Galerie DUMONTEIL Shanghai is pleased to present The Souffle, the first solo exhibition in Asia by Cuban artist Rubén Fuentes who creates euphoric and surreal ink landscapes that serve as an admiration of nature as well as a quest whitin a meditative and serene space. 

Rubén Fuentes was born in 1980 in Matanzas in Cuba, and attained a doctor degree in Polytechnic University of Valencia. He grew up in beautiful mountainous place where his inspiration comes from. In his early age studied art in college, Rubén has already begun to use land art to call for environmental protection. At the same time, with the acrylic and oil colour, through studying Chinese philosophy ( Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism ) and the skills of ink painting and ink splashing, the artist continually presents the interaction and integration between the human being and the nature, and discusses the ethic and value of the society. we cannot help to think over these questions in front of the nebulous, delicate, dreamful surrealistic paintings.

The French word "souffle", in English "breath", was chosen as an equivalent of the Chinese concept of “Chi” or “Qì” (氣). To a landscape painter, this power likes the spring of inspiration. The very sound of the character ch’i is like a breath. Truly, everything in the world has “Qi”, such as the sun, the earth, time and so on. Therefore, in some extinct, “ Qi” is “souffle”, or “air”. In painting, “Qi” not only is the origin of creating, but also makes the viewers to feel the vigour and creation thought the painting brushes.

The exhibition shows the series works of Rubén Fuentes painted from 2012 to 2016, which is inspired by the souffles of nature. While feeling the inner strong power and surpassing material and sprit of cosmos, he had a sincere conversation with himself.