Han Yajuan
dal 4/10/2011 al 19/11/2011
Segnalato da
4/10/2011
Han Yajuan
Eli Klein Fine Art, New York
Indulgence & Transcendence. Yajuan's artwork aims to embody the power of contemporary Chinese youth culture which is expressed in her juxtapositions of Japanese animation and consumerist glamour. In her new body of work, the artist's signature females no longer inhabit modest, gift-sized canvases, but are now the ironic heroines of mural-sized paintings.
Eli Klein Fine Art is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new painting and sculpture by Han Yajuan.
Han Yajuan’s artwork aims to embody the power of contemporary Chinese youth culture which is expressed in her juxtapositions of Japanese animation and consumerist glamour. From these two elements, Han Yajuan has generated an arsenal of female characters rendered in the super-cute kawaii style of Japanese anime. Their infantile anatomies contrast with a grown-up affinity for luxury objects and revealing clothing, perfectly illustrating the growing allure of material wealth that has influenced the country.
In her new body of work, the artist’s signature females no longer inhabit modest, gift-sized canvases, but are now the ironic heroines of mural-sized paintings. The figures of Fashion Ensemble and Art Flair have achieved a level of similarity perhaps symbolic of the artist’s views of the rote, hollow existence encouraged by material excess. Objects of wealth, from snorkel gear to spacesuits, reiterate the mantra of consumerism resounding in contemporary China, while also creating a certain ambiguity. As such, the work of Han Yajuan can be read as either an objective exploration or a subtle critique of an ever up-and-coming nation.
Han Yajuan was born in Qingdao, China in 1980, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou and her Master of Fine Arts from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Her work has been exhibited in museum shows around the world including “Floating - New Art of China,” National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea (2007); “Metropolis Now - A Selection of Chinese Contemporary Art,” Meridian International Center, Washington, DC (2009); “China: The Contemporary Rebirth,” Palazzo Reale, Milan, Italy (2009); “Translucence - Female Contemporary Art from China,” Centrale Électrique, Brussels, Belgium (2009); and “Future Pass,” Palazzo Mangilli-Valmanara, Venice, Italy; Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam, Netherlands; National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan; Today Art Museum, Beijing, China (2011-2012).
Image: Han Yajuan, The Most Familiar Stranger in the World, 2011
Opening reception on Wednesday, October 5, from 6 - 9 PM. The artist will be present.
Eli Klein Fine Art
462 West Broadway - New York
Open: Daily, 11am - 7pm
Free admission