LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil on canvas

Measurements:

71.65 in. (182.00 cm.) (height) by 89.37 in. (227.00 cm.) (width)

Markings:

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom right

Exhibited:

EXHIBITED：1996，China!，Kunstmuseum Bonn，Bonn，Germany1996，China!，Haus der Kulturen der Welt，Berlin，Germany1997，China!，Vienna Künstlerhaus，Vienna，Austria2006，Art Miami，Miami，USAThis work is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity with artist’s signature issued by Schoeni Art Gallery，Hong KongImaginary World of Zhang GongZhang Gong was born in 1959 in Beijing.In 1993，he earned a Master’s degree of Fine Arts from the Central Academy of Arts and Design.He is currently a Professor at the Information Department of Art and Design at Tsinghua University.Zhang Gong draws his inspiration from popular culture，in turn creating works in the surrealist style.In addition to graphic painting，his animated works have found equal success.In 2003，he won the 3rd Animation Academy Awards at the Animation School of Beijing Film Academy；the following year，he won Best Short Film and the Jury Award at the Lyon Asian Film and Culture Festival，which led to him becoming a regular attendee of European and Asian film festivals.His works are characterized by a strong narrative style.Starting in the 1990’s，he became active on the painting scene，early on holding several solo exhibitions at the Schoeni Art Gallery.In 2012，he was invited to hold a solo exhibition at the Tokyo Gallery，and in 2014，he hosted a solo exhibition at Hong Kong’s Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery.Last year，he held a solo exhibition at the Klein Sun Gallery in New York.His works have joined the collections of the M+ Museum in Hong Kong，the Asia Society in New York，London’s Saatchi Gallery，and the Beijing Artists Association.Computer Virus No.4（1995），one of the artist’s earlier works，depicts the fascinating world of contemporary consumer culture.The painting divides up the world into the left and right halves：the focus of the right side is on Chairman Mao，representing an old-time communist China classroom scene and portraying Mao in a shining light，however the students in the classroom already seem to have become influenced by the penetration of Marilyn Monroe，symbolizing the trend towards western culture；on the left side，one can see many representations of capitalism，like Sony Pictures Entertainment，a Marlboro tobacco building，and the steaming chimney of a Coca-Cola factory，with a small group of people rushing forward as if to show that these are the trends of the times.The popular culture of capitalism is portrayed as being the computer virus of the world that rapidly changes the values of present day society.“Chinese society and culture underwent great change in the 1990’s.Popular culture has been driven by economic trends，taking center stage and pushing culture to the side，” Art critic Fan Di’an said of Zhang Gong’s art.“His artwork is positioned atop this type of changing backdrop.He happily combs through the cultural fragments of the times，and tries to unfold each of them through art.By combining our memory of that fragment with a physical image of it，he managed to create a symbiotic co-existence between these two manifestations.” All of these aspects illustrate the unique perspective of the artist.In Zhang Gong’s 1996 Brave Tom series of works，the artist transforms himself into a child.Zhang Gong said of the series of works，“Tom is a stateless boy，a child of the world.He is daring，and is the type to fall over without crying.What adults think of as good things，Tom does not necessarily agree；things that adults may not undertake，Tom very well may give them a try.He is always relishing in new and exciting things.” Through this child，Zhang Gong is able to open up and explore the world.In one image，Tom is seen embracing a bottle of Coca-Cola，a representation of capitalism；in another，he is lying hunched over a tabletop，contemplating the composition of the universe.The works are like his diary，writing down each and every one of his thoughts.The most delicate job for any gallery is to identify and select those very few artists，who have the capacity to become well-known amongst collectors，institutions and museums，who have that extra charisma and who are driven by willpower to achieve recognition and success through their artistic interpretation，without compromising their integrity for commercial reasons.Zhang Gong is one of these artists，who I believe，fulfils all these criteria and therefore has a very bright future.From the moment he opened the door to his home，to the time I saw his large canvas Family Scene only minutes had elapsed，but already I had made up my mind to include Zhang Gong as one of our gallery’s exclusive artists.Zhang Gong impressed me with his natural smile，his impeccable manners and his readiness to paint for two years to prepare his one-man show.His personality demonstrated the same discipline on his canvas.After some discussion，I knew I both could trust him and wait two years for him to create more intricate paintings full of the new ideas，colour and movement，which I so much admired.Zhang Gong is a teacher at the Central Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing.He has the unique gift of observing，digesting and interpreting what he sees around him，then putting that vision on canvas with humour and gusto.He chronicles the changes in China and the peoples’ attitude towards modernization，particularly emphasizing their cramped living quarters，which he knows only too well.Before painting a new canvas，Zhang Gong usually paints a smaller version，including all the detail，on a wooden board.This explains both his love and use of detail，which he executes with utmost precision.─Manfred Schoeni

Literature:

LITERATURE：1996，China!，Kunstmuseum Bonn（Bonn Museum of Modern Art），Germany，p.153