All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Multimedia Artist XU ZHEN® Presents ‘The Glorious’


Why We Recommend it
Chinese artist XU ZHEN® juxtaposes classical elements of civilisation throughout human history to show a host of issues—the value of art, clashes of culture, geopolitics—in a different light.
Description
The Glorious is Shanghai-born artist XU ZHEN®’s (b. 1977) third solo exhibition with the gallery. The show will feature three of the artist’s signature work series: Under Heaven, Eternity, and Evolution, showcasing a variety of installations, paintings, and sculptures.
The work Under Heaven-Gold, on show in this exhibition, is a brand-new revamp of Under Heaven, a series of canvases covered in bright-coloured baroque-style squiggles, which the artist densely applied using cream piping bags. XU ZHEN®’s readily digestible artistic experiences such as the former take on a satirical function as metaphors for modern society’s excessive consumerism and explore the limits of commodifying art. Despite its use of the most opulent colour known to man, this Gold series, irradiates a dignified and profound beauty.
The series Eternity and Evolution follow through an examination of geoculture. Eternity takes inspiration from the headless statues found in China and the West. Evolution, developed from Eternity, further extends its creative tentacles to primitive art situated on the threshold of mainstream culture, transforming African masks and Dunhuang frescoes into a blend of cartoon and traditional art.
Details
When: 25 Mar 2019 - 3 May 2019 Where: Perrotin Hong Kong – 17/F, 50 Connaught Road Central – Central