In "Fragrant Mingsha Mountain" and "Sacred Leaves of Mogao Caves"
Scent of Dunhuang
Artist Lu Wen, who participated in the inaugural exhibition, teaches in person
Using the fragrance formulas recorded on the fragments in the Mogao Caves' Scripture Cave
Create your own ancient formula incense plaque
Dunhuang Scent: Dunhuang Incense Culture and Incense Plaque Making Experience Class
Curator's Note: Lu Wen takes the fragrance formulas recorded in the Scripture Cave scrolls as clues, restores ancient fragrances with local Dunhuang spices, and attaches the intangible scent to the tangible sand and fallen leaves through methods like smoking. Sand is spread on the sand dunes in the exhibition hall, and the fragrance permeates the space, yet it remains invisible.
Event Details
Time: Saturday, November 16, 2024, 09:00-11:00 and 13:30-15:30
Location: Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum Store
Ticket Price: 168 yuan (includes a 98 yuan exhibition ticket)
Number of Participants: 20-25 people per session
Instructor: Lu Wen
Event Introduction
Incense plaques, this traditional art form, not only combine decoration and fragrance in ancient times but also carry people's good wishes for life. This event will guide you to create your own incense plaque and understand the essence of the traditional Dunhuang thousand-year-old fragrance culture through the instructor's detailed guidance.
Through this experience, you will not only learn the techniques of making incense plaques but also feel the unique charm of Dunhuang fragrances and explore the history and culture they contain. In the process of making incense plaques, you will come into contact with various natural spices, and every step, from blending spices to creating exquisite incense plaques, is full of fun and challenge.
During the event, Teacher Lu Wen will also share the origin, types, and methods of using Dunhuang fragrances, leading everyone to deeply understand the development and evolution of fragrance culture in history. Fragrance culture is not only the creation of art but also a dialogue between ancient culture and the soul over a thousand years.
In the inaugural exhibition of the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum, Lu Wen presented two works in the second chapter "Nature": "Singing Sand Fragrance Mountain" and "Mogao Caves Spiritual Leaves".
Fragrant Mingsha Mountain，2024
Olfactory device, natural spice, sand
In Cave 335 of the Mogao Caves, on the north wall, the "Vimalakīrti Sutra Transformation Tableau" depicts Manjushri leading bodhisattvas and disciples to the city of Vaisali to inquire about the illness and engage in a debate with the layman Vimalakīrti. In front of Vimalakīrti, there is a censer resembling a mountain, known as the Fragrance Accumulation Mountain, symbolizing peace and wisdom. Vimalakīrti, using his supernatural powers, invites a meal from the Fragrance Accumulation Buddha of the Land of Fragrances, and after consuming this meal, one's entire body exudes a pleasant fragrance.
The elements of Fragrant Mingsha Mountain are fluidity, inclusiveness, formlessness, and Constancy
Sacred Leaves of Mogao Caves，2024
Natural spice, leaves
Dunhuang preserves all seasons, like spring, where plants grow in the desert, offering a unique aroma. The falling leaves of Mogao Caves in the fall each embodies the story of Mogao Grottoes from spring to winter, a gust of wind drifting by, a person passing under a tree, a picture as far as the eye can see. The light pours when the moon disappears, the bells strike on the bell tower of the Mogao Caves in silence. What thousands of Buddhas pray would not be carried away by the wind. Seasons may be amiss, but the most authentic memories of the Mogao Caves linger.
Event Artist
Lu Wen
Inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of incense making. Currently works and lives in Lanzhou. Traditional culture lecturer at the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Judicial Training Base. President of the Xiangye Association in Chengguan District, Lanzhou, Gansu. From January to July 2024, participated in the Silk Road exhibition at Beijing Minsheng Art Museum with the work "Sky," replicating the cave fragrance of Yulin Cave 29, and the fragrance of Dunhuang that can be smelled a hundred steps away. In 2022, participated in the Dunhuang exhibition at Beijing Minsheng Art Museum with the work "Corridor," the corridor fragrance, and 32 flavors of Dunhuang. In the inaugural exhibition of the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum, Lu Wen presented two works in the second chapter "Nature": "Singing Sand Fragrance Mountain" and "Mogao Caves Spiritual Leaves."