Born in 1984 in Liaoning, Zhao Bo is a graduate student at Luxun Academy of Fine Arts. Zhao Bo sees life itself as the most important part of life. “Everything would come to an end without life.” By creating art, Zhao Bo focuses on a sense of vitality - a youthful, primeval, and unconstrained vitality. Drawing upon this notion, Zhao Bo’s works are filled with a trend for self-growth. Whenever a series of works is about to enter a perfect stage of maturity, it changes according to personal experiences to enter an entirely new and even more profound realm of meaning. In his new works for 2013, Zhao Bo conducts an exploration of death in the natural world, the natural law of the strong preying on the weak, and the continuous transformation of energy to convey his thoughts regarding society. Although the road of life is filled with adversity, he is still young and full of hope. As a result, Zhao Bo chose to name his exhibition, Hope in the Distance.

Born in 1985, Xun Guipin is a graduate student at Yunnan University. Currently living in Yunnan, Xun Guipin was also born, raised, and educated in Yunnan. It can be said that he stubbornly sticks to his hometown. Needless to say, the forces of urbanization have not only changed the face of the neighborhood for many of its residents, but they have also brought about a fundamental change in the relationships, even the emotions, between people. Amidst the flow of students from villages to towns to cities for their education, students, as they develop during the most sensitive periods of their lives, are able to keenly observe these vast gaps and changes, such as the disappearance of simplistic and innocent emotions. There is the clear perception of a sense of yearning for things lost. However, on top of all this, there also exists an indisputable value in promoting wonderful countryside sentiments. Thus, Xun Guipin named his solo exhibition, Return to the Countryside.

Generally, a new generation of young artists that shows superb technique boasts a range of stunning academy backgrounds. Yet, the few who are truly outstanding are able to maintain a sense of self-integrity and remain true to themselves. Zhao Bo and Xun Guipin indeed fall under this category of artists. With a sense of sorrow, Zhao Bo reads many books and contemplates many things. However, similar to Schophenhauer’s extreme pessimism as well as the notion of “when things reach an extreme, they can only move in the opposite direction” in Chinese philosophy, the ultimate sadness is also the expression of a boundless love for life and living. In contrast, Xun Guipin offers a more sunny personality, perhaps because the influences of social change have been comparably weaker in Yunnan than elsewhere. Or, perhaps he lives relatively closer to the countryside, so that he is able to maintain a more simplistic and content attitude.

Courtesy of Soka Art Center