Lin & Lin Gallery will present in October a group exhibition ‘A City of Others’, which consists of five young Chinese artists as an expression of the history and future vision of Chinese contemporary art. Since the Reform and Open-Door Policy in 1979, China has been distinguished as the country with the most rapid growth in economy. Challenges and import of western thinking along with the transformation of social structure have all become iconic features of cities in China. Liu Wentao, Su Bo, Shi Zhiying, Gao Lei and Xie Fan are artist that were born and bred in this era of change and reform. With their heritage thinking combined with large amounts of imported western thought, each has created different representations and reflections through their works.
Liu Wentao (b.1973) uses the extension and variation of shaped canvases and challenges visual imagination and spatial perception through the low chroma of pencil sketches. Su Bo (b.1978) received education in Germany and conveys strong personal character and humor through his works. He transforms everyday experiences into recreated sceneries of modern society. Black and white oil paintings of tranquil landscapes have become icons of Shi Zhiying (b.1979). Her works have been influenced by contemporary photography, modern dance and Chinese traditional paintings. Gao Lei (b.1980) combines installation art, painting and video to produce pithy images of reflection towards society. The oil paintings of Xie Fan (b.1983) are composed on silk and express rich Chinese characteristics and create visual senses that transcend two-dimensional paintings through the combination of light, paint, silk and frame. The works of these five artists are composed through different techniques and media but all express the same meditation towards contemporary western civilization.
For the youth of contemporary China, there exist infinite cities that are unfamiliar and sceneries that are un-sensed. Western cities are cities of others, yet the ever-changing Chinese society makes the youth themselves the other, sometimes even the outsider. The only thing significant is the need to find one’s own foundation to construct a ‘city of self’; only then can everything else be possible.
