At the invitation of Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Jia Gang, an artist of the new generation of the 70s, will be holding his solo exhibition from August 7, 2010 to August 18, 2010. This exhibition is aimed to be a concrete exhibition of the artist’s progress made in the last three years.
As early as 2007, Jia Gang distinguished himself with his clear and unique style of art at his solo Gesture. Jia Gang excels in bringing forth various postures loaded with emotional significance by means of richly codified body language. Gestures, our genuine language, may be the most capable of expressing our most genuine life, emotion and desire. The various “gestures”, meaningful and poetic, either isolated or in groups, are arranged as embodiment of personal sentiments and reflections and traces of the shocks as well as those that people are experiencing in the social transition.
“I invested the attitude of my life in these models — enjoying life everyday, with no compulsion, and taking everything as it comes and to be content with what I have. I dream that everyone is an angel in the paintings where there is only equality with neither desire nor distinction between the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad, the virtuous and the evil, the superior and the inferior, loss and gain. I’m looking forward to a peaceful life, idyllic and harmonious.” (Jia Gang) In this sense, Jia Gang’s art of gesture is rich in realistic value.
This exhibition, under the title “Ease”, aside from dealing with his familiar themes, is to place more emphasis on exploring “human existence”, i.e., “destiny” and “manipulation”. The Chinese character “命” denotes both “order from heaven” and “destiny”, while “manipulation” means everyone does his own duty, fulfills his own obligation and is content with what he is and has. Heaven has placed one at his place and given him his right, duty and obligations, therefore he has to respect his duty and obligation by enriching life with active attitude and making it healthier and more valuable.
“Men used to be romantic and imaginative, but now they exist in an elegant and mature way. Everyone wants to play the leading role; it is not impossible, but being a supporting actor is not something bad. While enjoying the happiness of growth and life, we come to understand how to treat ourselves and our lives as long as we follow the principles of life, live every day conscientiously, make efforts when needed, and wait for what you dreamed to arrive.” (Jia Gang)
With respect to pictorial language, Jia Gang succeeds in integrating in his paintings typical techniques and artistic flavor in elaborate style of painting, thus rendering the figures in pure and elegant colors like jade, gleaming and translucent, the effect of which is possible only after repeated coloring. He likes traditional Chinese themes, including folk art, which always fascinates him with pure, simple, balanced and rhythmic coloring and concise expression.
The 70s in China have witnessed the boom, shocks, transformation and development in the wake of reform and opening up policy. It is an age of movement and vitality and of crisis, changes and uncertainty as well. As a generation, they are visionary and hopeful on one hand, and distressed and stressful on the other. Jia Gang’s concern for human being and universal life is romantic and visionary but rich in positive social significance, which is a wish, a vision, and more exactly, genuine existence. In his art, he shares with the audience his ultimate reflection on universal existence.
