Once upon a Time –
A Group Exhibition of Contemporary Photography
Feb 25, 2012-Mar 31, 2012
Wang Qingsong, He Chongyue, Chen Jiagang
Text/ Gallery100
When compared to other approaches to creativity, the artistic form of photography captures both what can be seen and what goes unnoticed in one fleeting real moment in time, the moment that a picture is taken. In any discussion of the concept of visual objects, photography is of unparalleled importance. Moreover, photography has played an important role in the discussion of social and political issues throughout the development of contemporary Chinese art. The exhibition “Once upon a Time – A Group Exhibition of Contemporary Photography, invites the middle-generation Chinese photographic artists Wang Qingsong, He Chongyue, and Chen Jiagang to discuss the changing landscape and cultural phenomenon in China over the years, in their own inimical styles
Wang Qingsong was a renowned Avant-garde artist in China since the 80’s. His photographic scenes are imbued with the spirit of mundane and even rough and vulgar life, reflecting the unique narrative logic of the development of contemporary Chinese art and its reaction to western aesthetic values. His pictures are replete with semiotic meaning representing calmness and humor, combined to create the dramatic tension of a story and unique observations of current events. In Wang’s two most recent works “Goddess” and “Temple”, the fantastic and bizarre scenes depicted are an extension of the artist’s unique visual aesthetic. In his early works the artist used various objects to satirize gradually changing photographic arrangements and their embrace of a more modern deadpan photographic style. At the same time, his works also correspond to changes in Chinese social consciousness and the political-economic situation in China in the post-911 world. Wang’s works have been collected by art museums around the world and he is frequently invited to take part in international exhibitions. In 2011 he participated in the Arles Photography Festival in France; in 2010, his seminal work “Follow Me” was displayed as part of a touring exhibition at museums across Spain; in 2006 he attended the ICP Triennial in the United States.
He Chongyue adopts a more social documentary type approach as
he visits the dramatic changes that have taken place in Greater China.
He takes the memories of this era and locks them into each of his works,
so that they stand as a silent testament to history. One of the pieces
he shows at the current exhibition it titled “Former Residence of Liu
Wencai”. The owner of the house Liu Wencai was targeted during the
Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and is presented as a villain in “Rent
Collection Courtyard”. Li was a member of the gentry in rural Sichuan,
who however was labeled as one of the “Black Five” during the Cultural
Revolution and from then on deliberately portrayed as a reactionary
local despot who exploited the peasantry. The red flag on the wall is a
testament to a time in the past when politics dominated everything,
whereas the mottled stains speak to an infinite melancholy. He’s
photography works have consistently been one of the best mediums for
the West to observe the changes taking place in Chinese society. One of
his most important series of works “A Billion to One” was displayed at
the Valencia Contemporary Art Center in Spain in 2008; in 2007, he
took part in the exhibition “Toward the Post-Century” curated by
renowned Chinese curator Gao Minglu.
Chen Jiagang is particularly adept at crafting pictures that
are infused with a sense of eastern charm. The female roles implanted
into those pictures tend to have a semiotic meaning that transcends
gender, but rather symbolize the values and archetypes of traditional
eastern society. As part of the photographic process the artist spent
much time visiting out of the way places known by few and consigned to
history. Through his camera lens Chen reawakens memories long forgotten
memories as part of the process of modern urbanization. When
contrasted with this primitive environmental narrative the gentle
characters seen convey a sense of sentiment and nostalgia for the past.
This combination ensures that Chen Jiagang’s photographic works are
infused with an aesthetic experience based on conflict and nearly
surrealist impression in his pictures. His recent work “Sample Room”,
presents a sumptuous scene that genuinely depicts the absurd values and
lifestyle faced by the preeminence of socialism as Chinese society
changes. His works have been in the acquisition of MoMA in the United
States and the Valencia Contemporary Art Center also.