30 July – 12 September 2004
Having exhibited the work of Guo Wei in our touring exhibition, Representing the People (1999) we are delighted to be showing his new work alongside that of his friend and mentor He Duoling.
Reflecting on his training in drawing Guo Wei’s work, with its focus on aspects of everyday life, pays close attention to movement and posture. In his latest series he once again takes teenagers as the subject, capturing what he calls their ‘restlessness’. Through body language his paintings capture the humour of interrelationships; the cheeky side glances, the mocking laughter, the indifference and the riving for attention.
He Duoling’s work has been admired for its ability to communicate emotion, particularly melancholy and sadness. In this exhibition he presents examples from a recent body of work entitled Family. Reflecting on the current structure of family in China, the paintings present a central image of a baby (the one child of contemporary China’s ‘One Child Policy’) onto a backdrop of classical dynastic familial scenes.
As two of the most recognised artists from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China they have actively supported younger artists. Although He Duoling and Guo Wei have shown extensively both internationally and within China, they have received little exposure in UK.
