Hosted by Springs Center of Art, “Negatives of Idols” - Wang Guangyi Solo Exhibition is about to open at the gallery on November 16, 2014. Springs Center of Art has been committed to combing through and researching Chinese contemporary art, starting from the inaugural exhibition “Fang Lijun 2013” to the last show “1960” series group exhibition, it presented a linear thinking on Chinese contemporary art in the gallery, and the solo exhibition of Wang Guangyi is an important part of the combing through and research. The audiences are able to closely see the new works by Wang Guangyi which have been created in recent years at the show.

As we all know Wang Guangyi was one of the important proponents and a participant of the Chinese new art movement in the 1980s. Wang was famous for his work “The Great Criticism” series, expressing the great criticism culture of the “cultural revolution” which changed to the new consumerism culture, while his new works created in recent years showcased a profundity and was condensed which is different with the previous ones. His creative theme turns to the thinking of human, religion, politics, and philosophy, leading the viewer see a deeper thought connotation, Wang Guangyi’s new works apply our familiar schemas, images, symbols, from the classical religious paintings to the images of political characters, it uses photographic negatives to process them, although it uses rather traditional painting techniques, he refers to the “mechanical way” to give the paintings an elusive ambiguous meaning, the pigments flowing on the canvas create a huge contrast with the gray-black background, directly breaking the inherent relationship involved in these images, forming a different effect, thus it reopens the possibility for the viewer to have a new interpretation of these elements, meanwhile constantly suggesting that the viewer has a strange meaning behind the structure of images.

“The more confused and lost the era where people live is, the more spiritual guidance they want, and they are often diverted from the unbiased and fair feeling or diverted from the instinctive individual private wish; Examining it, explaining it while also guiding the trend of the material world. This is a kind of spirit that people search for, so in the long history of human, spiritual avatars where the past idols become the happening idols.” Through “Negatives of Idols” series of work the artist questions the public and himself, “What is the common thing between the great utopias? What kind of charm does Utopia offer humans? Why does everyone think it is necessary to place belief on a certain image or character?

When human society and history of art develop to the present moment; when all perfect or incomplete form connotations develop towards today, it seems that we need to stop and think, in the past we were infatuated with the pursuit itself, which seems to have surpassed what we pursue. Through work, Wang Guangyi proposes some related issues, but doesn’t give a definite answer, perhaps it is his wisdom, perhaps when we want to find the answer to this question, we will fall into the shackle of searching for an image to place in the self-belief once again.

About the exhibition

Opening Reception: at 16:00 on November 16, 2014

Duration: November 16 - December 31, 2014

Venue: Springs Center of Art – 798 Art District, No.2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Courtesy of the artist and Spring Center of Art, for further information please visit www.springsart.com.