ZWX-Untitled Warrior25x10x7-1_2in
From Pit #5
Sculptures by Zhang Wanxin
4 to 26 July, 2008
Art Beatus Gallery
35-39 Graham Street,
Ground Floor, Central, Hong Kong
Opening reception: 4 July, 2008 (Friday), 6 – 8pm
来自五号坑
张万新 雕塑展
二ＯＯ八年七月四日至廿六日
精艺轩画廊
香港中环嘉咸街３５号地铺
开幕式：二ＯＯ八年七月四日（星期五） 下午六时至八时
Art Beatus Gallery is located on the ground floor of 35-39 Graham Street, Central,
near the junction with Hollywood Road and Lyndhurst Terrace (SOHO Area).
For further information about this exhibition or interview with the artist, please e-mail us at dyiu@artbeatus.com.hk or call at 2522-1138 / 2526-0818.
Gallery Hours: Mon. thr. Sat. 11:30am -7:30pm, close on Sundays & public holidays.
精艺轩画廊位于中环嘉咸街３５号地铺（近荷李活道与摆花街交界）。
画廊开放时间：星期一至六 11:30am-7:30pm 星期日及公众假期休息。
ZWX-Target27x15x8in
From Pit #5 - Sculptures by Zhang Wanxin
来自五号坑﹣张万新雕塑展
2008年7月4日至26日
开幕式：2008年7月4日（星期五） 下午6时至8时
精艺轩画廊 Art Beatus Gallery www.artbeatus.com
香港中环嘉咸街35-39号嘉豪大厦地下3号铺
Tel: (852) 2522.1138 e: dyiu@artbeatus.com.hk
精艺轩于7月展出著名旅美雕塑家张万新的个人作品。秦兵马俑坑至今挖掘出了四个坑，让世人看到两千年前秦朝兵马俑的面貌和浩瀚历史遗迹。而张万新在美国以艺术家的角度建造他的"五号坑"，他将当今的大千世界推进"五号坑"里，作品题材关注到人性，社会，政治等方面，跨越时空地给观众传递强烈震撼力。他的陶瓷人像作品充满现代气息并带有无国界的幽默感，令观众直接感受到作品的非凡气魄和深度，以多方位组合方式向观众报告文化传承与变迁带给人类精神上的冲击。
在"新兵马俑"系列，万新用现代人的眼光角度表现对古秦兵马俑的印象和情感。他大胆地为现代俑们脸部架上一副墨镜，这一简练笔触非但没有遮上心灵的窗口，反而加深了人物内在精神的张力。墨镜将个人的游移背景和万新对中西文化，政治和宗教相亦又相斥的疑惑扩展到群体现象。展出作品还有他对生活中人物形象的塑造系列，有朴实陕北老农形象；也有背靠红色深沉背景的门墙而坐的西装打扮普通现代人形象，为观众留下了可以充分发挥想象的空间，作品都显现出人文的意味和底蕴。还有耐人寻味的"红白十年"系列包括红袖章；毛像章；天安门等红色符号题材，显示艺术家自己经历文革岁月时留存心灵记忆里的色彩影像和故事。张万新在对秦陵文化的反思中找到了那种畸形的意识形态遗传的初根。似乎在"秦兵马俑"与"红卫兵"之间隐藏着一些引人深思的联系，有待观众去发掘和联想。
在美国十多年来，张万新专注艺术创作，认真研究中西文化精髓，致力追求自己作品的深度。他的作品极具品味和欣赏价值，他自然大气的雕塑手法及拙中见智的老辣方式显示他功底深厚；泥的走势，色的韵运即龙飞凤舞又不乏庄严，作品返璞归真似一气呵成，构图直率犷悍，充分显现了他独特的艺术天赋和深厚修养。
张万新于1992年赴美留学并获旧金山艺术大学雕塑硕士学位。2006年5月获得美国专业性极高的弗吉尼亚格瑞特(Virginia Groot)雕塑基金会的年度一等奖，是该基金会创办18年来的首位华人雕塑家获得的最高荣誉。近年来，张万新先后在旧金山，纽约，迈阿密，华盛顿，温哥华，圣地亚哥，怀俄名大学，和布发罗大学等地举办个展，联展及讲座，作品被广泛的收藏。其作品并被纽约大学著名艺术评论家朱迪，苏尔滋(Judith Schwartz) 编入续将在伦敦出版的新书，"Confrontational Ceramics" 一书中。
精艺轩画廊位于中环嘉咸街35号地铺（近荷李活道与摆花街交界）。画廊开放时间：星期一至六 11:30am-7:30pm 星期日及公众假期休息。
Report from Pit #5
Since 1974, four burial pits dating back to the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 – 207 BC) have been uncovered and excavated. Aside from the obvious historical and archaeological significances of those findings, the pit sites have also shocked the world with their magnificence and powerfulness of the battle formation of the Qin Terra-cotta warriors. San Francisco –based sculptor, Zhang Wanxin, has been offering an artistic perspective of new founds from Pit #5 in the United States since 1997.
Through his works, Wanxin has demonstrated his understanding of humanity as well as the fusion of the Eastern and Western cultures while pushing and piling these concepts onto pieces uncovered in his own pit.
In an act to blend the past, present, and future, he is conveying to audiences the spiritual and psychological impacts that cultural heritages and social changes have on generations of people.
This exhibition is the first time that Zhang Wanxin has exhibited in China after he moved to the United States in 1992. His name elicits both a sense of familiarity and strangeness in the contemporary Chinese art scene. Wanxin graduated from the Lu Xun Art Institute in 1985. Shortly after the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989, one of his works, a pair of black sheep made from metal scraps, was selected for the 7th National Art Exhibition in Beijing. That piece, named “Season,” appealed to many due to its unique style, distinct character, and mature techniques. This recognition derived from the fact that the piece indirectly invokes a sense of political controversy, while simultaneously employing modern materials and resources such as metal.
“Season” was thought to reflect the dark period of the time, as people considered those years as the “Season for Slaughtering Sheep”. That piece was exhibited as “Two Sheep” due to discretion of the museum. On a similar note, making use of a physically rigid material to produce sculptures of the vulnerable sheep was one main focus of Wanxin’s artistic endeavour. It symbolized the contradiction of human’s mental strength and physical fragility. “Season” has also become the start of a new journey, and from then on, every piece from Wanxin contained both an artistic pursuit as well as his reaction toward the political world at large.
In 1992, Zhang Wanxin went to America to earn his Masters Degree. Similar to how his earlier works mirrored his active participation in the 1980’s Young Artist Movement, Wanxin’s sculptures in the United States also reflect his concentration and sentiments in his social environs. He switched his main material to clay instead of metal due to the influence of American Funk artists such as Stephen de Staebler, Peter Voulkos, and Robert Arneson.
The California Funk Art movement is an important milestone in the development of American contemporary art. In this period, master artists combined political content with their own individual art styles to create pieces with strong and engaging presences. After Wanxin’s arrival in the States, he quickly assimilated into this art culture due to his strong technical training and sensitivity to societal changes. Wanxin has once said, “The Chinese blood flowing in my veins will fuel my creativity in the West.” His works have manifested this. While holding on to his past ideals and viewpoints, his interactions with the Western master sculptors have ignited a sense of originality and helped Wanxin to have a style of his own. Furthermore, the change of material from metal to clay has enhanced the inner vitality and vigour of his sculptures.
Since inaugurating his Pit #5, Wanxin has received wide recognition from the academic world. What shocks the audiences at first sight of his figures is the creativity and boldness of him of establishing his own contemporary Pit, while respecting and maintaining the ancient and initial ingenuity of the Terra-cotta warriors. This kind of innovative impulse is one of most important elements of Wanxin’s art. While standing in the midst of this new generation of warriors, one cannot help but be amazed by the magnificence of each piece and the group as a whole.
“No matter what my experiences in the West consist of, it will not be able to override my own cultural background. At the forefront of my creative thoughts regarding Pit #5 is the tragic feeling that these previous pits evoke. I cannot fully explain in words the feelings and reactions I have as I think of the political calamity that occurred. It forces me to respond without any space to compromise,” Wanxin expressed.
In this exhibition, Wanxin will show his new pieces as part of the well-known Terra-cotta Warrior series. The most visible aspect of his individualism is seen through the round sunglasses that are used to cover eyes of the warriors, the mirrors of their souls. These simple and self-assured additions have enhanced the contemporary nature of the works and the spiritual impact of the warriors. They thus represent a mixture of cultures, an impact of politics versus religion, as well as a sense of identity confusion.
In Pit #5, Zhang Wanxin uncovered not only the new “Warriors” but also the “Travellers” and “My Nation” items, which are both parts of the Pit #5 entity. In “My Nation”, Wanxin’s reflects on the development of China in recent years, the constant changes that are occurring, and most importantly, the aspects of the country that have never changed. What exactly are these aspects? Why they remain constant? Wanxin uses his pieces to raise questions.
According to the artist, the Qin Empire that ruled China for 14 years more than 2000 years ago and the Cultural Revolution that flared for ten years in China some four decades ago bear many similarities. The most glaring point is the monumental and lasting impacts that the rulers of these two periods have on the Chinese people. Both the Terra-cotta warriors of Qin and the Red Guards of Mao were soldiers of political tragedies and negative cultural heritage. Both dictators, Qin Shihuang and Mao Tsedong, demanded utmost respect and blind trust from their countrymen while taking away their ability to reason, their capability to suggest changes and their free will to speak their minds. As most Chinese people have a common personality weakness to stay habitual, this has in one way or the other allows the welding of absolute power to continue permeating in our society these days.
Wanxin’s works continuously question issues in the Chinese culture and our society at present with the sharpness of Lu Xun and sensitivity of Bo Yang. He is a serious artist and his dynamic sculptures always incorporate a certain dosage of humour to grasp the viewers’ attention. The greatest satisfaction and enjoyment of each piece can be easily found in the textures of the clay, the colour variations and the movement of the materials. Wanxin has applied his artistic genius in presenting to the viewers that deeper meaning behind all the pieces as well as the enticing and highly-texturized appearances.
Great art is created through the artist’s sensitivity to society and his ability to communicate the inner thoughts through his pieces.
Pit #5 is about pushing today’s world into the historical pit while pulling history forward and enlarging this spectrum for all of us to witness. Wanxin has deep scholarly love for his mother country and the Chinese culture. This is fully demonstrated through his artistic perspectives and expressions. Sorrow, strength, candour, humour and personality complexity are some of the obvious characteristics captured in Wanxin’s figures; and these, basically, are the features that are found in the works of the masters.
Zhang Wanxin
Born in 1961, Changchun, China
Education
1992-1996 Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA
1980-1985 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture, Luxun Institute of Fine Art, ShengYang, Liaoning Province, China
1978-1980 Diploma of Fine Art, Art School of Jilin, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
Teaching
1996-present Instructor, Academy of Art University San Francisco , USA
1985-1992 Assistant Professor, Jilin Art College , ChangChun, China
Solo Exhibition
2008 "Pit #5, Shifting Dreams", Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California USA
"Report from Pit #5", Art Beatus Gallery, Hong Kong, China
"Pit #5, Michigan", The Alden B.Dow Museum of Science & Art, Midland Art Center, Midland, Michigan, USA
2007 "Pit #5, California Artist Too", Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, California, USA
2006 "Wanxin Zhang's New Works", Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, Florida, USA
“Pit #5 Laramie , 2006”, University of Wyoming Art Museum Laramie, Wyoming
2004 “Figures of the Future‘s Past - Pit #5”, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery Miami, Florida, USA
2002 “Ceramic Sculpture”, Triangle Gallery San Francisco, USA
2001 “Treasures of China-A-Dialogue”, Vorpal Gallery San Francisco, USA
1997 “Wanxin Zhang 1997”, Space 303 San Francisco, USA
"Breaking Out", Chinese Cultural Center, San Francisco, USA
1996 “Dialogue” MFA Graduate Show, Academy of Art University Sculpture Center, San Francisco, USA
Group Show (Selected)
2008 "A Human Impulse: Figuration from the Diane and Sandy Besser Collection", Arizona State University Art Museum, USA
"Artists to Watch - Asia", Turner Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
"Taiwan Ceramics Biennale", Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
2007 "In Your Face", Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, USA
"Clay and Brush: The Ceramic Art of China", Lowe Museum of Art, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
"What is Next?", Florida Craftsman Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
"The 22nd UBE Biennale International Sculpture Competition", Yamaguchi, Japan
2006 “45th Anniversary” Triangle Gallery, San Francisco, USA
“Landscape Sculpture Design for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games”, Beijing, China
2005 “Little Basil” Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, USA
“Riverbend Sculpture Biennial 2005”, Owensboro Museum of Fine Arts Owensboro , Kentucky, USA
“The Other Mainstream”, Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, USA
"Palm Beach 3", Represented by Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, USA
"The 7th San Francisco International Art Expo", Byron Cohen Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
2004 “It’s for the Birds” Traveling Exhibition, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery Miami, USA
"Art Basel Miami Beach" International Art Fair, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, USA
2003 “Across the Divide”, Gatov and Werby Art Gallery Cal State Long Beach, CA, USA
"Art Basel Miami Beach" International Art Fair, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, USA
"Fourth Toronto International Art Fair", Art Beatus Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
"14th Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art", Davis, CA, USA
"International Art Expo, Chicago", Art Beatus Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
"Gallery Artists", John Elder Gallery, New York, New York, USA
2001 “Selected Artists”,Triangle Gallery San Francisco, USA
2000 “2000 All California Exhibition”, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego , USA
“Sculpture 2000”, Catholic University of America , Washington, USA
1999 “New Year Celebration”, Hayward Art Council, Hayward City Hall, CA, USA
1998 “The Light is Diverse in California”, Center for Visual Art, Oakland , USA
"The Fifth Annual San Francisco International Art Festival", Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco, USA
1997 “Contemporary Sculpture”, Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco, USA
“California Clay Competition Exhibition”, The Artery Gallery, Davis , CA, USA
1996 “The 21st Annual Open Show”, Roseville Art Center Roseville CA, USA
“Spring Show” Academy Of Art University,
“June Juries Show” Gallery Router One. Point Reyes Station, CA, USA
1995 “Gallery Artists” Triangle Gallery, San Francisco, USA
“The 10th International Art Exchange”, Asian Art Society in America, San Francisco, USA
1990 “Asian 11th Champion Art Exhibition”, International Exhibition Center Beijing, China
1989 “The 7th National Fine Art Exhibition”, National Fine Art Galler , Beijing, China
1987 “The 60th Anniversary Army Art Show”, National Fine Art Gallery, Beijing, China
Award and Grants (Selected)
2006 Virginia A. Groot Foundation Sculptors Grant – 1 st Place Evanston , Illinois, USA
NEA / Warhol Foundation, Artist-in-Residence Award, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
2004 The Joan Mitchell Foundation Inc. Painters and Sculptors Grant New York, USA
2000 Distinctive Merit Award, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, USA
1997 "Honorary Merit Award of the Outdoor Sculpture Search, Los Altos City, USA
1989 Sculpture Bronze Prize, The 7th National Art Exhibition, National Art Gallery Beijing, China
Selective Collections
Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California, USA
City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
City of Dalian, Dalian, China
Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, California, USA
Lowe Museum of Art, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
National Fine Art Gallery, Beijing, China
Sandy Besser Collection, Sante Fe, New Mexico, USA
University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Virginia A. Groot Foundation, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Private collectors in US and Switzerland
Red Guards 22x12x18
New God25x12x98
My Country Two28.5x18x13
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