certain western media interviewed him and asked why he wanted to paint, Ding Bin replied, "How could you not paint living in a place like this?"  Another reason was, his mother, a native of Qingdao who loved to paint, perhaps it was his mother's influence and the beautiful scenery of Houhai that led Ding Bin to pick up the brush naturally in his childhood. Of course, a more practical reason might be, since the launch of the Cultural Revolution, Ding Bin was enrolled in elementary school. Once school was dismissed, his parents were worried that he would fight with other kids or get into trouble, so they encouraged him to paint at home. It was then he received the early training of painting. Thereafter, he entered Beijing No. 13 Middle School, which was a conservative and key school in Beijing. A relatively professional art group of the school, luckily, gathered a number of passionate art teachers and students. Ding Bin joined the group and received professional and systematic trainings on basic techniques of painting. 

　　In 1978, China entered a new historical phase. College entrance exams were reinstated. So did the Central Academy of Fine Arts as much as Ding Bin wished to apply to the academy, due to his young age, he only entered the school in 1980. During the two years of exam preparation, Ding Bin studied Chinese ink painting with Lou Jiaben. Even though he had only learned sketch and colors prior, luckily Mr. Lou adopted Mr. Jiang Zhaohe's teaching method, which is the so-called "Xu Jiang system"  . For Ding Bin, he didn't have any obstacles in switching from oil painting to Chinese ink painting. In 1980, Ding Bin was enrolled in the pedagogical experimental class led by Ye Qianyu, another master of Chinese painting, this class was not divided in artistic genres, everyone had to learn figurative, landscape, birds and flowers, a pedagogical system based on many years of experiences of Ye Qianyu, Jiang Zhaohe, Li Keran and others through drawing en-plain-air, imitation and creativity .  

　　In the 1980s, the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) campus had been located near the Forbidden City on Xiaowei Hutong. With a student ID of the school, an art student could visit the Forbidden City and the China National Museum of Art free of admission. CAFA students could make imitations of original artworks in the Forbidden City that has benefited Ding Bin greatly. Moreover, sketching as part of the drawing en-plein-air curriculum, during his studies at CAFA, Ding Bin has fond memories of Ye Qianyu's emphasis to hone one's sensitivity to the object through sketching. During that period, he drew a large number of sketches to sharpen his sensitivity. Once he drew en-plein-air, in the bright lighting and hasty fog of Guilin landscape, Ding Bin painted in light monochrome, his teacher criticized his "audacious" act. However, Professor Ye had given him entirely different comments, and thought Ding's painting was great and had rendered the sense of the ambiance! Such encouragement gave Ding Bin great motivation. The basic idea of "not to be like the others" which became a critical principle for his later creative practice. During his four years of systematic training at CAFA, other than ramming the foundation of painting, forming his thinking and aesthetic taste was equally critical. As Ding Bin puts it, "During my studies at CAFA, the most important for me was to discover what is good, learning the standard of this profession, especially the way I look at objects." 

　　In 1984, Ding Bin graduated and a series of his figure paintings in ink  was collected by the academy. Then, he was assigned a position in the Architecture Department of the Northern Communication University, who has thus become a leisurely young college lecturer. In the years after his graduation, he was determined to become an artist. It was also a phase when he was actively participating exhibition such as Chinese Ink Painting in the 1980s, Young Artists Exhibition, Art Exhibition of the New Era, New Trend Art Exhibition at the National Art Gallery, and Chinese Contemporary Ink Painting Exhibition in Hong Kong and etc, as well as a series of experimental events. In 1985, Ding Bin held a two-person exhibition with his friend Li Liang, that was considered as "one of the first self-funded independent exhibitions in Beijing"   ; in 1986, with his friends Zhu Qingsheng, Kong Chang'an, Zhu Yan, Ding formed an art group and conducted a year long "ink painting experiment by pirsoners"  , exploring expressions of contemporary ink painting and the values of independent existence; in 1987, as a producer, Ding Bin and his classmate Wen Pulin were involved in the filming of the TV documentary series "The Great Earthquake". Even though due to various financing issues that the documentary was not edited and finalized, while it documented "wrapping the Great Wall", China Avant-garde Exhibition and other various important contemporary art events, moreover, it also shot the "hooligan" artists' lifestyle at the time, Cui Jian's rock music performances and etc… "Such simple and humble practices were not only a breakthrough in originality, but has opened up a wide stage for independent documentary film.  "

　　During that period, there were a number of foreigners who had unique impacts on the artistic ecology in Beijing. According to Ding Bin's memories, "At the time, there were many foreign reporters in this circle, many art exhibitions were held in diplomatic compounds. In a three-bedroom apartment would present a very nice exhibition, the taste of many of these foreign journalists have had certain impact on the creativity of that period." For example, the works of political-pop, Ding Bin had also experimented, but soon he realized he was not interested and gave up quickly.  

　　In 1990, Ding Bin and Li Liang hosted the third two-person Ink Painting Exhibition in Australia, it was also the first time for Ding Bin to travel overseas that allowed him to experience an entirely different artistic environment. Two years later, he applied for the Sino-British Fellowship Trust and Delfina Art Foundation's "Global Artists Exchange" program, and had received funding for one-year studio and living expenses in London. The experiences from that year had fundamental importance in Ding Bin's later choices. 

　　"I was quite free during my one year stay in the U.K., I painted and participated in art exhibitions." Ding Bin recalls, "The studios provided to the international artists were all within one building, dozens of artists with various cultural backgrounds gathered there, and visited each other." Indeed, the exchange of various cultures and clashes expanded Ding Bin's vision. While his joy was also shadowed with worries. At the time, his paintings has already developed a stable market, he was well aware how to color his paintings would make them more marketable. It seems to begin to annoy Ding Bin who would not wish money to determine his creativity. In the 1990s, the mainstream contemporary art in the UK are emerging artists with expressionist inclinations, most of their works were presented in photography, installations, performances and etc  . Even though Ding Bin has experienced a series of avant-garde art events in China, however, compare to the emerging experiments in China, the more mature and creative artworks has impacted him greatly. All of which far exceeded the art education Ding Bin received since his childhood, it also propelled Ding Bin to reexamine the meaning of art. 

　　In 1993, Ding Bin returned to China, he was looking for various possibilities. Not only to paint, but also experiment with other fields related to art. In essence, he would not let "money" to kidnap his sensibilities of art. For instance, he had done interior design, which became the inspiration for his "Maps" series since 2010. For a Beijing Branch of an American public relation company's interior design, he felt the necessity of hanging a "strategy map" on the wall of the conference room, in a room filled with Chinese antique-style chairs and furniture, the map offered a sense of humor, and has received positive accolades. The coincidental work transformed through interior design project, "Maps - Ink Painting 1995" has already left traces of Ding Bin's later works. 

 　　At the same time, Ding Bin began to produce titles for CCTV, in fact it was not the first time he worked with television. His shooting of the "Great Earthquake" documentary in 1988 has already given his exposure to this type of work. At the time, making titles was not as convenient as it is today with the availability of all the software, that it had to be drawn on paper and then filmed and edited. This work combined his artistic training, technology and creativity was very attractive to Ding Bin for a while. And in the following decade or so, he began to produce advertisements for various brands on television. In 2000, he founded the video company "Century Workshop" with friends, and in 2003 directed his team to produce the short publicity video using 3D technology and elements of Chinese opera, that paved the way of ink painting effect in 3D video. At the same time, the project received the Oscar's of the profession, BDA & Quantel only "Global Artist Award" and "Asian Artist Award". Until 2005, its capital entered the NASDAQ market. From artistic practice to commanding new capital corporation, Ding Bin was on a learning curve of subjects beyond art. In 2008, "Century Workshop" signed the contract with the Olympic Games Committee, and became the service provider for the Sports Channel and on-site programs of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The success of the corporation, while allows Ding Bin to enjoy his success, his calling to return to artistic practice became gradually urgent. Thus, in 2010, Ding Bin made an important decision, resign from the company! After nearly 20 years, he returned to the starting point. He rented a studio in 751 next to the 798 Art District, and became a professional and independent artist. Zheng Wei, Documentation and Expression - Brief developmental history of documentary film since the 1990s in Mainland China, Art and Criticism, No. 4, 2004   Zhao Zhen, We Reject Being Marginal - Art Criticism in the UK in the 1990s summarized, "Artistic genres in the 1990s in the U.K was diverse, that can be generally divided into three kinds, first, Lucien Freud, David Hockney and those in masters in their old age, whose works essentially extends from their earlier styles; secondly, those with expressionist emerging artists whose absurd, exaggerated and excited the sense, their social criticism, expression of meanings of life constitute the most attractive scene in the U.K. of the 1990s. Their works include photography, installations, performances and etc. Moreover, there were the aesthetically inclined painters, whose practices are deeply rooted in the British artistic tradition, depicting certain details. It is not necessarily that these artists are not concerned with reality in the U.K., only that their response is not as passionate as the expressionists."

　　Ding Bin experienced the fiasco of the 1980s modern art movement and the cleansing of British art in the 1990s, as well as more than a dozen years of managing a company in the creative industry, as he returned to professional artistic practice. He had made rational analysis and judgment on the art of the East and West: he believed that Chinese traditional painting is not suitable for the concepts of abstraction, and genuine Chinese paintings is entirely irrelevant to the western system, to immerse in ink painting aesthetic would require long term saturation. Chinese painting has its intrinsic system, it should not be judged by the western artistic logic. Thus, he would not categorize his current practice as part of the traditional Chinese painting. He adopts various methods to enrich the brushwork, and ancients pursued the hand command of the brush, where Ding Bin chose materials that are difficult to manipulate to produce unpredictable effect. The commonality of his creativity with landscape paintings is the aura created, the ancients used ink painting to create a poetic realm, where Ding Bin used his method to ponder on the changes and constants of the universe.  Creative practice inspired by maps  In order to better understand Ding Bin's maps, it is necessary to understand the development of the "map" itself and its artistic relevance. In fact, since the birth of cartography, it has always been tied with art. Early maps of the various world civilizations have shown highly abstract and symbolic representations. The Babylonians world map are shown with two concentric circles representing the land and sea they inhabit; the eight diagrams are said to be created as Fuyi observed the sky, and the lines refers to the heaven and earth. As civilization evolved, realistic depictions and representations of the map for a long period of time was created and appreciated as artworks. Da Vinci's Town Plan of Imola was an accurately surveyed map, its accurate data did not only conceal the artistic aspect of the map, while the scientific study of painting reflected Da Vinci's core thinking on painting. The Flemish school of map painters were also excellent landscape painters. Until the 18th century, landscape paintings were also carrier of geological information that was called "archipelago painting"  . According to Li Daoyuan's records of Commentaries on the Waterway Record, Sun Chang's Record of Painting recorded Jingke pretentious gift of the Dukang Map to the Emperor of Qin; And Fei Xiaoyuan's Record of Public and Private Paintings also documented two maps, one called Yugong Diagram, the other True Forms of the Five Mountains  . During this period, the tasks of drawing maps were often given to painters. Artistic expression in drawing a map was also a key topic of consideration, the slanted birdeye view was often the painter's observation perspective, either Da Vinci's Landscape or Li Zhaodao's Emperor Ming Visiting Shu, have all chosen such assumed point of perspective. Gradually, the artistic aspect flourished, notable painters of romantic landscape such as Turner, Constable et al, have all had trainings in drawing maps. Whereas in China, landscape painting became an independent genre in the Wei and Jin D.

　　ynasties, since the Tang Dynasty, they are gradually marginalized by Xieyi landscape paintings  , people's interest shifted from depicting the world around them to introspecting into the inner world, investigate in literati sentiments. The principle of "Three Distances" was developed in painting theory, where the transcendental bird's-eye view became a "still or in-motion" perspective. However, even though literati painting and maps are distinctively different, certain literati painters still had the responsibilities of map drawing, like Wang Hui's commission of the All Yellow Diagram by emperor Kangxi.

　　Interestingly, even though maps might hold high artistic value, Da Vinci's Town Plan of Imola was painted for military strategy purpose, and Wang Shigu's All Yellow Diagram are filled with symbolisms of political strength and power.

　　Looking at the critical points of development in the history of cartography, for instance during the period of great geographical discovery, searching for routes of commercial trades, expanding colonial territories largely pushed forward the making of maps. Then, Mercator paved the way of modern cartography, the globe and sea navigation maps drawn with isomeric projection was his accomplishments, and the world map was incrementally completed through the course of conquest and colonization. The map, the carrier of spatial information, encompasses natural, social and various factors, people's initial motivation of making maps was to literally grasp and use the space they inhabit, their pursuit of accuracy is to better conquer nature and their opponents. One can imagine, what is concealed behind the map were the maker's need and desire to control the world.

　　If we shift our attention to what Mr. Yin Jinan refers to as "Post-Landscape Era", Chinese artists Ai Weiwei, Qiu Zhijie, Xu Lei, Ji Dachun all have had artworks based on the motif of maps, while their representational intent contrasts with Ding Bin's ambiguity and uncertainty. Although since that coincidental encounter with drawing maps, the map has also become a memorable motif for Ding Bin, as much as he seems like a laid back type of person, while we may sense the traces conquest and desire unique to masculinity through Ding Bin's enthusiasm in maps.  Evolving development of Ding Bin's artworks

　　The following is a definition of "map" in Cihai  , "Image drawn by adopting mathematical principles and symbolic systems to demonstrate the natural geography and socio-economic factors of the earth surface that express the geographical distribution and its time/space limits, internal relationships, developmental dynamics." With scientific and technological progress, the map is no longer simply an image drawn on paper, with the support of computer technology, based on geological studies, GIS system was constructed with various information on data collection, global analysis and etc, nevertheless, cartographical production is inseparable from mathematical principles, symbolism and recorded date.  

　　Looking back at Ding Bin's creative experience, especially in the process of making "maps" to "Post-Landscape Iconography" might have overlapped in time, but we may still clearly seeing the process of planting, germinating to fruition. Prior to determining the map motif, Ding Bin has had the "pre-mapping" phase to study contemporary ink painting.

　　Going back to the ink painting experiment by prisoners he had curated and implemented with Zhu Qingsheng, Kong Chang'an and Zhu Yan, they have clearly stated to forbid the participants to "paint according to one's habits"  , this perhaps marks the beginning of Ding Bin's distinction from traditional materials and modes of expression. Looking at his work painted in 1987, it has entirely stepped out of the traditional Chinese ink painting boundary, and has entered into contemporary ink painting.

　　Ding Bin is an artist who is perceptive of the overall situation from which to come up with the best responsive strategy. Having experienced ink painting experimentation of the 1980s and creative activities in the U.K. in the early 1990s, taken these into consideration, as it is aforementioned, he chose to put down artistic practice. From today's perspective, it was a phase of saturation. His work experience in television media trained his holistic strategy and mentality. Their image-branding for television media is not only focused on design, but making "design proposals from strategic angles  " taking into consideration of the style of the television station, rather than the specific programs. His thought process is not absent of the overall image, from this perspective, the choice of the subject matter "Map" becomes more interesting. Is it because the map surpasses the overview angle that is convenient to inspect the entirety and command its progress that sustains his enthusiasm for more than a decade? During this process, Ding Bin has not forgotten his experiments in ink painting, that one would see the onset in his 1995 television branding video "Map - Ink Painting", only that the medium changed from works on paper to new media.  

 　　In 2010, Ding Bin returned to his "personal artistic endeavors"  , the traces of the "map" become focused and apparent. Map series No. 7 - Jingjintang River Entering the Sea and Mark No.1 - China  (2011) both used alarming red stamps to suggest names of the administrative divisions. The way in which administrative regions are divided and categorized for governmental administrative convenience perhaps has political and social impacts whether conscious or subconsciously in Ding Bin's concepts of the "map", or he has purposefully pointed out these regions suggest his reflection on these factors. As the Mark series developed, the delineation of administrative regions diminished, what is left are the imaginative plates of national territories and geological characteristics of certain mountains and rivers, such as Australia, Beijing, Iceland, France, Thailand, Japan, Cuba, the Alps, The Andes, Caucasus Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, Kilimanjaro, the Himalayas and etc. As his creative practice progressed, these ambiguously identifiable images gradually disappeared, leaving certain geological characteristics, or actually, none at all. What is worth recalling is Henry Kissinger's new book, On China, in which he stated, "The Chinese civilization is not a national state per se, but to present an eternal natural phenomenon throughout history.  " This is perhaps the essence of the China as a state and a nation.  Ding Bin's "Map" steered from being marginal to being "natural phenomenon". In his 2013 Hand Scroll series, his consistent overlooking perspective was broken, for instance, Hand Scroll No. 3, seems to consist of the archipelago seen from above, mountain tops and valleys, the "ink play of clouded mountains" in literati paintings, while the "map" is no longer available. At that point, Ding Bin might have completed dissolved the subject matter of the "map". At the same time, the inherent political, social factors of the "map" have been completely dissolved, which completes the construction of his "Post-Landscape iconography". 

 　　The byproduct of this course of studies, Ding Bin's experimental samples constitute "instant imaging" series. All of artworks measure 42 x 33 cm, that documents the artist' survey of the materials he used between the gaps of his grand narrative of the "map". In which, we sense Ding Bin's interest in physical forms. Such vivid samples remind us of Ding Bin's affable side. 

 　　Ding Bin's artistic practice distances from shanshui in the faut shanshui, his seemingly non-action attitude carries his passion rationally. Looking at his "maps" from afar, pondering on the its relationship with what Mr. Yin Jinan proposed as the "Post-Shanshui iconography", one must admit that the artworks created by the artist today and concepts proposed by theorists are reasons that the art ecology at present can be studied. While the exhibition in the making is about to be unveiled, it will also become the object of examination and documents for art history.

Wu Hongliang

April 5, 2014  Beijing Painters Academy