What Lies Beneath the Image: Jiang Guozhe Solo Show

June 29th, 2013 - August 6th, 2013

“Seesaw,” 70 x 30, 2012“Candle,” 70 x 30cm, 2012“Wing,” oil on canvas, 70 x 70, 2012“Breathe,” oil on canvas, 70 x 70, 2012 “Little Horse Crossing the River,” oil on canvas, 70 x 70, 2012 “Legend of the Brave,” oil on canvas, 130 x 97cm, 2011“Life is a Stage,” oil on canvas,130 x100cm, 2012“Two Ears” oil on canvas, 130 x 97, 2012“No One Knows Your Situation,” 150 x 120, 2012“Fractured Ideals,” oil on canvas, 200 x150cm, 2012“If Man Could Control His Fate,” oil on canvas, 200 x 150 cm, 2012 “I Love You, Every One of You,” oil on canvas, 235 x 150, 2012
“A Thing I Barely Remember,” oil on canvas, 230 X 150, 2012“Night Blindness,” oil on canvas, 200 x 150 cm, 2012“Contravening Common Sense,” oil on canvas, 130 x 97cm, 2012

After several years of introspection Jiang Guozhe has made a transition in his practice: rather than painting from a photograph he is now exploring the “idea of the image,” of “composition,” “narrative” and the concept of painting itself.

In these multilayered canvases we see him construct evasive narratives with characters which seem to repeat themselves across the picture plane or find themselves in interesting relationships to the other characters/objects on the canvas. In these works we find always an aura of uncertainty — a story with myriad possible endings.

This body of work stands out in that it seeks constantly to challenge the conventions of painting, for instance “what constitutes a subject?,” “what constitutes a background?” and “how is space defined?”

We see parts of subjects becoming blurred, or becoming wholly swallowed up by the background and three-dimensional and two-dimensional objects existing within the same space. It’s a pivotal body of work for Jiang Guozhe and thus a fitting choice for his first solo show in China.

Opening: Saturday, June 29, 2013, 4-7pm

Artists: Jiang Guozhe
 
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