# A fish bred for an aquarium enters ink painting / 为水族箱繁育的鱼，如何进入水墨画？ — Hu Chao 胡超

Source: https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/tropical-ornamental-fish/

## English

[Selected curatorial projects](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/) / [Bali Island](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/)

[Exhibition](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/)[Research notes](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/)[International symposium](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/symposium/)[Selected works](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/works/)[Installation views](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/gallery/)[Full introduction](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/introduction/)[Catalogue & sources](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/resources/)

BALI ISLAND / CURATORIAL RESEARCH

# A fish bred for an aquarium enters ink painting

Wang Lanruo, Huang Dufeng and See Cheen Tee bring a modern ornamental animal into the ink repertoire.

Aquariums · breeding · a modern subject

## Three paintings, a modern ornamental fish

[

Image: Wang Lanruo, I Love Tropical Fish in Clear Springs, 1986 / 王兰若，我爱清泉热带鱼，1986

](https://www.huchaocurator.com/assets/bali-exhibition/wang-tropical-fish.webp)

Wang Lanruo, I Love Tropical Fish in Clear Springs, 1986Ink and colour on paperImage / collection: Collection of Yang Xiaohong

[

Image: Huang Dufeng, Carefree Wandering / 黄独峰，逍遥游

](https://www.huchaocurator.com/assets/bali-exhibition/huang-tropical-fish.webp)

Huang Dufeng, Carefree WanderingInk and colour on paperImage / collection: Collection of Yang Xiaohong

[

Image: See Cheen Tee, Forging Ahead, 1990 / 许振第，奋勇向前，1990

](https://www.huchaocurator.com/assets/bali-exhibition/see-fish.webp)

See Cheen Tee, Forging Ahead, 1990Ink and colour on paperImage / collection: Collection of See Yee Wah

The fish in these paintings are tropical ornamental fish bred for aquariums. Modern classification, selective breeding, aquarium keeping and trade made them a recognisable category of animals to be bought, kept and watched. That history matters when we ask how the fish became a subject of Chinese ink painting.

The exhibition places Wang Lanruo’s I Love Tropical Fish in Clear Springs beside works by Huang Dufeng and Singapore artist See Cheen Tee. Their paintings connect encounters with Southeast Asia to a changing ink repertoire. See’s Forging Ahead bears an inscription celebrating Singapore’s twenty-fifth National Day in 1990: the ornamental fish also enters a language of national celebration. The research follows the animals, their circulation and the artists’ ways of seeing them to understand how a modern subject takes shape.

These groupings follow the image comparisons in GAFA Art Museum’s e-flux announcement. Images, dates and collection credits are checked against the exhibition catalogue. [View the e-flux announcement ↗](https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/6787417/bali-island-art-and-the-world-beyond-the-rainforest)

CATALOGUE SOURCE

Bali Island: Art and the World Beyond the Rainforest, 2026. Catalogue text by Hu Chao. PDF pages 30, 45, 56.

[About the catalogue and sources](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/resources/)

CONNECTED RESEARCH

[A painting and a photograph connect two journeys](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/luo-ming-two-journeys/)[A durian seller enters a literati poem](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/chao-phraya-poem/)

EXHIBITION RECORD & RELATED CHANNELS

[GAFA Art Museum · official exhibition page](https://artmuseum.gzarts.edu.cn/info/1249/9719.htm)[GAFA Art Museum · e-flux announcement](https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/6787417/bali-island-art-and-the-world-beyond-the-rainforest)[Catalogue, credits & sources](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/resources/)

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## 中文

[主要策展](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/) / [巴厘岛](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/)

[展览详情](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/)[图册中的研究线索](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/)[国际研讨会](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/symposium/)[精选作品](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/works/)[展览现场](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/gallery/)[完整介绍](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/introduction/)[图册与相关发布](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/resources/)

巴厘岛 / 策展研究

# 为水族箱繁育的鱼，如何进入水墨画？

从王兰若、黄独峰到许振第，一种现代观赏动物进入了水墨画的题材世界。

水族箱 · 人工繁育 · 现代题材

## 三幅水墨画，一种现代观赏鱼

[

Image: Wang Lanruo, I Love Tropical Fish in Clear Springs, 1986 / 王兰若，我爱清泉热带鱼，1986

](https://www.huchaocurator.com/assets/bali-exhibition/wang-tropical-fish.webp)

王兰若，我爱清泉热带鱼，1986纸本彩墨图片／收藏：杨晓鸿（杨家园）收藏

[

Image: Huang Dufeng, Carefree Wandering / 黄独峰，逍遥游

](https://www.huchaocurator.com/assets/bali-exhibition/huang-tropical-fish.webp)

黄独峰，逍遥游纸本设色图片／收藏：杨晓鸿（杨家园）收藏

[

Image: See Cheen Tee, Forging Ahead, 1990 / 许振第，奋勇向前，1990

](https://www.huchaocurator.com/assets/bali-exhibition/see-fish.webp)

许振第，奋勇向前，1990纸本设色图片／收藏：许一华收藏

这里的“热带鱼”，指为水族箱人工繁育的热带观赏鱼。现代生物分类、人工育种、水族饲养与贸易，共同使它们成为一种可以买卖、饲养和观看的现代动物类别。理解这段历史，才能追问：它们如何成为中国水墨画的新题材？

展览将王兰若《我爱清泉热带鱼》与黄独峰、新加坡艺术家许振第的作品并置，联系艺术家的东南亚经验与水墨题材的变化。许振第《奋勇向前》还题有庆祝新加坡建国二十五周年的文字，让观赏鱼进入了国家庆典的表达。研究由此沿着动物的繁育、流通与艺术家的观看经验展开，考察一个现代题材怎样形成。

参考美术馆在e-flux发布中的作品并置，图片、年代与收藏信息依据展览图册核对。 [查看e-flux发布 ↗](https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/6787417/bali-island-art-and-the-world-beyond-the-rainforest)

图册来源

《巴厘岛：雨林外的艺术与世界》，2026年。图册撰文：胡超。PDF第30, 45, 56页。

[关于图册与资料来源](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/resources/)

继续探索

[一幅合作画，一张合影：罗铭连接的两次行旅](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/luo-ming-two-journeys/)[“榴莲叫卖一叶舟”：文人联句来到湄南河](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/research/chao-phraya-poem/)

展览记录与相关发布

[广州美术学院美术馆 · 官方展览页](https://artmuseum.gzarts.edu.cn/info/1249/9719.htm)[广州美术学院美术馆 · e-flux发布](https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/6787417/bali-island-art-and-the-world-beyond-the-rainforest)[图册、致谢与资料来源](https://www.huchaocurator.com/exhibitions/bali-island/resources/)

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