Deity, Multi-Material (Watercolor, Watercolor, Acrylic, Oil Stick), 109.2 x 78.2 cm, 2021
On the afternoon of March 20, artist Zhao Zhao's new exhibition "Zhao Zhao" opened at the First Space of Contemporary Tang Art Center in Beijing, with Cui Cancan as curator.
If we can still call "now" a complete world, its spiritual character must be division and ambiguity. Different systems, multiple standards, and differentiated values have shaken the traditions and art we take for granted to the greatest extent possible.
Spread, Composite Material, Cotton, 180 x 150 cm, 2021
Deity, Multi-Material (Watercolor, Watercolor, Acrylic, Oil Stick), 109.2 x 78.2 cm, 2021
As an iconic figure of a new generation of art, Zhao Zhao has pioneered a new way of working, his artistic vision is extremely broad, and his work and life also span many fields. From the establishment of the tide brand, the design of the brand, the management of the space, the compilation of the series of books, to the collection of ancient cultural relics and the almost demanding study of the way of life. Zhao Zhao breaks the boundaries between conceptual artists, fashion designers and public stars, and smooths out the gap between art and life and life.
The uniqueness of art is eclipsed by the bizarre and indecisive work, but the new work also redefines art and makes it incredible. Zhao Zhao has dabbled in a wide range of arts, including 2,000-year-old Han figurines, limited edition sneakers, extinct Tocharian, white cotton, marble bamboo ladders, quick instant noodles, shooting glass, LV bags, Buddhist spells, etc. They are extensive and complex, involving almost all the most typical trends and genres of the era. Zhao Zhao has applied and opened up the possibility of multiple media without inhibition, involving many different fields, cultural relics, books, art, design, text, pictures, goods, advertising, and building a window for us to enter the complex world.
Zhao Zhao created art that both belonged to this era and could fight against this era. They are traditional, they are contemporary, they are commoners, they are literati, they are pedantic, they are commercial, they are consumable, they are eternal, they are regional, and they are also of the world. Sometimes they're extremely precise, only YES or NO, and sometimes they're so vague that it's boring and completely irrelevant.
In this exhibition, Zhao Zhao confronts chaos with chaos and reproduces complexity with complexity. What he presents is not a single point of view and slice, nor is it a heavy criticism of reality in previous exhibitions, a seemingly real conceptual clue. What Zhao Zhao shows is this indescribable era itself, the multiple overlaps of reality, the state of unbounded spread, and the paradoxical conclusions make the world confusing. They are closer to reality than "refinement" and "generalization", so that behind these works of art, it is difficult to clearly describe the emptiness beneath the hard exterior, or, conversely, the deep gaze behind the softness.
This is an unfamiliar world of art, where art seems ambiguous, empty and boring, but it is troublesome. But what kind of emptiness is art that has lost its ambiguity, emptiness, and boredom? Andy Warhol says the department store is a museum. Nowadays, if you think about it, the whole world is a museum.
Black Mirror Starry Sky, Copper, Glass, 260 x 180 cm x 3pics, 2021
Spread, Synthetic Material, Cotton, 200 x 400 cm, 2021
Idol Series, Multi-Material (Watercolor, Watercolor, Acrylic, Oil Stick), 109.2 x 78.2 cm, 2021
"China Ladder", Han Baiyu, Size Variable, 2019
Self-Discipline Series, Acrylic on Canvas, 200 x 200 cm, 2021
About the artist
Zhao Zhao was born in 1982 in Xinjiang, China, and now lives and works in Beijing and Los Angeles. In his works, he uses a variety of media to transform realistic themes and art forms, focusing on the relationship between individual consciousness and the social field in which it is located. In his creations, he pays attention to and shows the subtle changes in the human heart under the influence of multiculturalism. The concept of the combination of contemporary art expression and traditional culture that appears in his works is a metaphor for people's living conditions in today's global context and the real state of life in modern society. At the same time, the work also reflects his attitude towards the coexistence of collectivism and individual ideals.
Sprawl series
"Up and Down" series, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 200 cm, 2021.JPG
Exhibition site
In recent years, Zhao Zhao's bold and radical artistic practice has won the attention of the international community, and he has held solo exhibitions and solo projects at The Alexander Oaks Gallery in Berlin, the Carl Kostyál Foundation in Stockholm, Roberts & Tilton in Los Angeles, the Maebo Gallery in New York, the Mizuku Gallery in Japan, the Great Future Linshe Gallery in Taipei, the Tang Contemporary Art Center in Hong Kong, the Tang Contemporary Art Center in Beijing, the Beijing Art Archive Warehouse, the Beijing Song Art Museum, and the Beijing He Art Center. His works have also been exhibited in group exhibitions and collected by several institutions, including MoMA PS1 in New York, Tampa Art Museum in Florida, Ukiyapek Art Center in Kiev, Göningen Art Museum in The Netherlands, Asian Art Museum in Berlin, Hamburg Railway Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Padiglione Museum of Contemporary Art in Milan, Italy, National Museum of 21st Century in Rome, France, Castro Center for Contemporary Art in Spain, White Rabbit Art Museum in Sydney, Australia, M+ Art Museum, West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong, Beijing Minsheng Museum of Contemporary Art, Beijing Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, New Century Contemporary Art Foundation, Beijing Taikang Space, Chengdu Luhu· A4 Art Museum, Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai Star Art Museum, Shanghai Ming Contemporary Art Museum, Tianjin Art Museum, Hubei Art Museum, He Xiangning Art Museum, Wuhan University Wanlin Art Museum, 2019 Wuzhen Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition, Yokohama Triennial, Japan, etc. He has also carried out a number of art collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Land Rover, Nike NIKE, VANS, Venvennet and other brands.
Self-discipline, acrylic on canvas, 250 x 200 cm, 2021
In 2019, Zhao Zhao won the 13th AAC Art China Artist of the Year Award; in 2017, his work "Taklamakan Project" was selected as the poster and album background of the "Yokohama Triennial", in the same year, Zhao Zhao was selected by CoBo as a Top 10 Chinese Artist and nominated for the 11th AAC Art China Young Artist of the Year Award; in 2014, Zhao Zhao was listed by Modern Painters as one of the 25 most noteworthy artists in the world.
About the curators
Cui Cancan is an independent curator and writer who is active in various fields.
The main exhibitions and activities curated have been nearly 100 since 2012, and the group exhibitions include Night Walking on the Black Bridge, Rural Washing, Cutting and Blowing, FUCKOFF II, Action Not in the Picture, Six Rings and Five Rings, Ten Nights, Wanzhang High-rise Buildings, 2015-2019 New Year Special Project Series, Curatorial Classes, Nine-Story Towers, etc. His solo exhibitions include Bao Xiaowei, Chen Danqing, Chen Yufan, Chen Yujun, Feng Lin, Han Dong, He Yunchang, Huang Yishan, Jiang Bo, Li Binyuan, Liu Gangshun, Liu Jianhua, Li Qing, Li Ji, Li Zhanyang, Mu'er, Ma Ke, Mao Yan, Qin Ga, Qin Qi, Sui Jianguo, Shi Jiezi Art Museum, Shi Jinsong, Shen Shaomin, Tan Ping, Wang Qingsong, Xie Nanxing, Xia Xiaowan, Xia Xing, Xiao Yu, Xu Zhongmin, Xu Xiaoguo, Zong Ning, Zheng Chunban, Zhang Yue, Zhao Zhao, etc.
He has won the CCAA Chinese Contemporary Art Criticism Youth Honorary Award, the YISHU Chinese Contemporary Art Criticism Award, the Art Power List Annual Exhibition Award and Curator Award, the Art News Asia Art Contribution Award Lincoln Curator Nomination, the Contemporary Art News Annual Best Artist Solo Exhibition, the Beijing Gallery Week Best Exhibition Award, and the Annual Curator or Artistic Contribution Award of many media.
Source: Art China
Edit: Qingqing
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