| Born in 1959 in Aachen, Germany Thomas Jacobi studied Painting and Printmaking at the Academy for Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria between 1981 and 1990. Following completion of his MA he has had numerous exhibitions and in 2005 was granted an artist in residence position in China. Thomas lives and works in Bad Em, Germany and Liverpool. The exhibition will comprise of 20-30 ink rubbings and 20-30 pigment works, performance, installation, symposium and dinner. “This exhibition shows art works inspired by two different cultural traditions about material and concept. In China, the scholars appreciation and collecting of ink rubbings of stone-carved calligraphies have a long history. In the West, the attempts of alchemists to discover the secret of making gold lead to another understanding of science. What is the appropriate way as a contemporary artist to transcript or to transform material through the working process in the search for the essential?” “The ink rubbings document the use of objects by humans and the traces left in material. They tell the stories, record the signs and carvings of daily life, giving evidence of past and present. The pigments are made of stone, bricks or clay, any material used to construct housing. Houses give shelter to people and also record history; working with the pigments of historic buildings sets the pure substance of colour free… The material matters – in the service of concept.” Thomas Jacobi Thomas Jacobi Performance: Kisses for Shanghai Saturday 20 September, 2 pm China Talks Saturday 27 September, 1-5 pm Free: Booking Essential
Speakers include: Professor Nick Pearce Director of the Institute for Art History, University of Glasgow Thomas Jacobi Artist Professor Wang Hong Director of the Public Art Department, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China Dr Yupin Chung Researcher | 
