The Marengo Gallery is pleased to present China Then and Now, a group exhibition featuring recent works by Xu Yong Kang, Zhang Lin, and Liu Ting Ting. In their paintings, the artists attempt to reconcile the past in order to come to terms with China’s current condition. The exhibit will run August 19 – October 14, 2017.
During the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong encouraged young people to focus on the collective rather than their individual identity. He also ordered the destruction of the Four Olds, including Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. As a result, many historical buildings and ancient relics were destroyed. In their paintings, Xu Yong Kang and Zhang Lin attempt to come to terms with these policies and how they have affected present-day China. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping announced a “one child policy” to reduce population growth in 1979. Liu Ting Ting’s oeuvre depicts only children that result from the one child policy. She believes the policy is detrimental to a child’s psychological health. The policy was phased out starting in 2015; however, the effects of the one child policy still have vast social implications for young people in China. The artists in this exhibit look back at the past with a critical eye and draw comparisons between China’s past and present. Some of the themes presented include a shift from collective to individual mentality, a profound loss of traditional culture, and the effects of past policies on young people in China today.
Zhang Lin was born in Nanbu, Sichuan Province in 1979. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute with a B.A. in 2005 and then graduated from the same institution with a M.A. in 2008. He has exhibited primarily in China and Europe with solo exhibitions at Songyafeng Art Center, Joy Palace, and Soemo Gallery in Beijing. His recent group exhibitions include Sichuan Moments, Galerie 99, Aschaffenburg, Germany (2016); 789 Party, 798 Art Factory, Beijing, China (2016); Bound Contemporary Art Exhibition, Enjoy Art Museum, Beijing (2015); Art O’Clock, Paris, France (2014), Leap: Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition, Daya Gallery, Xinjiang, China (2014). In addition, he was recently awarded the Silver Medal at the Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition of Beijing held at Tianjin Mass Art Museum in 2015. The artist lives and works in Beijing.
Xu Yong Kang was born in Anyue, Sichuan Province in 1976. He graduated from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute with a B.A. in 2000 and later graduated from the same institution with a M.A. in 2003. His recent group exhibitions include Dream of Sunlight: Southwest Art Exhibit at Yunnan Art Gallery, Kunming, China and Xichang Art Academy Art Hall, Xichang China (2016); The First Bashu Style Art Festival Exhibition, Daguan Museum of Art, Chengdu, China (2016); Harmony Art Invitational Exhibition, Gaoxiaohua Art Museum, Chengdu, China (2015); Wenxuan Contemporary Modern Art Exhibition, Wenxuan Art Museum, Chengdu, China (2014); Chengdu Blue Top Art Festival, Chengdu, China (2013). In addition to exhibiting extensively in China, Xu has exhibited in Paris, Miami, and Canada. He lives and works in Beijing.
Liu Ting Ting was born in Sichuan Province in 1983. She graduated from the Southwest Normal Academy of Art with a B.A. in 2005 and then graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute with a M.F.A. in 2008. She has exhibited primarily in Asia and Europe with recent solo shows at Songyafong Art Center, Joy Palace, and Soemo Gallery in Beijing. Her recent group exhibitions include Singapore Modern Art Exhibit, Singapore (2016); Taipei International Art Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan (2015); The Second Beijing Outstanding Youth Ceremony, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China (2015); The Second Nanjing International Fine Art Exhibition, Nanjing, China (2015); “Ji” – Modern Art Exhibit, Enjoy Museum of Art, Beijing, China; Affordable Art Fair, Hong Kong, China (2014); Art O’Clock, Paris, France (2013), Made in China, Galerie 99, Aschaffenburg, Germany (2013), Belgium International Art Exhibition, Brussels, Belgium (2012). Liu lives and works in Beijing.
