Vue Privée is pleased to present “Democratising China”, an exhibition bringing together collector-quality, limited edition artworks by four leading Chinese contemporary artists: Feng Zhengjie, Guo Wei, Huang Yan, and Yang Qian. The exhibition will take place from 3rd till 20th November 2011 at the [vp] gallery located on 20 Cairnhill Road.

This group of artists presents a rich and diverse mixture of aesthetic styles, yet they are bound together by their creative vision of China in the twenty-first century. Feng Zhengjieʼs highly distinctive pop art portraits of beautiful women with diverging eyes investigates the psyche of todayʼs Chinese society – the deformed eyes are mirrors to the soul, underlying the artistʼs view that the perfection of the faces in his works is only superficial, while Yang Qianʼs Bathroom series pushes the boundaries of technical innovation by presenting his subjects through a mist of water-droplets. Guo Weiʼs study of adolescents acting up reflects on an increasingly individualistic China, while the resurgent strength of Chinese traditional culture is represented by Huang Yanʼs three dragons sprawling over a barely visible face of Mao Zedong.

This exhibition is an important new chapter for Vue Privée, which has always aimed to democratize the art market. “Within the past couple of years, buying contemporary Chinese art has become an expensive proposition for most art lovers. Limited edition prints and sculptures are an affordable way of having a true work of art in your home,” explains Olivier Henry, professional photographer and founder of Vue Privée.

Set up in 2010, Vue Privée has quickly established a strong reputation for affordable art pieces while offering exclusive limited edition photographs, art works and merchandise inspired by the world of fine art photography. Vue Privée has striven to build partnerships with Asian and international artists, such as Kim Xu, Mojoko, Craig Redman, Stefen Chow and Alex Maclean, to publish their works in limited editions on an exclusive basis. These collaborations have allowed emerging and seasoned collectors to purchase the works of artists based on emotional connection rather than for investment purposes only.

“We have always been committed to connecting art lovers to unique and desirable artworks. With this exhibition, we are introducing to Singapore, limited edition prints by very much sought-after Chinese artists. This is a natural progression for us as we expand our products to a broader spectrum of art collectors,” Mr. Henry says.

“I believe that everyone should own at least one piece of genuine art. Art is a source of beauty that shouldnʼt be reserved to an elite. It opens a dialogue between the artist and the owner of the piece. At Vue Privée, we feel an obligation to empower anyone and everyone out there with a piece of art,” Mr. Henry adds.

To sell these latest high-quality prints in Singapore, Vue Privée has partnered with highend publisher Exhibit A, an American-based company knows for its specialization in producing print works by leading international artists such as Robert Indiana and Ed Paschke. Most of the publisherʼs screen prints are created at the White Barn in Ridgefield, Connecticut with Gary Lichtenstein, master printer, whose 35-year career has been honoured with a survey of his work at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum; while the custom paper and the majority of archival pigment printing is handled through MFA Talon Graphics in Los Angeles. The renowned Brodsky Centre for Innovative Editions at Rutgers University is used for special creative techniques.

“As a publisher we always work very tightly with each artist. There is a lot of back and forth between the print studios and the artists and they are involved in the various proofing done along the way until the final image. Itʼs important for us that the artists are happy with what they sign off,” says Warren Isaacs, business manager of Exhibit A.

“The proofing process usually entails multiple trips to the artist's China studios where we consult with one another about the technique, colour relationships and many issues having to do with the paper, scale, the texture and finish of the prints, presentation issues and so forth,” explains Greg Smith, creative director of Exhibit A.

“It is because of the intimate participation of the artist in the creation and production of the print editions in collaboration with myself as publisher and the master printers and technicians with whom we work, that the editions which we create are referred to as original prints and they in fact are original works by the artists, signed by them as their original work and presented to the world as such,” Mr Smith adds.

Each of the works is presented in a strictly limited edition of 200 and are personally numbered and signed by the artist.

Vue Privée has always been interested in working with daring and innovative artists who also have a high degree of artistic and technical skills. Feng Zhengjieʼs Chinese Portrait Series uses 35 colour silkscreens, while the Gao Wei pieces use 25 colour silkscreens. Yang Qianʼs mixed media prints use the layering of silkscreens to recreate the 3-Dimensional perception of water droplets, creating unique depth to the artwork.

Limited edition fine art prints and sculptures are a more affordable way to collect beautiful works of art, and they can also prove to be good investments over the long term if one selects the right artists. Prints by top contemporary artists, such as Takashi Murakami and Damien Hirst, regularly appear at auction now. A market for contemporary Chinese print has also started to develop over the past couple years. This April, a set of 6 woodblock print series by Fang Lijun sold for HK$300,000(SGD$46,294) at Sothebyʼs, well above its HK$120,000-180,000 (SGD$18,515 – SGD$27,774) estimate. Meanwhile, a silk print by Zhang Xiaogang, Bloodline: The Big Family, numbered 149/199, sold for HK$62,500 (SGD$96,423) at Christieʼs in May, while a silk print by Zeng Fanzhi, Mask Series (two man), numbered 15/60, sold for HK$137,500 (SGD$21,213).

Entering early this print market offers an opportunity for collectors to ride on the general interest that has matured for other forms of contemporary Chinese art.

The limited editions of “Democratising China,” all signed by the artists, will sell between US$2,000-US$5,000.

About the Artists and Their Works

Since 2003, Feng Zhengjieʼs trademark signature has been his portraits of beautiful women painted in bold acid colours. At first glance their faces appear perfect with flawless skin and controlled hair grooming. Yet, the women sport unsettling diverging eyes that have over the years been reduced to mere pinpoints. For the artist, these deformed eyes are mirrors to the soul and hint that the perfection masks a world of superficiality.

The series has evolved subtly over the years with the faces becoming more stylized, the eyes more divergent. In his Chinese Portrait 2008, the womenʼs flawless faces have been air-brushed to perfection, their bee-stung lips highlighted in sexy crimson lipstick and their heads are surrounded by a halo making them even more unattainable and distant.

These three silkscreen print editions are superb examples of his haunting, unmistakable work. In the case of No. 26, the ethereal beauty is shown parting her lips as if to utter a word of invitation or perhaps declination. Whatever the choice, it is she who is in complete control of the visual communication. Portraits No. 38 and 53 up the ante with their refined energy and formal beauty.

Guo Wei often investigates the individual and the development of the self in the newly liberalised China, reflecting in his work the way individualism is slowly taking over collectivism in the minds of many.

His stark monochromatic backgrounds serve to heighten the viewerʼs focus on young adults trying to assert themselves, at time shouting, flirting or acting up.

These adolescents ― charming, petulant, adorable and at times frightening ― represent much more than just a series of individuals and the theatrics of their expression. They stand for China itself; a China that is finding itself in a new century, young, powerful and full of life, with ideas, opinions and energy, and maturing.

With his series of photographs entitled Chinese Landscapes ― landscapes painted on a human body, usually his own ― Huang Yan has established himself as an important figure in Chinese Contemporary art.

Landscape painting has traditionally been one of the most important genres in Chinese art while the naked human body is rarely represented. By incorporating the two in his works, Huang highlights the tensions between past and present in today's Chinese society.

Yet, one of the most interesting aspects of this gifted artist is his ability to move effortlessly across a wide field of mediums and scale. Here, Huang presents a selfportrait with hand-applied stenciling, a stunning manipulated landscape of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and a portrait of Chairman Mao overlaid with three dragons.

Yang Qianʼs works are a mélange of photography and painting as the artist seeks to create a contradiction between both mediums to reflect on the tensions of contemporary life.

These first three editions of Yangʼs works, executed in mixed media using archival inkjet print with additional silkscreen overlay to capture some of his best imagery from his Bathroom series. Here, images overlap between reality and illusion as we view the subject through the film of a mirror, a sheen of water-droplets, and mist.

His takes on feminine beauty are timeless and inviting.