 Vernissage :: March 19, 2011 :: 3 - 5 pm
Exhibition Dates :: March 19 - April 17 2011 China Dream
Narrating Society and the Floating Worlds in China:
An exploration of na
rratives on current Chinese society and the dialogue between artists
Participating artists: Xue Song, Pu Jie, Chris Gill
Red Gate Gallery presents a unique opportunity in Beijing to see the work of three Shanghai based painters, all mid career artists, who have been exhibiting together since the 1990s. All have built successful careers as painters, with museum solo shows and numerous other exhibitions over the years, but when they team up to work on a project it becomes something quite special. Red Gate Gallery is very pleased to be able to participate in this project, and has supported the artists development of this show. Theme
Chinese society is an ever shifting world of constant change. People re-invent themselves, whole cities appear in short periods of time, people’s relationships shift, many change their names, and many people live in a floating world of inconsistence. Nowhere is this more typified than by the societies of the major cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, where change is the norm, rather than the exception. But artists don’t always change - they are more disciplined, and keep to their profession, and sit quietly by documenting the frantic society around them. So this exhibition hopes to represent the views and sights of this contemporary society through the works of three Shanghai based artists who have known each other for around 15 years, three generations of change in popular parlance. Each artist has influenced the other in certain ways, and this exhibition also hopes to reflect the internal process of dialogue between artists. With a narrative element that explores these two themes, audiences should be able to grasp a glimpse into themselves, as the show will offer some insights into the society of Shanghai, beh
aviour, mental process and the affect all this societal change has had on them. At the same time they will also get some insights into the way artists work and communicate between themselves. Form without form
Chinese society is constantly changing, and people are in a constant state of flux. Clouds, rain, nails, burnt ephemera, collected objects, cloth, credit cards, advertising pamphlets, wood from demolition sites, and numerous other elements and motifs appear in the works presented by Xue Song, Chris Gill and Pujie. Dreams and reality sometimes are difficult to distinguish, the sub-conscious mind sometimes invades reality, and vice versa. The relationship between these two states is complex and ever changing, as people are bombarded by an avalanche of new ideas, products, services and desires. In the work of Xue Song we see individuals sailing through this new society in a faux ecstatic harmony, dancing in the new environments being created around them. Pu Jie talks about the relationship between this new state of being and the old mind set that still exists, hidden behind the happy bright facades. Chris Gill creates fantastic landscapes out of various found materials, and constructs new places that exist maybe in dreams, or maybe in reality. |
