News Releases -- Unveiled RealityMarch 31, 1999 Unveiled RealityVancouver, B.C. – From April 16 to May 31 Art Beatus presents an exhibition of photographs by 11 artists from China: Zhang Dali, Xu Tan, Zhu Jia, Yan Lei, Wang Wang Wang, Qiu Zhijie, Huang Yan, Geng Jianyi, Rong Rong, Zheng Guogu, An Hong. Unveiled Reality captures the fragmentation of the cultural identities of the communist turned ultra-capitalist People's Republic of China. In response to the unprecedented economic developments since the post-cold war era, many artists are using photography as a conceptual means to address the spiritual void of an emerging capitalist state. Unveiled Reality was first exhibited at the Art Centers at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok in January of 1999. Zhang Dali's profiles are articulately marked on street walls of selected districts in Beijing. In the midst of vigorous redevelopment of the city, the seemingly mundane profiles serve as a temporary landmark for the public to relate to the alarming physical changes in place. Like Zhang, Xu Tan tactfully documents the Boeing jets flying in and out of the city of Guangzhou. The once agricultural land has now been transformed into a metropolis, encapsulated by incessant aerial and ground movements. Zhu Jia places a provocative sign asking "Did they have sex?" in front of two anonymous pedestrians. Whether the two subjects actually know each other becomes irrelevant, as the audience have been led to believe their constructed identities. Yan Lei's photographs resemble the cover for VCD, which illustrate our inevitable obsession with body parts and media scandals. Wang Wang Wang creates imaginary worlds by juxtaposing former political leaders of the PRC with objects from the natural world. The images, made to be appeared on calendars, are subversive statement of ridicule, nostalgia and parody critical of the political climate. Rejecting the use of computer manipulation in photography, Qiu Zhijie believes that there is currently a crisis in the objectivity of photography. Qiu's self portrait with thumbtacks throughout his body is an attempt not to express the truthfulness of the photographic image. Huang Yan establishes a personal system of communication through a tabloid titled "Huang Yan News" with headlines of murder and folklore. By providing trivial myths, Huang exposes the over burden of information available to the public. Geng Jianyi documents the ID cards of a selected individual at different ages, and questions our definition of the subject's identity in terms of the different social roles she plays. Rong Rong's records disturbing images of cosmetic surgery from the street and encourages us to contemplate the different forms of social anomaly in a contemporary society. Zheng Guogu documents the daily lives of young people in Yang Jiang, a small town near Guangzhou. These seemingly casual photos are in-depth investigations of the social relationship of a community, who are subjected to the social influence of pop culture from Hong Kong. An Hong invents himself to become a buddha-like character with multiple personalities, a hybrid of a Chinese opera singer/Tibetan Monk/ Mickey mouse, whose religious power is capable of healing the carrier of sexual transmitted disease. Art Beatus, with galleries in Vancouver, Canada and Hong Kong, focuses on international contemporary Chinese art. The Vancouver gallery is on the upper plaza at 888 Nelson Street. For
further information, please contact: |