New Exhibition: 14 Sept

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From the Countryside to the City II
Oil Paintings by Shen Hua

Vernissage: 13 Sept 2007 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Exhibition: 14 Sept - 10 Oct 2007

Schoeni Art Gallery is proud to announce the second solo exhibition of exclusive artist Shen Hua, one of our emerging talents. Due to the popularity of Shen Hua's debut, "From the Countryside to the City II" has been highly anticipated and will be held on 13 September 2007. Shen Hua struggled with class divisions and financial difficulty in his youth, and overcoming these by dedicating himself to his burgeoning artistic career was not an easy route to take. The fruits of his artistic ambition paid off when his unique flair and talent were recognized and he was selected by renowned artist Luo Zhong Li to be trained under his exclusive tutelage at the prominent Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts. Today, Shen Hua at the age of 34, is pursuing an illustrious career as a full time artist. The tuition of his 3-year Masters degree is sponsored entirely by Schoeni Art Gallery, in celebration of the promise and potential that we see in Shen Hua's work, and we are pleased to share with you how much he has evolved artistically.

Shen Hua's second collection of works still clearly articulate an aesthetic that emotively represents the Chinese proletariat in so far as his palette and motif are concerned - again, his trademark dwarfed characters are muddied up and their "designer" clothing is disheveled and mismatched. Shen Hua's manner of expression borrows from the Expressionism era, in terms of technique and artistic ambition, like Van Gogh, he is very much enamored by the integrity of the proletariat, although arguably not in the Marxist, or indeed political sense. For Shen Hua, this manner of representation aims to portray his fellow peer in a manner that is truthful to their natural state of being in the context of our modern world. Although Shen Hua communicates a fondness for his characters' humility, there is something slightly tongue-in-cheek about their muddled clumsiness and crude mannerisms. Thick impasto and emotionally charged brush strokes capture the raw edge to Shen Hua's mode of expression, but also the candour and unrefined appearance of his subjects.

Admitting that he himself identifies with his subject, Shen Hua reminisces:

"When I first came to the city from the countryside, I felt that everybody was staring at me walking down the street - it made me feel uneasy. To look down on farmers and manual workers has become deeply imprinted in the minds many city people, especially in China. Today's manual worker's fate is no different to mine. This collection is to express the feeling that they are helpless and lonely beneath this critical gaze from those in the city." (Shen Hua, 2007)

With keen psychological insight and candour, Shen Hua has identified a point of social commentary, and indeed critique. It is undeniably true that many look down on the uncouth mannerisms and unrefined stature of these country people, and through this effect Shen Hua artistically satirises the moral decadence or our modern condition. In this collection, Shen Hua has taken his manipulation of space one step further by adopting a new technique into his stylistic lexicon. Although his figures still seem shrunken to fit into the frame of his canvas, some of his works have been painted on both sides of the 2-dimensional surface of the canvas and then mounted between two retaining panels of plexiglass to enhance the dimensionality of the double-sided image, and indeed add a completely new dimension into the viewing experience. Ironically, Shen Hua is also asking the viewer, or indeed city person, to closely inspect and stare at his subjects from the countryside whilst he forcibly creates a mobile perspective. This technique plays with wit and metaphor to foster satirical nuances that are aimed at our intrinsic values as a society. Shen Hua describes his constraints felt towards the spatial restriction of 2-dimension, and in keeping with his Expressionist desires, feels that "2-dimensional works are too limited to express my emotions, I would like to introduce a new aspect of space in the form of sculptural inspiration into my works to try and express the relationship between the object and its surroundings."

With this new technique, the showcasing of Shen Hua's new works is considerably heightened by the high-gloss factor of the reflective plexiglass, subtle details are significantly enhanced and the muted palette lent a lucid vitality. There is a new dynamism to Shen Hua's latest collection that will surprise and delight. With this exhibition, we invite you to view our newly renovated gallery space and revamped website that will be completed to coincide with the opening of, "From the Countryside to the City II".

Written by Alexandra Hamlyn

Click for artist's biography
Click on image for an enlarged view.

Portrait
Oil on Canvas
84 x 66 cm, 2006

Manual Workers Series No. 26
Oil on Canvas
180 x 210 cm, 2006

Manual Workers Series No. 29
Oil on Canvas
220 x 396 cm, 2007

Stare - Worker (front & back)
Oil on Canvas mounted between acrylic sheets
230 x 120 cm, 2007

A catalogue will be released in conjunction with this exhibition.
For high resolution images, interview arrangements or further information please contact Selina Liu.

Exhibition venue: Main Gallery, 21-31 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong.

Opening Date: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Thursday, 13 Sept 2007

Exhibition runs: 14 Sept - 10 Oct 2007
Monday - Saturday 10:30 am - 6:30 pm.
Closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Contact Details: Selina Liu, Tel: +852 2869-8802 Fax: +852 2522-1528
gallery@schoeni.com.hk www.schoeni.com.hk