Virtual Artist Talk: Bingyi
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Hear internationally recognized painter Bingyi discuss her artistic process creating the painting Omnibrilliance: Peach Blossom Spring in this online talk. This work features in our exhibition Into the Waters with Senju and Bingyi: Two Contemporary Paintings.
Bingyi is known for painting her monochrome ink works outdoors—this one on the beach in Shenzhen, southern China—and finishing them in her studio. She worked on Omnibrilliance for four years, layering ink and suffusing it with water to create a distinctive style. She harnesses environmental forces like weather and humidity in shaping her work. Her works are collected globally, including by several major US museums, but each is unique.
After the talk, Melvin R. Seiden Curator of Chinese Art Jan Stuart joins Bingyi for a conversation and Zoom audience Q&A. Image: Bingyi (b. 1975); Omnibrilliance: Peach Blossom Spring (detail); China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province and Beijing municipality, 2018–2022; triptych (three hanging…
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nu-rJOemSkCg6EOuj_Z7GA. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Conservation Cart Talk | What Can Light Reveal About Art?
Did you know you can use X-rays to study art? Join conservation scientist Matthew Clarke to discover how scientists use X-ray, infrared, and other forms of light to view works of art from a different perspective. See examples from Matthew’s research and learn how light-based tools help researchers uncover information not visible to the eye. Image: X-ray fluorescence reveals the areas (right) where gold appears in a fourteenth-century Persian manuscript.
Darab Sleeping in the Ruined Vault, folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) by Firdawsi (d. 1020) (detail); Iran, Tabriz, ca. 1330–1340; opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1930.78.
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Entrance to Gallery 1. Cost: Free. Register in advance (optional). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1998375731608?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 18, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.