Galerie du Monde presents a major new series of previously unseen artworks titled 'The Realm of the Heart', as part of I Don't Believe in Clouds, a solo exhibition by Chinese artist Zhu Yiyong, to mark the gallery’s 40th anniversary this year. The grey scale oil paintings explore the effects of pollution on China's modern urban landscapes. I Don't Believe in Clouds will be presented in Hong Kong from 8 October - 18 November 2014. Works from the exhibition will travel to Art Taipei (October 2014 in Taiwan), Art Stage (January 2015 in Singapore) and Art 15 (May 2015 in London) as part of a group presentation. The gallery was the first contemporary art gallery to be founded in Hong Kong in 1974 and hosted Zhu Yiyong’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong in 1995.

Following extensive consideration of materials to best present the theme of the works, Zhu uses a layer of thin paint on the finished work, before creating texture by applying further paint to emulate specks of dust. Zhu makes use of light treatments to highlight the gradual change of the different layers.

A prominent professor of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts and first represented by Galerie du Monde in 1993, Zhu gained international acclaim with his previous series, 'Memories': a body of work depicting the children's game Cat's Cradle and quietly referencing an iconic symbol of the Chinese Revolution, the red star.

Image: © Zhu Yiyong
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Du Monde