“UP-YOUTH: China’s Emerging Artists” Exhibition
Klein Sun Gallery
This event has ended.
Klein Sun Gallery, in collaboration with the Times Art Museum in Beijing, announces the group exhibition, UP-YOUTH: China’s Emerging Artists.
UP-YOUTH: China’s Emerging Artists features works by five emerging artists—Li Bo, Ma Wenting, Mo Xiliang, Yang Peng, and Zheng Zicheng. The exhibition is drawn from a show that received acclaim for showcasing artworks by young promising Chinese artists on display at the Times Art Museum in Beijing. The vibrant creativity of each artist introduces New York’s art world to the future of Chinese contemporary art.
Li Bo’s passion as an artist is represented in his exploration of various mediums, forms, and styles. The only mixed media painting which is included in the exhibition, White in Dark Grey No. 3, is an example of his bold and rebellious approach to art. Li Bo appropriates an image of a street sign painted onto concrete and breaks it into rows and columns; he then reassembles the fragmented squares back into the form of a bike. Viewers can still identify the image as a bike, but they are tempted to reconfigure the original picture like a puzzle. By deconstructing a bicycle, the symbol of late 20th century modernity in China, Li comments on rapidly-changing Chinese society.
In Willy, Why do You Cry?, Ma Wenting situates the audience in a typical Chinese classroom. However, the impression of the classroom is disrupted by trees, plants, and children’s toys—as if the classroom has been abandoned for ages. The misplaced items and contradictory dimensions indicate the fragmented nature of faded memories. Meanwhile, the tight composition invites the audience to look closely at the details and discover hidden stories. Underneath the chaotic surface of the painting, Ma imbeds a sense of tranquility through a dark, cold color tone. The objects depicted in the painting function as signifiers of childhood memories shared by younger generations of Chinese. The blackboard, a medium that usually delivers official, standard information, is repurposed by the artist to present English sentences that highlight the sentimentality and sadness of the painting. The work is an ongoing dialogue between the rational and the irrational.
Several paintings by Mo Xiliang are reminiscent of traditional Chinese paintings, but carry with them a strong contemporary twist. The flowing water in Must Trap the Paper Tiger alludes to a classic study of a river, yet the abstract cage entrapping the tiger is a hyper-contemporary motif. These meticulously painted works also reference pop culture through the use of The Teletubbies who are depicted frolicking in a nightmarish reality, as opposed to their normally idyllic dream world. Through his range of works, the artist engages a critical social conversation about Chinese tradition and culture.
The six oil paintings by Yang Peng portray anonymous female figures in photorealism. There is a consistent disconnection between the figures and the audience: their eyes are closed, covered, or their bodies are completely turned away. Morning and Dusk use white and black to evoke the polarity of nature. Together, the paintings transcend the eternal cycle and approach a harmonious balance of life. The painted figures’ active avoidance of communication conveys a self-reflective and transcendental state of mind. In contrast, the figures in the Pronounce series are painfully forced out of the world. The star in the background, a symbol of the Chinese government, implies the omnipresence of regulation and censorship imposed on people living in China.
Zheng Zicheng’s work also focuses on social issues. In the painting Beautiful New World, the viewer sees a group of racially nondescript individuals—whose attire is as muted as their dull expressions—while they work on building a model of the world. In stark opposition to the drab expressions and clothing, the version of the world being crafted is filled with bright and vibrant colors. By contrasting the mundane with the beautiful, this piece asks viewers to contemplate the complex relationship shared between these seemingly opposite forces.
Media
Schedule
from July 09, 2015 to August 08, 2015