BE THERESpringtimePresented by Stux Gallery March 22, 2007- April 21, 2007Reception: March 22, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmWei Dong
Growing up in China under the watchful eye of Mao’s red guard, sexual fantasies and freedoms were forcibly repressed. Socialist realism was the standard fair in the art academies of the time, and as a result, any hint of sexual or erotic expression was taboo. Upon entering the United States in 1991, Wei Dong’s preoccupation with the root of erotic desires as a young adult were given free reign over his canvases, resulting in grandiose explorations of the flesh. As apparent in the current show, in these new works, the matured artist practices “self expression with restraint.” In the artist's words, "I paint others’ faces and bodies, but it’s mostly a very personal experience... about my perception of other people, my own feelings. I even see myself in certain figures.” The paintings on view at Stux, with color palettes that recall 15th and 16th century Italian painting, feature for the first time some Western looking faces in addition to the Eastern faces that populate Wei Dong’s works. This new interest can be attributed to the artist’s consistent exposure to the consumer-based culture of the United States by way of fashion magazines and newspapers. It is the artist’s intention to create a new visual language consisting of disparate individual sources, similar, in a way, to how individual Chinese characters convey a meaning beyond their uniqueness as images. A fully illustrated color catalogue, titled WEI DONG: SPRINGTIME, will accompany the exhibition. The catalogue includes an interview by Joe Martin Hill, a contributing critic for Art in America and Art Asia Pacific. Joe Hill is currently on the team supporting Robert Storr in the preparation of the Venice Biennale, opening in June 2007. Wei Dong has exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world with exhibitions at Chinese Contemporary Art Gallery, London, UK; Oriental Foundation, Macao, China; National Contemporary Art Gallery, Beijing, China; Jack Tilton Gallery, New York; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea; Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong; La Biennale de Issy, France; Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong; Estella Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; Arndt & Partner Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland; Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York; Goteborg Art Museum, Goteborg, Sweden. Reviews of Springtime
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