Qiurui Du “A Bizarre Dream”

Van Der Plas Gallery

poster for Qiurui Du “A Bizarre Dream”

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Van der Plas Gallery presents the debut solo exhibition of Qiurui Du, A Bizarre Dream. Through his vibrant paintings and illustrations Mr. Du offers a perspective on the rapidly changing landscape of the world, particularly his hometown of Beijing, China.

In an age where technology proliferates at breakneck speeds, the world we live in is rapidly evolving, reducing landmarks and nostalgic locations to memories. It is through this lens that Mr. Du depicts his hometown with nightmarish clarity. In a world gone mad, Du questions the good, the bad and the ugly of contemporary culture with a self-conscious and wry wit.

Du populates his urban landscapes with a combination of familiar accoutrement such as fruit stands, lanterns or subways and quirky, warped creatures, who often come from cult horror films. Each painting has been derived from a reference photograph and the artist’s personal memories and opinions regarding the scene at hand. Often influenced Du’s own warped sense of humor, fueled by his own social anxieties. Beijing Bikini makes reference to the street culture of Beijing, their efforts at good business and the inclination of old men to show their swollen bellies or bikinis as Du playfully refers to them.These paintings act as a space of comfort. While his former hometown now has a nightmarish haze over it, Du’s commentary breathes life into the technological wasteland.

In his series of illustrations, I Feel Green Sometimes, Mr. Du embodies himself as a green creature. This creature is equal measures critical and fabulous often clad in fishnets and stilettos or pigtails. In this series he skewers the notion of the “summer bod” among other ridiculous tendencies within our culture. He eschews gender norms in exchange for confidence. Of his work, Du says, “[He takes] serious situations and transforms it in a silly way…you only live once, be happy.” Somewhere along his journey to rediscover his hometown, he found a new place to call home within the dreamy oddities of contemporary life.

Qiurui Du will graduate from the Parsons School of Design with a BFA in painting and illustration this May. He has been accepted into a number of MFA programs and expects to continue work as an artist in New York. His work is in a number of private collections. This is his debut gallery exhibition.

Media

Schedule

from May 09, 2018 to May 21, 2018

Opening Reception on 2018-05-09 from 18:00 to 20:00

Artist(s)

Qiurui Du

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