The cognition of artwork is limited by time. People are often confused by a new exhibition then many years later consider the works to be masterpieces. What do we see when we are facing a vanishing point? The title of the exhibition “Vanishing Point” comes from Chinese artist Gong Xinru’s artwork “Highway”. A vanishing point in linear perspective means to draw parallel lines as not parallel but intersecting at a point which, in fact, can never be reached. The painting “Highway” shows a vanishing point emerging from the end of a traffic lane and lines, both concrete and abstract.

In the 1970’s, an American movie director, Richard C. Sarafian provided us with such a possibility through his film “Vanishing Point”, showing that “ordinary life may run to a rampaging just by little chance”. Here we discover another meaning of "vanishing point", which is “the final limit”. It might seem to be a theme of negative energy, but the idea is that when we are forced to the final limit, miracles often happen at the last minute.

This exhibition also has two Japanese artist Masahiro Masuda and Ken Hamaguchi. Masahiro Masuda’s specialty is staggering and overlapping multiple movie screens. They then solidify into a new spooky but charming scene. Ken Hamaguchi is famous at showing blonde girls in bondage with Buddhist sutra written over the surface in black ink.

We can read the restless or anxious expressions on the drivers faces hidden in luxury vehicles in Gong’ artwork, we can see staggered and abstract screens which were originally realistic in Masuda’s silkscreens, and we can read subtext from characters of the golden age in Hamaguchi’s painting, We can see the challenges of different responses and possibilities in the exhibition at that moment when we face the vanishing point!

About the exhibition

Opening: Sep 7,2014 (Sun) -- Oct 19,2014 (Sun)

Duration: 10:00 -- 18:00

Venue: Rm 103/208, Building3, No.50 Moganshan Rd, Shanghai,China

Tel/Fax: 86 21 52527198/86 21 52527198

Artists: Gong Xinru Masahiro Masuda Ken Hamaguchi

Courtesy of the artists and Shun Art Gallery.