17 November, 2015–10 January, 2016

Theatre of Paper, a group exhibition

Group exhibition that showcases a prime selection of painting, installation, and video works by six Chinese contemporary artists: Ni Haifeng b. 1964, Qin Feng b. 1961, Qin Yufen b. 1954, Qiu Deshu b. 1948, Shen Chen b. 1955, and Lan Zhenghui b. 1959.

Shanghai

Overview

Pearl Lam Galleries is pleased to present Theatre of Paper, a group exhibition that showcases a prime selection of painting, installation, and video works by six Chinese contemporary artists: Ni Haifeng b. 1964, Qin Feng b. 1961, Qin Yufen b. 1954, Qiu Deshu b. 1948, Shen Chen b. 1955, and Lan Zhenghui b. 1959.

As the earliest artists in China to experiment with abstract or conceptual art in the 1980s, living between two or more different cultures—either physically or spiritually—each artist has forged a unique language of art in the past three decades. In light of this, Theatre of Paper aims to reveal the subtlety and sensitivity of each individual artist’s practice in the indefinable and shifting transitions from one culture to another and vice versa. Rather than try to make generalised statements to frame these artists in overarching artistic theories, each artist should be seen as an individual working in his/her own personalised micro-theatre. This exhibition encourages audiences to look at each artist’s works on their own terms, both visually and intellectually. Each artist depicts his or her own reality with different possibilities in today’s globalised world, where tradition plays a vital role and is a key factor in encouraging local–global dialogues in an unbiased way. Therefore, the micro-theatre of an artist can be imagined as a subversive micro-utopia that challenges the homogeneity of culture and hegemony of capitalism.

Invisible threads linking to Chinese ink painting tradition can be traced in the practice of artists such as Shen Chen. Referencing traditional painting technique, the artist says, “My works are composed of the most simple brushstrokes. Overlapping parts of strokes form black strips (yong bi), while the space between brushstrokes makes white lines (liu bai). I use both the entire brush and the corner of a brush.” Shen Chen achieves the state of freedom and transcendence as pursued in literati painting, but in a conceptual and time-condensed manner embodied in repetitive strokes.

Selected works