Red Gate Gallery is pleased to announce Han Qing’s second solo exhibition. Blending observation and imagination, Han Qing continues the exploration of urban streetscapes with his unique vision. While many Chinese artists have chosen to paint works often with a pointed political commentary; Han Qing is focussed with intertwining the real with the symbolic while seeking to transfer the emotional and visceral qualities of his environment onto the canvas. It is often during the night that his painterly narrative unfolds against a backdrop of urban dreamscapes reflecting blurred and existential images of modern life. Although the use of paint and brushwork evoke a traditional use of the media, the subject matter is darker, moodier - bordering on psychedelic with his distinct palette.

In the painting series “Night Trip”, the artist pushes the compositional elements to their limit through repeated subjects and compositions. Foggy and drizzling street scenes in shades of cobalt and ruby dominate the canvases illuminated by a kaleidoscope of headlights which fill the viewer’s field of vision. The imagery evokes jazz and cinema: stills from footages of a documentary film maker shot with a hand held camera with Chet Baker playing the soundtrack as the viewer is drawn back again and again to the same place.