The exhibition – “Nostalgia” shows a series of oil paintings about Chongqing urbanization by the outstanding graduate of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Zhang Wenrong.

One of the five national central cities in China, Chongqing is expected to take the leading role for accelerating the relatively poorer Western China. Under this rate of modernization, the old historic buildings have to be torn down, people in the areas have to leave, to make room for the skyscrapers and the expensive manor.

The big missing part of the city, the artist Zhang could remember “on my childhood favorite snack, street vendors of flat bread used to be seen in every block of downtown Chongqing. Now walking through the entire central district I found only one, hiding in a corner of “Eighteen Steps”.

As a Chongqing resident, Zhang felt compelled to illustrate the frustration of the poor living condition in his beloved city. With heavy brushstroke and a wealth of color tone, Zhang blended compassion and creativity onto canvas, vividly portraying the high-rise properties shooting up into the sky, where the poor can find shelter. The series, created in 2011, demonstrated a universal resemblance and uniqueness in this era of the predicament and absurdity shared among the urban cities.

-A Gallery

Image: © Zhang Wenrong