2017.23.08 LIVE BROADCAST
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Parasol Projects @ Rivington will be hosting Odele Zhang’s solo exhibition titled, LIVE Broadcast.
LIVE Broadcast features Zhang’s sometimes playful, oftentimes somber, representation of fleeting encounters with her subjects. The paintings are produced live within a set time restriction, never to exceed a single day. At first glance, her paintings connote a seemingly figurative state, but Zhang’s subjects serve to render her momentary feelings while painting, rather than the subject itself. Classical traditions of painting train us to decipher the mimetic, but Zhang attempts to capture the tense moment when the artist is transcribing the shifting visuals of the physical object by making the object reflect her ephemeral reactions toward what she observes.
The pursuit of live painting emerged as a key practice for Zhang when she progressed from her earlier reliance on photography for her animals in collage-like paintings. Zhang's earlier work distorted the common representation of nature via landscape, choosing instead to evoke nature via animals that serve as the actants of an urban landscape. By placing them in unexpected, yet rational relationships to urban settings, nature became a heterotopic place, always in the mind's eye, yet not depicted in traditional format. Her previous works ejected standard shorthand for descriptive imagery, yet, was burdened with an overabundance of digital images from which to draw from. Photography become an easy way to gather thousands of images, and Zhang vainly attempted to process the plethora of material, frustrated by their incompleteness, and disillusioned by her inability to refer back to each fragment as her art was assembled.
In her newer work, Zhang, likewise, refuses to shy away from complex imagery, but is now prioritizing the opportunity painting offers toward achieving an ephemeral impression. Zhang’s new works rely on her personal observations and visual engagement with her topics, limited by tangible factors, such as time, lighting, and the intimacy fostered between her and what her subject decides to reveal while
observed. Furthermore, while Zhang’s previous works relied on digital photography to produce and reproduce her imagery, in her new works, she discards photography’s filter on how an artist “sees,”
instead, aiming for a live reading of her subject’s visual reality. The digital medium served her past works well, offering layered visuals and generating composites of animals and landscapes; however, in observing the shifting colors and textures of fur and hide, Zhang particularly grappled with how a “reality” of the layers of colors in a natural environment, or of a subject in nature, could hardly be captured by pixels. The same problem carried into rendering similarly varied, changing tones of human skin and clothes; photography facilitated the denial of these complex visual elements. Painting from real life allows Zhang to process the colors and textures that light reveals over time and through motion. Her attention is now drawn to the liveliness her subjects inherently possess.
In vying for this honest, constrained impression of her subject, Zhang deviates from the scientific and ocular preoccupations of impressionist painters, per se, as well as the emotional tone of abstract expressionists.
Zhang is not trying to make a mark; she is leaving the traces she has managed to retrieve at the moment of painting, while fighting the commercial illustration style that informed the surfaces of modern painters. Past artists, like J. M. W. Turner, have already championed a “real-time” or plein air painting style, but while Turner’s works use light to masterfully execute a portrayal of the atmosphere and mood of nature, Zhang is interested in the nature of the relationship between herself and her subject, acknowledging how light governs how an artist sees, and using that moment to capture her selfish pursuit of engaging by painting. In this way, Zhang is learning how she feels as she paints, and painting what she learns.
In Zhang’s new body of work, a nude painting submits to this shifting light: the subtle, but present pink and purple skin tones are exaggerated, which clash with brushstrokes eager to depict motion. Still life depictions of lemons take on a psychological aura when juxtaposed with swimming goggles, evoking the uncanny light near beaches: yellows, greens, and blues accentuate that specific character such lighting summons. Zhang’s quickly executed paintings wrench these furtive qualities, as the painting toggles between abstraction and figuration, without respecting either. We are encouraged to glimpse Zhang's perspective, whether it is musings on fruit, insights on her friends, or bemusement toward a model’s futile erection. The figurative is not enough, as Zhang aims to equally prioritize undeniable primal instincts her subjects possess and share with her. Abstraction is insufficient; Zhang is just as preoccupied with the illusory elements the combination of physical presence, shifting light, and time produces. The viewer is then invited to shed trained modes of seeing, all while wrestling with the problematic need for self- presence during our voyeuristic perusal of the depictions she provides.
Zhang's quixotic effort toward a future-oriented type of painting does not look back at the previous self, refusing to return to the last painting, but, rather, enjoying how the use of a few lines can render her moving targets. The time is there to paint, but Zhang takes great effort to generate lively images via jarring, fun tactics, before tedium directs the image toward a sort of completion. Zhang’s moment of interaction is a selfish pursuit of that notion of liberated thought, action, and attitude towards painting. LIVE
Broadcast is not about the fleeting subject, but about Zhang’s fleeting attention to the subject during the limited time of interaction, depicting an internalized sense of the moment that rendered the painting in that condition.
As a short-term pop-up space, Parasol Projects @ Rivington mirrors the type of constraints that Zhang’s recent works desire to capitalize on. The compressed time limit of the show drives Zhang to discard any unnecessary projections or attempts at quotation. The limited showing compliments Zhang’s momentary engagement with the subjects she is able to paint leading up to the exhibition. As a result, the viewer is offered an equally compressed, live engagement with the works themselves.
Parasol Projects’ pop-up nature invites the audience to live in the moment and to process these paintings in an ephemeral world, grasping your attention for that moment. Come, for a live broadcast.
Odele Eleanor Zhang resides in Brooklyn, New York. For more information on her extant work, please visit: http://www.odele.co/
Inset painting: “James” Odele Zhang, 2017 Oil on linen, 56 in. by 36 in.
LIVE Broadcast features Zhang’s sometimes playful, oftentimes somber, representation of fleeting encounters with her subjects. The paintings are produced live within a set time restriction, never to exceed a single day. At first glance, her paintings connote a seemingly figurative state, but Zhang’s subjects serve to render her momentary feelings while painting, rather than the subject itself. Classical traditions of painting train us to decipher the mimetic, but Zhang attempts to capture the tense moment when the artist is transcribing the shifting visuals of the physical object by making the object reflect her ephemeral reactions toward what she observes.
The pursuit of live painting emerged as a key practice for Zhang when she progressed from her earlier reliance on photography for her animals in collage-like paintings. Zhang's earlier work distorted the common representation of nature via landscape, choosing instead to evoke nature via animals that serve as the actants of an urban landscape. By placing them in unexpected, yet rational relationships to urban settings, nature became a heterotopic place, always in the mind's eye, yet not depicted in traditional format. Her previous works ejected standard shorthand for descriptive imagery, yet, was burdened with an overabundance of digital images from which to draw from. Photography become an easy way to gather thousands of images, and Zhang vainly attempted to process the plethora of material, frustrated by their incompleteness, and disillusioned by her inability to refer back to each fragment as her art was assembled.
In her newer work, Zhang, likewise, refuses to shy away from complex imagery, but is now prioritizing the opportunity painting offers toward achieving an ephemeral impression. Zhang’s new works rely on her personal observations and visual engagement with her topics, limited by tangible factors, such as time, lighting, and the intimacy fostered between her and what her subject decides to reveal while
observed. Furthermore, while Zhang’s previous works relied on digital photography to produce and reproduce her imagery, in her new works, she discards photography’s filter on how an artist “sees,”
instead, aiming for a live reading of her subject’s visual reality. The digital medium served her past works well, offering layered visuals and generating composites of animals and landscapes; however, in observing the shifting colors and textures of fur and hide, Zhang particularly grappled with how a “reality” of the layers of colors in a natural environment, or of a subject in nature, could hardly be captured by pixels. The same problem carried into rendering similarly varied, changing tones of human skin and clothes; photography facilitated the denial of these complex visual elements. Painting from real life allows Zhang to process the colors and textures that light reveals over time and through motion. Her attention is now drawn to the liveliness her subjects inherently possess.
In vying for this honest, constrained impression of her subject, Zhang deviates from the scientific and ocular preoccupations of impressionist painters, per se, as well as the emotional tone of abstract expressionists.
Zhang is not trying to make a mark; she is leaving the traces she has managed to retrieve at the moment of painting, while fighting the commercial illustration style that informed the surfaces of modern painters. Past artists, like J. M. W. Turner, have already championed a “real-time” or plein air painting style, but while Turner’s works use light to masterfully execute a portrayal of the atmosphere and mood of nature, Zhang is interested in the nature of the relationship between herself and her subject, acknowledging how light governs how an artist sees, and using that moment to capture her selfish pursuit of engaging by painting. In this way, Zhang is learning how she feels as she paints, and painting what she learns.
In Zhang’s new body of work, a nude painting submits to this shifting light: the subtle, but present pink and purple skin tones are exaggerated, which clash with brushstrokes eager to depict motion. Still life depictions of lemons take on a psychological aura when juxtaposed with swimming goggles, evoking the uncanny light near beaches: yellows, greens, and blues accentuate that specific character such lighting summons. Zhang’s quickly executed paintings wrench these furtive qualities, as the painting toggles between abstraction and figuration, without respecting either. We are encouraged to glimpse Zhang's perspective, whether it is musings on fruit, insights on her friends, or bemusement toward a model’s futile erection. The figurative is not enough, as Zhang aims to equally prioritize undeniable primal instincts her subjects possess and share with her. Abstraction is insufficient; Zhang is just as preoccupied with the illusory elements the combination of physical presence, shifting light, and time produces. The viewer is then invited to shed trained modes of seeing, all while wrestling with the problematic need for self- presence during our voyeuristic perusal of the depictions she provides.
Zhang's quixotic effort toward a future-oriented type of painting does not look back at the previous self, refusing to return to the last painting, but, rather, enjoying how the use of a few lines can render her moving targets. The time is there to paint, but Zhang takes great effort to generate lively images via jarring, fun tactics, before tedium directs the image toward a sort of completion. Zhang’s moment of interaction is a selfish pursuit of that notion of liberated thought, action, and attitude towards painting. LIVE
Broadcast is not about the fleeting subject, but about Zhang’s fleeting attention to the subject during the limited time of interaction, depicting an internalized sense of the moment that rendered the painting in that condition.
As a short-term pop-up space, Parasol Projects @ Rivington mirrors the type of constraints that Zhang’s recent works desire to capitalize on. The compressed time limit of the show drives Zhang to discard any unnecessary projections or attempts at quotation. The limited showing compliments Zhang’s momentary engagement with the subjects she is able to paint leading up to the exhibition. As a result, the viewer is offered an equally compressed, live engagement with the works themselves.
Parasol Projects’ pop-up nature invites the audience to live in the moment and to process these paintings in an ephemeral world, grasping your attention for that moment. Come, for a live broadcast.
Odele Eleanor Zhang resides in Brooklyn, New York. For more information on her extant work, please visit: http://www.odele.co/
Inset painting: “James” Odele Zhang, 2017 Oil on linen, 56 in. by 36 in.
2016.19.10 Less Obvious INvasions @LAZY SUSAN GALLERY NYC
Through her art, Odele longs to inspire observers to engage in a deeper analysis of both themselves and the world that surrounds them. She employs her energy and artistic ability with the intent of breaking down cultural barriers and social constructs, by asking the public to examine otherwise common scenarios through different perspectives. Although her art comes to life in a variety of formats, she believes the crucial component must always remain the viewer’s interpretations. As such, this exhibit would not be complete without you, the audience, and your opinions. Her multifaceted projects include 3D sculptures, animals, naked bodies and even Ikea chairs. Her passion for animals prompts her to immortalize them in her art. She observes them both in their natural habitats, and reinvents them invading human spaces.While experiencing a great variety of materials, Odele’s ultimate language still lies in painting itself.
Odele has travelled extensively since childhood. Although she believes her biography should be recounted through means of her art, Odele’s exposure to many different cultures prompted her curiosity about the human condition. In her previous work, she examined the relationships between animals and man-made creations. Aspects of ordinary life such as urban spaces and common objects are juxtaposed with wild beasts and their prowess in her paintings. Page 1 Bison ate the idea Primal beats PRESS RELEASE LAZY SUSAN GALLERY LES NEW YORK In this new stage of artistic development, Odele explores the animalistic behaviors of humans themselves. What do we become when stripped of our carefully constructed social norms and artificial behaviors? How do our primal instincts and sensuality still guide us through life? How do humans and animals both behave in their nakedness? Odele’s new paintings stimulate the audience to come up with their own answers.
The piece “Primal Beats” portrays the beauty of human interactions. Both man and woman engage with each other using their bodies and primal instincts. The couple remains relaxed and respectful as the man serenades his partner with music. The drumbeat represents the primal form of communication between individuals, and much like the paintings themselves, it is the link between what one feels and what one expresses to the outside world. The vivid colors allude to the presence of nature, and its importance to the wild man. The sensuality the work transpires shows both the tranquility and ferocity of humans in their natural state.
Such themes are also present in “Bison ate the Ideas”, in which the beauty of the landscape is connected to the living creatures who inhabit it. Cherry blossoms are often planted by humans and organized in calculated fashion to create a artificial sensation for humans. The bison here represent the “invasion” of wildness in a planned and controlled environment. The bisons eat the flowers planted by men and therefore modify their creation or “ideas”. Thus, it seems no matter how much control humans want to exert over the natural world, their efforts always prove to be in vain.
Odele has travelled extensively since childhood. Although she believes her biography should be recounted through means of her art, Odele’s exposure to many different cultures prompted her curiosity about the human condition. In her previous work, she examined the relationships between animals and man-made creations. Aspects of ordinary life such as urban spaces and common objects are juxtaposed with wild beasts and their prowess in her paintings. Page 1 Bison ate the idea Primal beats PRESS RELEASE LAZY SUSAN GALLERY LES NEW YORK In this new stage of artistic development, Odele explores the animalistic behaviors of humans themselves. What do we become when stripped of our carefully constructed social norms and artificial behaviors? How do our primal instincts and sensuality still guide us through life? How do humans and animals both behave in their nakedness? Odele’s new paintings stimulate the audience to come up with their own answers.
The piece “Primal Beats” portrays the beauty of human interactions. Both man and woman engage with each other using their bodies and primal instincts. The couple remains relaxed and respectful as the man serenades his partner with music. The drumbeat represents the primal form of communication between individuals, and much like the paintings themselves, it is the link between what one feels and what one expresses to the outside world. The vivid colors allude to the presence of nature, and its importance to the wild man. The sensuality the work transpires shows both the tranquility and ferocity of humans in their natural state.
Such themes are also present in “Bison ate the Ideas”, in which the beauty of the landscape is connected to the living creatures who inhabit it. Cherry blossoms are often planted by humans and organized in calculated fashion to create a artificial sensation for humans. The bison here represent the “invasion” of wildness in a planned and controlled environment. The bisons eat the flowers planted by men and therefore modify their creation or “ideas”. Thus, it seems no matter how much control humans want to exert over the natural world, their efforts always prove to be in vain.
2016.2.05-double headed bison and such - a mindful installation @reverse space
Location:
REVERSE space
28 Frost Street
Williamsburg
Brooklyn NY 11211
Opening: February 5th 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
DESCRIPTION Following shanghai's show of animals stepping beyond canvases and encroaching upon real human made objects, Odele now brings to New York another playful installation.Toying with photographs, collages, sculptures, Odele continues to explore variations on one theme. Interactive moments will occur during the 2/5 Friday reception. Audience feedback extremely welcomed.Following shanghai's show of animals stepping beyond canvases and encroaching upon real human made objects, Odele now brings to New York another playful installation.Toying with photographs, collages, sculptures, Odele continues to explore variations on one theme. Interactive moments will occur during the 2/5 Friday reception. Audience feedback extremely welcomed.
REVERSE space
28 Frost Street
Williamsburg
Brooklyn NY 11211
Opening: February 5th 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
DESCRIPTION Following shanghai's show of animals stepping beyond canvases and encroaching upon real human made objects, Odele now brings to New York another playful installation.Toying with photographs, collages, sculptures, Odele continues to explore variations on one theme. Interactive moments will occur during the 2/5 Friday reception. Audience feedback extremely welcomed.Following shanghai's show of animals stepping beyond canvases and encroaching upon real human made objects, Odele now brings to New York another playful installation.Toying with photographs, collages, sculptures, Odele continues to explore variations on one theme. Interactive moments will occur during the 2/5 Friday reception. Audience feedback extremely welcomed.
| reverseodelepr02052016.pdf |
2015.03.12-04.12 - Transcendence @SOHO Fuxing Plaza
To celebrate the vibrant energy of Soho Fuxing Plaza complex, APT Institute is proud to present Transcendence - a group exhibition by APT artists. As the exhibition title suggests, we wish to stimulate, enlighten and elevate those who encounter the exhibition above and beyond their hectic city lives. The artworks are created by international artists who share Shanghai’s cosmopolitan point of view and celebrate its diverse palette. From traditional oil paintings to light installations, we hope to portray different emotions and imaginations evoked by historical and contemporary Shanghai through a carefully selected ensemble from the APT Collection. Viewers are transported to the creative wonderment of the artists’ imagination, and reexamine the essence of modern day Shanghai. Not only aesthetically pleasing, the artworks are very relatable with their narratives about the amazement of city lives and the struggle of modernity. Viewers are granted the chance to reflect, dream and be inspired with the artworks dotting across the complex. Our goal is to provide slices of enjoyment for the people coming through Soho Fuxing Plaza for work and leisure.
Sailing through the wind and waves in the torrent of urbanization and globalization, there are times to march ahead, and times to linger and contemplate our past and future. The exhibition is a story of collision, meditation and integration. Each artist showcases their unique understanding and reflection of the very same era we live in. They try to communicate messages beyond words using unusual methods, and to challenge our ordinary perspectives of the world.
7 Chinese and international artists will show their works at the exhibition: WU DING 吴鼎, MORGAN WONG 黄荣法, XIE CAOMIN 谢曹闽, ELISABETH CONDON 康丽冰, WENG FEN 翁奋, DON PORCELLA, ODELE ZHANG 昱
Sailing through the wind and waves in the torrent of urbanization and globalization, there are times to march ahead, and times to linger and contemplate our past and future. The exhibition is a story of collision, meditation and integration. Each artist showcases their unique understanding and reflection of the very same era we live in. They try to communicate messages beyond words using unusual methods, and to challenge our ordinary perspectives of the world.
7 Chinese and international artists will show their works at the exhibition: WU DING 吴鼎, MORGAN WONG 黄荣法, XIE CAOMIN 谢曹闽, ELISABETH CONDON 康丽冰, WENG FEN 翁奋, DON PORCELLA, ODELE ZHANG 昱
2014-07-31 Wednesday 6-10pm @BERLIN GlogauAIR Gallery
PRESS RELEASE
2014-07-31
BERLIN, Germany -- In the city where almost everyone defines themselves as artists and musicians, both in physical delivery and lifestyle philosophy, Odele E. Zhang debuts in Berlin her “Mysterious Animals coming to Berlin” solo art exhibition.
Even in such a high density artists city, “few artists dare to ask others thoughts about their paintings,” GlogauAir art space director says, “they are often uncomfortable to engage in such confrontational conversations, verbal, or written.” Odele art is certainly not in favor of sitting around and waiting for art critics to have a say. The raw audience’ opinions matter.
At the opening, biblical references, mesopotamia, Roman/Greek stories, and vocabularies such as “society,” “civilization,” are on the tip of the audience’ lips, which is of drastic difference with Asia (remember the Octopus I painting received “it’s a Buddha” comment). For instance, almost everyone commented on the “Rembrandt-ness” of the horse portrait. Snake II directly called for “the fallen world.” Swan I drew Germans’ attention particularly as it is a prolific symbol across the country, especially in schloss (German for palace/castle) areas.
One German audience, however, does comment on Chimpanzee I regarding the China Monkey king. It’s exciting to see more and more of this type of cross-culture references and recall of knowledge/symbols in the various worldly cities Odele has traveled to and will be traveling to.
It was difficult to record everyone’s verbally expressed thoughts because almost all come from different parts of the world, and English is not their primary language. So writing on empty “static” notes was the best option.
Some favorites from the show are Lion I, Snake II, Goat I. Audience reveled in the “melancholiness” of the lion and asked “what is he really thinking about,” and “would love to see more of the chess board.” One viewer stressed, “please make the paintings stay to be water-colors. They wouldn’t be good once turned into large oil ones. Because watercolor allows it to be Dream-like.”
For the first time, Odele, international artist connecting global cultures together through ‘misplacements’ of animals, engaged seriously with watercolor. She specifically calls this show an “ideation party,” as her use of watercolor is for illustrating ideas quickly when traveling. The collaborative artist for this exhibition is her father, Robert Zhang, who focuses on watercolor landscapes.
“You can’t overwork watercolor,” fellow resident artist at GlogauAir commented. The briefness of the painting style and visual effect in its physically connects perfectly well with the theoretical emotional feel of dreaminess and ephemeralness. In fact, a Berliner comments with seriousness regarding Swan I, “Everything is impermanent.”
You are invited to view all paintings from the Berlin show online starting 2014-08-01 at www.odele.co, and of course, leave your very own interpretations and cast your vote on whether you want a certain painting to become a large oil painting in the near future. (The exhibit goes until August 2nd, 2014 at the GlogauAir art space @Glogauerstrasse 16 in Berlin, Germany)
2014-07-31
BERLIN, Germany -- In the city where almost everyone defines themselves as artists and musicians, both in physical delivery and lifestyle philosophy, Odele E. Zhang debuts in Berlin her “Mysterious Animals coming to Berlin” solo art exhibition.
Even in such a high density artists city, “few artists dare to ask others thoughts about their paintings,” GlogauAir art space director says, “they are often uncomfortable to engage in such confrontational conversations, verbal, or written.” Odele art is certainly not in favor of sitting around and waiting for art critics to have a say. The raw audience’ opinions matter.
At the opening, biblical references, mesopotamia, Roman/Greek stories, and vocabularies such as “society,” “civilization,” are on the tip of the audience’ lips, which is of drastic difference with Asia (remember the Octopus I painting received “it’s a Buddha” comment). For instance, almost everyone commented on the “Rembrandt-ness” of the horse portrait. Snake II directly called for “the fallen world.” Swan I drew Germans’ attention particularly as it is a prolific symbol across the country, especially in schloss (German for palace/castle) areas.
One German audience, however, does comment on Chimpanzee I regarding the China Monkey king. It’s exciting to see more and more of this type of cross-culture references and recall of knowledge/symbols in the various worldly cities Odele has traveled to and will be traveling to.
It was difficult to record everyone’s verbally expressed thoughts because almost all come from different parts of the world, and English is not their primary language. So writing on empty “static” notes was the best option.
Some favorites from the show are Lion I, Snake II, Goat I. Audience reveled in the “melancholiness” of the lion and asked “what is he really thinking about,” and “would love to see more of the chess board.” One viewer stressed, “please make the paintings stay to be water-colors. They wouldn’t be good once turned into large oil ones. Because watercolor allows it to be Dream-like.”
For the first time, Odele, international artist connecting global cultures together through ‘misplacements’ of animals, engaged seriously with watercolor. She specifically calls this show an “ideation party,” as her use of watercolor is for illustrating ideas quickly when traveling. The collaborative artist for this exhibition is her father, Robert Zhang, who focuses on watercolor landscapes.
“You can’t overwork watercolor,” fellow resident artist at GlogauAir commented. The briefness of the painting style and visual effect in its physically connects perfectly well with the theoretical emotional feel of dreaminess and ephemeralness. In fact, a Berliner comments with seriousness regarding Swan I, “Everything is impermanent.”
You are invited to view all paintings from the Berlin show online starting 2014-08-01 at www.odele.co, and of course, leave your very own interpretations and cast your vote on whether you want a certain painting to become a large oil painting in the near future. (The exhibit goes until August 2nd, 2014 at the GlogauAir art space @Glogauerstrasse 16 in Berlin, Germany)
LIVE Painting 5.9.2014 @RockBUND Light and Salt
animals & machines - 1.11.2014 RECEPTION - SHANGHAI
menacing BUTT SPACES - 5.11.2013 RECEPTION- NEW YORK
Dec. 1-15.2012 Shanghai @ O. Gallery
ZIYU ZHANG
The Elephant that Stayed in the Room
Saturday, December 01 - Saturday, December 15, 2012
Opening reception for the artist: Thursday, December 6th, from 6:30 to 9 pm
“If the image can’t tell the story, and it needs further explanation, then it isn’t art.” new international artist Ziyu often responds to those who questions what is the concept or meaning of her drawings and paintings. Fusing together animals and interiors (sometimes exteriors) where the animals are least likely to appear, and manipulating subtly of perspective, artist Ziyu challenges our expectations as viewers in her first solo exhibition. Ziyu’s works often fool the viewer with a playful and saturated surface. However, on detailed observation, one discovers tensions and conflicts abound. This may be the tension between the creature and its surrounding or it could be the conflict between the viewer and the painting itself. Thus, come have a say about whether it’s truly impossible to have an elephant roam about a Roman themed Italian room. Just be ware that there may be a giraffe peeking at you from the Chinese garden pavilion right by.
Each of Ziyu’s works is also a sagacious, often critical, statement. For instance, this show triggers us to move beyond art. In our normal mindsets, these odd scenarios do not readily appear within the boundaries that we have set for ourselves, just like how we have set up both peaceful and violent boundaries between nationalities, communities, and species. October 2012 article “Blood Ivory” in National Geographic laments the death of 25,000 elephants poached last year. Sino-Japan recent island conflict doesn’t stretch far from the idea either, not to mention the tensions among many different groups in the world currently. It’s interesting. The tribulations we would go through to have ourselves believe that we are protecting our sense of nation, community, and defending ourselves against external influences like an elephant maliciously visiting out elegant rooms, are actually quite overwhelming.
You are, therefore, invited to the “The Elephant that Stayed in the Room” Exhibition Opening on December 6th, Thursday, 6:30pm with an open mind and perspectives of your own. Address: O. Gallery | Lane 18 Gao’An Road, Building #6, Xuhui District, Shanghai.
The Elephant that Stayed in the Room
Saturday, December 01 - Saturday, December 15, 2012
Opening reception for the artist: Thursday, December 6th, from 6:30 to 9 pm
“If the image can’t tell the story, and it needs further explanation, then it isn’t art.” new international artist Ziyu often responds to those who questions what is the concept or meaning of her drawings and paintings. Fusing together animals and interiors (sometimes exteriors) where the animals are least likely to appear, and manipulating subtly of perspective, artist Ziyu challenges our expectations as viewers in her first solo exhibition. Ziyu’s works often fool the viewer with a playful and saturated surface. However, on detailed observation, one discovers tensions and conflicts abound. This may be the tension between the creature and its surrounding or it could be the conflict between the viewer and the painting itself. Thus, come have a say about whether it’s truly impossible to have an elephant roam about a Roman themed Italian room. Just be ware that there may be a giraffe peeking at you from the Chinese garden pavilion right by.
Each of Ziyu’s works is also a sagacious, often critical, statement. For instance, this show triggers us to move beyond art. In our normal mindsets, these odd scenarios do not readily appear within the boundaries that we have set for ourselves, just like how we have set up both peaceful and violent boundaries between nationalities, communities, and species. October 2012 article “Blood Ivory” in National Geographic laments the death of 25,000 elephants poached last year. Sino-Japan recent island conflict doesn’t stretch far from the idea either, not to mention the tensions among many different groups in the world currently. It’s interesting. The tribulations we would go through to have ourselves believe that we are protecting our sense of nation, community, and defending ourselves against external influences like an elephant maliciously visiting out elegant rooms, are actually quite overwhelming.
You are, therefore, invited to the “The Elephant that Stayed in the Room” Exhibition Opening on December 6th, Thursday, 6:30pm with an open mind and perspectives of your own. Address: O. Gallery | Lane 18 Gao’An Road, Building #6, Xuhui District, Shanghai.
