With the arrival of the new autumn in September, the artist Zhang Guolong and the Asia Art Center are pleased to jointly present their brand new mixed media solo exhibition: “Elaboration‧Orientation” Zhang Guolong 2013. In Zhang’s works one often finds the theme of “Du”, for example: Jiaodu (Angle), Xiangdu (Dimension), Weidu (Dimensionality), and in the viewpoint of the aesthetist and philosopher Li Zehou such “Du” refers to the philosophical notion of a logical starting point, as from the perspective of the Confucian Great Mean, “Du” refers to a state of homeostatic balance where the supernal yin and yang are held in a continuous unified dialectic balance, which is natural. Thus this “Elaboration‧Orientation” exhibition represents the creative artistic exploration of Zhang Guolong as well as the path of his progression to artistic perfection. Zhang Guolong considers himself to be an academic-type artist; with a heritage of both technical skills and advanced research, along with the desire to express himself individually, and these dual aspects unite to perfectly mesh with Zhang’s creative profile, much as the art critic Liu Xiaochun noted in a critique: “Zhang Guolong’s works import elements of a cold abstractionism into hot abstraction, as if opening a window to a rational world”.

As for “Elaboration‧Orientation”, Zhang Guolong has his own understanding: “the artistic endeavor and the state of our lives are the same, rather than expressing the do’s and don’ts, its better to try to do ‘what you can, and do it appropriately’. There must be some emotion, some stimulant, some shock, but does this shock really mean we have expressed our voice loudly? Or used a lot of color? Or does it represent a wild, unbounded state? Maybe the real shock would be to control one’s tiniest visual perceptions, spiritual engagement and emotive involvement, so that your accumulated success stimulates further greatness. The artistic process is thus, and so too with humanity, as the traditional Chinese proverb puts it, ‘perfectly suited’. ” With paintings much like the painter, the bold and expansive artistic style reflective of his roots in northern China, reflecting different perspectives on life, the universe and space-time, explored in depth with solemnity.

Courtesy of Asia Art Center