Zeng Fanzhi
dal 1/11/2001 al 2/12/2001
Segnalato da
1/11/2001
Zeng Fanzhi
ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai
Raw beneath the Mask. New works by Beijing based artist Zeng Fanzhi. From 1994 and until 2001, Zeng Fanzhi worked through his well-known Mask series. Each figure portrayed in this series wears a white mask fitting smoothly over the face. These figures armor themselves for their excursions into society not only by putting on a false face, but also by donning clothing proclaiming a secure status.
Raw beneath the Mask
New works by Beijing based artist Zeng Fanzhi
Britta Erickson on Zeng Fanzhi's new works.
"To be human is to live in uncertainty, exposed to the gaze of a
merciless world. There is a stark terror at the foundation of existence,
coupled with a yearning for love and acceptance, or at least for a
secure perch. This personal point of view runs as a constant thread
through Zeng Fanzhi's paintings of the past decade and more. Most people
have these feelings to some degree, valiantly attempting to deny or hide
them. Zeng Fanzhi, by contrast, ruthlessly exposes such widespread human
insecurities in his gradually evolving figure paintings".
"From 1994 and until 2001, Zeng Fanzhi worked through his well-known
Mask series. Each figure portrayed in this series wears a white mask
fitting smoothly over the face. These figures armor themselves for their
excursions into society not only by putting on a false face, but also by
donning clothing proclaiming a secure status. That status might be the
formerly politically elevated station of a Red Guard, or the current
economically enviable position of a young urbanite garbed in the latest
fashions. The paintings themselves put on a smooth front in keeping with
their theme: in every square inch of the background, the canvas is
covered evenly with paint, smoothly applied =A1=AA often using a palette
knife to achieve a smooth surface".
"Shortly before beginning the Mask series, Zeng Fanzhi moved to Beijing,
having graduated from the oil painting department of the Hubei Academy
of Fine Arts in 1991. No doubt the move engendered a degree of
self-consciousness in the artist: Beijingers are notorious for their
attitude of cosmopolitan superiority towards those from outside the
capital. Perhaps the anxiety inherent in such a major life change has
now worn off - we can only speculate - but whatever the reason,
Zeng's figures have removed their masks. Removing the masks indicates
only a willingness to face the void, not a conquering of it. Now that
the masks are off, the frail egos exposed seem lost and uncertain. With
masks gone, the flashy colorful clothing often featured in the Mask
series has disappeared. So, too, have the backgrounds of simple props or
scenery. Most significantly, companionship has vanished: recent
paintings depict single figures only.
"Having stripped his subjects down to their bare selves, it is as if
Zeng Fanzhi is starting afresh, hiding nothing. The canvas glows through
thin applications of paint, and the paint, where it is thicker, has been
laid on in a painterly manner. This is the joy in working with oils, and
it is good to see Zeng Fanzhi returning to a style where he is more
personally involved with the medium. As in the Mask series, the
brushwork is more expressive in each figure's face and
disproportionately large hands, and it is in the face and hands where
emotion is concentrated".
"If we consider Zeng Fanzhi's developing oeuvre as reflective of a
psychological journey, where does that journey lead? Ten years ago the
protagonists in his paintings were helpless victims inhabiting an
illogical world. Next, they donned masks to participate in a realm of
urban flaneurs sharing superficial relationships. Now the masks are off
and the protagonists are utterly alone, stripped to raw flesh and
dissolving. Having abandoned pretense, can they now rebuild a sense of
self? We can look forward to following this journey as it continues to
unfold."
(Britta Erickson, in Raw Beneath the Mask, the catalogue published to
the exhibition)
Opening: Friday Nov. 2, 6-8 pm at ShanghART
MORE from ShanghART
- Open door at the ShanghART Suzhou Creek warehouse, Sat/Sun Nov.3-4,
12-5pm
The 1000m2 warehouse holds a large collection of works from the major
Chinese artists,
for further information please contact ShanghART at
6359 3923
- ShanghART at the Taibei Art Fair, Nov. 8-12:
solo presentation Zhou
Tiehai
Photo: ZENG Fanzhi, Untitled No.1, 150x110cm, oil on canvas, 1999
ShanghART
2A Gaolan Rd
200020 Shanghai, CHINA
Tel 86 - 21 6359 3923
Fax 86 - 21 6359 4570
info-shanghart@shanghart.com