As you may know, we’re gearing up for our next production Caught, a genre-bending new work which centers on the work of a certain dissident Chinese artist. In honor of Caught, this week our theme is SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA.
We are very lucky to be partnering with Klein Sun Gallery, one of the foremost galleries in the world specializing in Chinese contemporary art. Our friends over at Klein Sun wanted to let us know about their two current exhibitions – both shows run until August 19, so be sure to check them out!
Zhang Gong is best known for his appropriated figurative paintings featuring a coterie of oddball characters. In these paintings, iconic symbols of pop culture – South Park characters, Michael Jackson, Mickey Mouse, Wallace and Gromit – as well as Zhang Gong’s own creations, replace human figures within familiar artworks such as Edward Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks,’ and George Seurat’s ‘Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.’ With his paintbrush, Zhang Gong rewrites the archaic narrative of art history by rendering these scenes in explicit contemporary light and by amassing these characters in a style reminiscent of an epic, traditional Hollywood set. Zhang Gong’s tendency towards the grand mise-en-scène also translates into his animation work for which he has received several international awards. In this exhibition “The Watcher,” Zhang Gong presents three new series of paintings revealing the artist’s maturation in themes of abstraction.
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For her first solo show in the United States, Peili presents sound installations, video pieces and oil paintings on aluminum. Her sound installations, collectively titled “Long and Short Pavilion,” are muted works. Peili recorded acquaintances’ stories on tape, and then placed these recordings within vacuum metal balls filled with silky-black Chinese ink. When the tape plays, the muffled voices reverberate through the layers of metal and ink. Meanwhile, her paintings hint at the title of the show, which is taken from the mammoth MoMA PS1 series. Although Peili has expressly stated her dislike of that series, she admits that the title embodies her wider interest in free will. Thus, the paintings render portions of the city’s skylines and landmarks in simple, monochromatic strokes, imbued with Peili’s romanticized views of New York.
For more on Klein Sun Gallery, visit their website here.
