Modern Dreamers – The Artists of Sichuan

Press Release

18 April 1998

Schoeni Art Gallery will be showing a unique group exhibition of Sichuan's most established and interesting emerging talent. The group exhibition of contemporary oil painters from the province of China's opens in Schoeni Art Gallery on June 11" and continues through to July 16th, 1998.

Modern Dreamers, The Artists of Sichuan aims to capture and create a dialogue between the generations of artists from this part of China. Characteristically, unlike their cynical realist contemporaries in Beijing, their work in the early 80's was a mixture of '1ndividualism" and "Surrealism". In the l 990's their work explores modernisation, technology and materialism.

The exhibition will include oil paintings by the award winning Zhang Xiaogang, who's "Bloodlines Series" explores China's past and present as they overlap in human nature.

The painter Guo Jin who's large children on swings were the highlight of the international exhibition China!, currently showing in Poland. Modern Dreamers, The artists of Sichuan will show a selection of his most recent work Guo Wei, his elder brother, also explores the theme of everyday existence. In all his paintings the lines that score his watery works express the pain that "is inevitable in everyone's life".

Zhong Biao's layers of monochrome worlds and colourful people "describe the clear and misty world". His paintings give the characters from his past "Living Backgrounds and misty meaning". Then there are the new emerging artists, Shen Xiaotong and Chen Liangjie who revel the new spirit of their times. Both painters have been highlighted in China as being the next exciting leaders.

If you would like any further information on any of our artists or material on the exhibition please do not hesitate to contact Patty Karnerbeek.

Selected Artworks

Additional Material

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