Oriental Sunflower

Born in Fujian Province in August 1955， Xu Jiang graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Zhejiang Academy of Art （now China Academy of Art） in 1982 and studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts as a visiting scholar in 1988. He now serves as the president of the China Academy of Art and vice president of the Chinese Artists Association. Xu’s paintings focus on cities and landscapes. The former are symbolic of culture， the latter of nature. Many artists would consider each to carry different connotations， but in Xu’s eyes， they belong to the same realm of existence. Xu likes studying cities， which he considers the organs of culture. To explore the histories of various cities， he reads many books and believes that the appearance of a city is only a fragment of its history. So， cities have become an eternal subject for his canvas， with art ranging from skyline silhouettes to detailed depictions of architecture found in lanes， houses and roads. From the visual perspective， the counterpart to a city should be a landscape. In depicting landscapes， Xu’s attitude seems to change – like chanting a poem rather than meditating as he does with cities. With landscapes， Xu seems to be freed from history， so he can express himself more openly and convey many lively and fleeting expressions through the land. In his recent Sunflowers series， the artist combined themes of city and land. Like living architecture in a city， flourishing sunflowers represent tenacious vitality and result from Xu’s looking， thinking and expressing.

The Oriental Sunflower – The Art of Xu Jiang

September 28 – November 8， 2014

National Museum of China， Beijing

Zhongying’s Self

Born in Yunnan Province in 1975， Shi Zhongying graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Since 1999， the artist has been primarily working on using various types of grids as material to produce symbolic abstract shapes to convey metaphysical meanings and Zen Buddhist themes. In recent years， Shi has begun to learn more about Buddhism and Buddhist studies and especially its philosophy. For the artist， the resonance of great wisdom， especially that of Buddhism， has a profound effect， and the religion deeply influences and inspires his sculptures， outlook on life， and values. With the smallest piece of inspiration， the artist can create an entire series of new work， which in the process of sharing with others， takes on many new interpretations. “Self” is a series Shi has been working on in recent years. In it， he does not use robes but his own body as the subject， emphasizing firsthand experience and adopting the most basic sculptural body language to allude concisely to the primordial state of “self.”

Zhongying’s Icon – Shi Zhongying’s Contemporary Sculpture

October 18 – November 20， 2014

Red Gate Gallery， Beijing

Practically Abstract

Born in Fujian Province in 1976， Wang Guangle graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2000. After the resounding success of his Terrazzo and Coffin Paint series， Wang became one of the country’s most representative young artists of this era. Wang’s Terrazzo paintings are particularly personal， inspired by terrazzo tiled floors of his childhood home. The artist stated： “My memories of my home are bound up inseparably with this material. When I painted it， I felt freed from specific forms — I can virtually look inward.” The Terrazzo paintings are decidedly minimalist in approach， abstract of time and gesture. The artist applied paint to the canvas millimeter by millimeter， often spending months to meticulously accumulate brushstrokes into a large-scale rendering of marble tile. The Coffin Paint series was inspired by a burial tradition he witnessed while growing up in Fujian， where it is customary for the elderly to face their impending mortality by acquiring a casket and painting it with red lacquer， adding a coat of paint every year to celebrate longevity. A meditative symbol of acceptance and preparation， the coffin can receive dozens of layers of paint until the moment of a person’s passing. It’s no surprise that Wang’s interpretation of the custom evokes strong metaphors， relating to the Chinese cultural identity as much as conceptual art practice.

Wang Guangle Solo Exhibition October 10 – November 1， 2014 Pace Gallery， New York

Shanghai Flower

Born in Shanghai in October 1965， Li Lei serves as executive director of Shanghai Museum of Art. Li lacks formal artistic education and is a self-taught talent. Normally the best time to learn art， his childhood was ruined by the “cultural revolution.” Only after the 1980s did he begin to connect to abstract painting. In 1995， he began sketching. But at that time， his paintings only focused on simplifying forms. Since 2007， his works have been focused on discussing Zen Buddhist themes with spiritual images， manifesting contradictions， conflicts and power. Each stroke on his canvas is sated with passion， which is also evidenced in his poems displayed next to his paintings. He insists that there is no direct connection between the paintings and the poems. They are just like two sides of one subject， reflecting the conflicts of life. Unresolved contradictions always hide behind his beautiful colors.

Shanghai Flower – Abstract Art by Li Lei

September 20 – November 30， 2014

Museum of Contemporary Art， Shanghai

Self-entertainment

Born in Shanghai in 1983， Zhu Xi received a master’s degree from the China Academy of Art and now lives in Hangzhou. Zhu’s recent works focus on themes of real life and war， usually conveyed through installations and paintings as well as photography. After analyzing broken images of daily life， Zhu attempts to recover certain memories and connotations using poetic language and questioning reality. In his work， the artist often employs myriad ideas and materials to construct logical context which reflects his understanding of poetic narration and overrides real life while staying connected to it. Despite his status as a professional artist， Zhu does not seek wealth through painting， so he never intentionally caters to market demand but paints more freely. Zhu doesn’t care what others think about his work and never makes excuses for his creations. He just loves art and wants to entertain himself.

“Finding Friends”

– Discover Young Sculpture Artists October 17 – October 28， 2014

Today Art Museum， Beijing