Hung Liu
dal 17/10/2007 al 23/11/2007
Segnalato da
17/10/2007
Hung Liu
Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco
New paintings inspired by "Daughters of China", a Ling Zifeng film based on the heroic actions of a group of women officers and soldiers during the Sino-Japanese War. Rediscovering the film recently, Liu has reduced its essence to a series of powerful canvases occasionally edged by bands to mimic widescreen film format.
Daughters of China
Opening October 18, Rena Bransten Gallery (77 Geary Street, San
Francisco, CA 94108) will present new paintings by Hung Liu inspired by
Daughters of China (1949), a Ling Zifeng film based on the heroic
actions of a group of women officers and soldiers during the
Sino-Japanese War.
Rediscovering the film recently, Liu has reduced its essence to a series
of powerful canvases occasionally edged by bands to mimic widescreen
film format and further emphasize our remove from the original event.
Liu's empathetic response to the final moments of the women, as they
carry a wounded comrade into the river to draw away enemy fire from the
Chinese Resistance fighters, brings to the fore the theme of personal
sacrifice. Although the source material constitutes a departure for the
artist who more often draws inspiration from photographic images, the
subject matter reflects her ongoing interest in memory, history, and the
socio-political role of women.
Whilst the exhibition title refers to Ling Zifeng's film, the paintings
derive their titles from the lyrics of the Internationale, the
nineteenth-century French anthem adopted by communists and socialists
worldwide and used to this day. Its use also as a rallying song of the
students and workers at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 adds an
additional layer to the political intent of these works. Viewed in the
wider context of global affairs today, the paintings can be seen as a
timely analysis of the cost of war in personal terms.
Liu was born in Changchun, China in 1948 and graduated from the Central
Academy of Fine Art in Beijing. She emigrated to the US in 1984 to
attend the University of California, San Diego where she received an
MFA. Liu currently lives in Oakland and is a tenured professor in the
art department at Mills College. She has had numerous solo exhibitions
and her work is represented in major museum collections including The
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Los Angeles County Museum
of Art; The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis and the San Francisco Museum
of Modern Art.
Reception: Thursday, October 18, 5:30-7:30PM
Rena Bransten Gallery
77 Geary Street - San Francisco
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 10:30AM to 5:30PM and Saturday 11:00AM to 5PM
Free admission