Zhang Xiao
dal 15/5/2015 al 26/7/2015
Segnalato da
15/5/2015
Zhang Xiao
Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong
About My Hometown. The exhibition features five latest photography and mixed media works about Zhang's reflections on his homecoming to Yantai.
Blindspot
Gallery
is
pleased
to
present
“About
My
Hometown”,
the
third
solo
exhibition
of
Mainland
artist
Zhang
Xiao
at
Blindspot
Gallery,
featuring
the
six
latest
photography
and
mixed
media
series
from
the
artist.
Revolving
around
the
theme
of
“hometown”,
it
highlights
Zhang’s
shifting
focus
from
the
portrayal
of
life
in
contemporary
China
in
his
previous
series
such
as
Coastline
(2009-‐2013)
and
They
(2006-‐2008)
to
reflections
on
his
homecoming,
and
the
experiences
and
presences
that
surround
it
in
his
new
works.
It
also
demonstrates
the
artist's
use
of
a
wider
range
of
media
in
his
creative
repertoire.
Featuring
instant
films
taken
in
his
home,
i.e.
Yantai
in
Shandong
province,
the
black
and
white
photo
collage
series
Shift
was
created
through
a
process
of
detachment
and
reassembly
that
echoes
Zhang’s
relationship
with
his
hometown.
In
a
delicate
and
time-‐consuming
process,
the
artist
created
the
instant
film
emulsion
lifts
and
manually
assembled
them
into
works
of
photo
collage.
The
faint,
painting-‐like
images
not
only
mirror
the
shifting
homeland
in
Zhang’s
perception,
but
also
hint
at
the
changing
landscapes
from
China's
ongoing
transformation.
Memories
of
home
life
ring
in
the
mixed
media
series
Home
Theater
(2015),
which
draws
on
Zhang’s
recollection
of
watching
TV
and
films
on
VHS
during
his
childhood,
a
symbol
of
luxury
in
China
in
the
1990s.
The
artist
selected
eight
of
his
favourite
films
and
TV
shows
from
the
1980s-‐1990s,
and
made
a
screen
capture
of
the
most
notable
scene
in
each
film
or
show
for
the
label
for
the
VHS
tape.
The
film
soundtracks
are
played
simultaneously
alongside
the
exhibit,
weaving
an
intricate
web
of
sounds
that
denote
the
re-‐
creation
of
the
bygone
eras.
The
rendition
of
the
past
underlines
Eldest
Sister
and
Relatives,
and
the
two
series
mark
a
humorous
tribute
to
the
once
popular
practice
of
“New
Photography”
in
the
rural
villages
of
Northern
China.
Photo
editors,
whom
the
artist
calls
“travelling
folk
artists
of
image”,
roamed
the
villages
with
their
notebook
computers
and
created
composite
portraits
for
the
villagers,
like
the
ones
comprising
Zhang’s
cousin’s
face
and
models’
figures
from
Eldest
Sister.
In
enlarging
these
old
photos
into
near
life-‐sized
portraits,
Zhang
resurrects
the
sense
of
aesthetics,
attitudes
and
even
longing
of
those
who
inhabited
the
Yantai
of
his
early
years.
Living
(2014-‐15)
is
a
light-‐hearted
portrayal
of
the
reality
in
today’s
China.
It
features
Zhang
posing
for
a
photo
with
presumably
the
day’s
newspaper
and
imitating
those
retired
elderly
who,
having
moved
away
from
their
hometowns
where
the
records
of
their
household
registration
were
made,
must
provide
photographic
proof
of
themselves
still
living
to
obtain
their
pension
funds.
This
work
also
recalls
Zhang's
experiences
and
memories
of
working
in
the
media
for
five
years
in
the
past.
Image: Zhang Xiao, Eldest Sister in Her Barber Shop, 2012, Instant film on paper, 17 x 26 cm
Press Contact: Ms.
Lesley
Kwok
at
2517
6238
or
by
email
info@blindspotgallery.com
Opening: Saturday,
16
May
2015,
4
-‐
6pm
(Guided
tour
by
artist
starts
at
4:30pm)
Blindspot Gallery
28 Wong Chuk Hang Road
15/F, Po Chai Industrial Building
Hong Kong
Tue - Sat 10am to 6pm