Lin Tianmiao
Sheng Qi
Huang Yan
Shi Zhongying
Song Yonghong
Zhao Nengzhi
Ai Weiwei
Guo Wei
Guo Jin
Sun Yuan
The Gao Brothers
Hong Hao
Christine Duval
Since the communist system heavily favors the collectivity, this focus on the individual is an expression of contemporary artistic liberty as well as a novelty yet to be fully explored. The show presents the varied explorations of a group of renowned contemporary Chinese artists of this new face of their country. Curated by Christine Duval
Group show
ARENA is pleased to announce an exhibition of contemporary Chinese art,
the 3rd curated show in the new gallery space at Santa Monica Art Studios.
San Francisco based Christine Duval who has been working with artists from
mainland China for the past several years as director of LIMN Gallery is
guest curator.
The face in China is important; it was all that was allowed in propaganda
posters and official paintings in Mao's era. Since the communist system
heavily favors the collectivity, this focus on the individual is an
expression of contemporary artistic liberty as well as a novelty yet to be
fully explored. China Avant Garde presents the varied explorations of a
group of renowned contemporary Chinese artists of this new face of their
country.
For Lin Tianmiao in "Here? or There?" that search results in an elaborate
meditation on ghosts, change, memory and fashion. Surreal color-drained
figures dance mysteriously through a mutating urban landscape. The overall
effect is enthralling, a lyrical exploration of local and historical
persistence - tinted by the sadness of old photographs.
Sheng Qi's photographs represent his own mutilated hand, symbolizing a part
Qi left behind when he moved to London in the late 80's shortly after the
Tiannamen Square incident. Qi has since used his hand as a blank canvas to
display family pictures and political meeting memorabilia, immediately
addressing the social confrontation of the past and present China.
Huang Yan is one of the few contemporary artists to draw directly from the
past to comment and reflect on the present. Yan's white porcelain Mao busts
are delicately hand painted all over with traditional blue lotus flower
pattern as if Mao were the maker of Spring. His scroll-like Chinese
landscape shoots through a bright color canvas like a laser beam of ancient
light traveling through a painting of Luciano Fontana.
Shi Zhongying's "Homage to Giacometti" employs fine skills in metal welding.
His elongated figures express loneliness and vulnerability but also a
feeling of movement and life.
Zhao Nengzhi's work is typical of many of Sichuan artists - lyrical and
subtle. Nengzhi's grey portraits are more than a face. They capture
temperament and transfer mood and emotions. In "Bath of Consolation", Song
Yonghong's latest series, three fundamentals are present: background, person
and water. The colors are rich and the force of the water gushing onto the
body is sensual and exciting.
The Gao Brothers are the rare internationally acclaimed artists who are
still victimized by censorship and travel restrictions. "The Utopia of
Hugging" is an ongoing performance via the internet. For them a hug stands
for an ideal, a sense of freedom as well as a commitment.
Guo Wei concentrates on scenes from every day life in his paintings,
focusing on the individual rather than on grander social issues. He explores
the restless nature of teenage children, searching for the expression of an
emotion as well as an image.
Hong Hao newest series "My Things" are composed of thousands of scanned
images of objects from his own life. This accretion of things is a powerful
visual metaphor for the contradictory messages of contemporary Chinese life,
the continued presence of communism and memories of the Cultural Revolution
for his generation.
Guo Jin's paintings appear as joyful renditions of childhood Most of his
figures remind us of those delightful moments of childhood that are dimmed
as the weight of adult concerns dominate life. This series is also about
imagination and the freedom of choice facing a child. An antique collector
himself, Ai Weiwei masterfully deconstructs Qing, Ming tables, stools and
benches according to the very same strict moral and structural rules of
classical Chinese construction; their shapes, however, seem to have come
into existence by themselves, almost spontaneously.
Sun Yuan is an influential young artist based in Beijing. His series of
double portraits are created by seamlessly blending two left or two right
sides of his sitter's face. His body of work addresses the explosion of
cosmetic surgery in Asia as the young generation responds to pressure to
alter their physical appearance in order to stand out from one another.
Black hair and slanted eyes replaced by blond locks and fake eyelashes -
another indication of this search for a new identity.
Immage: Hong Hao, "The Long March in Panjlayue", 2004, cibachrome
Curated by Christine Duval
Reception: May 7th, 6:00 to 8:00pm
Santa Monica Studios
26 Airport Ave. - Santa Monica
Gallery Hours: Wed  Sa 12 to 6 pm