M97 Gallery is pleased to present “LEAVES OF GRASS”, an exhibition of new silver gelatin photographs by Chengdu-based artist Adou. This is Adou’s second solo exhibition at M97. There will be a reception for the artist on Saturday January 24th from 4-6PM.
In this new body of works, Adou invites the viewer to look at the unimpressive natural world just below our feet. Titled after the famous poetry collection by Walt Whitman, Adou’s “Leaves of Grass” is a lyrical exaltation and reordering of the natural world from discarded scraps and chaos. Part painting and part collage, the natural elements are carefully composed by the artist with allusions to Chinese traditional ink painting and calligraphy.
“Leaves of Grass” reflects an evolution in the artist’s oeuvre away from the human subject with respect to his two previous main bodies of work: “Samalada” (2006) and “Adou” (2011), while embracing the realism of the natural world and the myriad transcendental creations seen in the artist’s new assemblages. A newly published monograph of the “Leaves of Grass” series of photographs is also co-published by M97 Gallery and Thircuir.
