Shanghart Gallery (inside Fuxing Park)
Opening Time: daily 10:00-19:00
at ShanghART in May 2003
- May 22-June 20, 2003: "What do you really know about yourself?", Liu
Jianhua solo exhibition of porcelain works.
(Opening: May 22, 6:00pm, Shanghart Gallery, Gaolan Rd. 2A, Inside Fuxing
Park)
When ShanghART first showed Liu Jianhua's porcelain works two years ago - figures of headless and armless woman, clad in 'Qipao' dressses and placed in provocative poses on dinner plates (everything made in Jingdezhen, the famous centre for Chinese porcelain for centuries) - the works of the 40year old artist created a splash. His unique vision, realized with excellent technical skill and love for details got a lot of attention from the media and the public.
Liu Jianhua established himself quickly as a new force in Chinese contemporary art and as one of the most creative sculpture artist.
This year Liu Jianhua is selected as one of five artists to represent China at the Venice Biennale in Italy.
In June, Liu Jianhua's works will also be shown at large exhibition of Chinese art at the famous Centre Pompidou in Paris.
The ShanghART exhibition will document the development of Liu Jianhua's works since our last exhibition two years ago. The exhibition will feature works from the following series: <<Colour Ceramic--Play>> (2000/1) <<Colour Ceramic--Obsessive Memories>> (2001/2, <<Building inverted reflection in water>> (2002 and some works of most recent series <<Regular Imagination>> (2002/3), which - realized in celadon and white porcelain - is a radical departure from Liu Jianhua's colorful works of the last years.
About <<Regular Imagination>> 2002-2003
While creating my series of painted sculpture, in 2000, I encountered the idea to experiment in a totally different way. I started the whole plan in Kunming and Jingdezhen in July 2002 and began use the materials of celadon and white porcelain clay. Nowadays, the surface of life is full of over-abundance and quick-changing processes. "Simplicity”, as well as “purity”, seem far away from our sight and expectation.
I duplicated things we are familiar with in daily life and produced them in celadon and white porcelain clay under high temperature. The pieces are what we know and recall. But after this kind of transformation, also put in a different situation, different space, different layout they will bring different inspirations to the audience: happiness, misery, excitement, dreams, secrets, terrors etc.. What’s more, porcelain has the characteristics of being hard in surface, but extremely fragile, which means that any pattern or fantasy is permanent in reality. People will live in a kind of fruitless circumstance and illusory mood, forever ….
--Liu Jianhua, March, 2003
Liu Jianhua, born in Ji'an, Jiangxi Province in 1962, he worked in the Manufacturing Section of the Jingdezhen Pottery & Porcelain Sculpturing Factory for 8 years (1977-1985). He graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Jingdezhen Pottery & Porcelain College. Today he lives and works in Kunming and Jingdezhen.
Liu Jianhua's works will be shown at this years Venice Biennale (Chinese Pavilion) and in the large Chinese Art exhibition in the Centre Pompidou in Paris (both exhibitions opening in June 2003).
For further infos, photos etc. please contact ShanghART at:
Tel：(86) 21- 6359 3923 or 5382 0418
Fax：(86) 21- 63594570
Email：shanghart@shanghart.com
Website：www.shanghart.com
Pictures for press usage (click on the pictures to enlarge):
Liu Jianhua
Colour Sereis-Potted Landscape
2002
ceramic sculpture
Liu Jianhua
Building inverted reflection in water
2002
ceramic sculpture
41x9x195cm