Mu Ke. Time and Space

The Moscow Museum of Modern Art, together with the International Art Institute at Harbin Normal University, presents Time and Space, an exhibition by contemporary Chinese artist Mu Ke. It shows the way painting can be a medium for thinking about time, space, and the meeting of two cultural traditions.

With a classical art education in China, followed by further training at the Surikov Art Institute, Mu Ke has developed his own method based on contemplation and careful study of the world through colour and form. Synthesising two familiar cultural systems — Russian and Chinese — the artist has developed his own language, in which Eastern philosophy of balance finds harmony with the European school of composition and colour.

Mu Ke's art combines recognisable themes from nature with abstract elements, turning landscapes into a space for thinking about time, space, and our inner selves. In his paintings, it's clear that nature isn't just something to look at, but a way to meditate — an attempt to capture the movement of the world beyond what we can see. The artist consistently explores the possibilities of colour and rhythm, achieving philosophical composure and emotional depth in his paintings.

The show is rounded out with works by teachers from the International Art Institute at Harbin Normal University, where Mu Ke is the director. These artists represent a wide range of contemporary Chinese art styles. Their pieces show how traditional Chinese painting principles keep evolving in today's art scene. Some of the topics they touch on are thoughts on social issues, the theme of labour, aspects of spirituality, and the dialectic of old and new in the space of history.

The exhibition also includes works from the MMOMA collection that echo the paintings of Chinese artists, creating a dialogue between two cultures and artistic systems. Works by Ivan Chuikov, Tatyana Nazarenko, Nikolai Andronov, Philip Dontsov, Boris Mikhailov and other artists fit into the stylistic and thematic range of the exhibition sections.

Curator

Vladimir Prokhorov

Mu Ke (1981) was educated in art in China at Nanjing Normal University (specialising in oil painting) and worked as a teacher. In 2013, he came to Russia to learn the creative experience and fundamentals of the Russian school of painting at the Surikov Academy of Fine Arts. There, he established contacts with Russian teachers and like-minded artists. Today, Mu Ke is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts and director of the International Art Institute at Harbin Normal University. He has been awarded diplomas and medals in his homeland and in Russia.

The International Art Institute at Harbin Normal University is an educational institution established as part of the national strategy ‘One Belt, One Road.’ The institute is the only Chinese-Russian art education institution accredited by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China in 2018, as well as the first Chinese-foreign joint art institution in Heilongjiang Province. The institute works closely with the Surikov Art Institute, implementing a joint student training programme in three professional areas: painting, graphic arts and sculpture. The institute also has an influential ice and snow sculpture studio and research group. In 2024, the institute initiated the creation of the China-Russia Art Union, which includes 52 Chinese and 14 Russian institutions, contributing to the deepening of exchanges and expansion of cooperation between China and Russia in the fields of culture, art, education, and scientific research.