A Composite Leviathan Artists Catalogue by bridgeprojects_la

A COMPOSITE LEVIATHAN

BRIDGE PROJECTS

AN EXHIBITION CURATED BY JAMES ELAINE Twenty emerging artists from China

September 12 – November 21, 2020 December 5, 2020 – February 13, 2021

CONTENTS Curatorial statement

Artists Deng Tai

Fan Xi

Stephen Gleadow

He Wei

Jiu Jiu

Li Ran

Li Zhenwei

Liu Dongxu

Liu Fujie

Lyu Zhiqiang

Nabuqi

Wu Di

Xie Hongdong

Yang Jian

Ye Su

Zeng Hong

Zhang Miao

Zhang Ruyi

Zhang Xinjun

103

Zhao Yang

107

Checklist

111

About the Curator

116

Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in. —Leonard Cohen, from “Anthem”

In the Bible, Leviathan is a dark creature of immense size which rises out of the sea and cannot be subdued by mere humans alone. “Leviathan” can also refer to anything of enormous proportions and formidable power, such as international corporations or totalitarian states and their vast bureaucracies. In artist Yang Jian’s sculpture A Composite Leviathan, which inspired the exhibition’s title, we see a relic of an intimidating yet tottering state system. The monumental piece is composed of distinct elements sourced from disparate public sculptures and spaces. It is a jigsaw puzzle of incongruous components that don’t fit together quite right but beautifully reveal the twisted metal structure within. These cracks in the armor represent the lines that have drawn this exhibition together. The focus of the show is not political, thematic, religious, or stylistic; rather, it showcases a community of dispersed artists, living in a conflicting system of flux and control, who are drawing the lines that let the light in. —James Elaine, Curator, A Composite Leviathan

DENG TAI 邓泰 As a young and energetic artist, Deng Tai consistently observed his surroundings and pushed limits to express himself through performance art. Some of his performances in public spaces throughout the city were documented by James Elaine and other friends. The ecstatic and melancholic images suggest the intensity of Deng’s struggle to negotiate a marginal and subversively exuberant identity in China’s fast-changing, yet traditional, society. Deng Tai was born in 1987 in Sichuan, China; he lived and worked in Beijing until his death in 2012. Deng attended Sichuan Technology and Business College and the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. In 2016, he was honored with a solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 in NY and in 2015 and 2012, solo exhibitions of his work were presented at Telescope, Beijing. Deng’s work was included in The First Edition of Changjiang International Photography & Video Biennale at the Changjiang River Contemporary Art Museum, Chongqing, China, and in 2013 in “中” (Zhong), a group exhibition at the Not Vital Foundation, Ardez, Switzerland.

Shadow #1, 2011, archival inkjet print, 24 x 35 inches 8

Shadow #2, 2011, archival inkjet print, 24 x 35 inches 9

Shadow #6, 2011, archival inkjet print, 24 x 35 inches 10

Shadow #11, 2011, archival inkjet print, 19 Â˝ x 27 Â˝ inches 11

FAN XI 范西 Fan Xi creates imagery that is simultaneously free-spirited and deeply researched, from portraits, architectural ruins, wilderness, and botany to homemade tableaus and still lifes. Her investigation into game theory has contributed to the dramatic tension in her images. By using a variety of materials, keenly focusing and amplifying subtle differences in detail, disrupting and reversing the customary image cognition order, Fan challenges viewers’ image perceptions. By her keen observation of subjects, she emphasizes the relative stillness of objects in absolute motion. Fan Xi was born in Shandong, China; she currently lives and works in Beijing. She received a BFA in Sculpture from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. Her recent solo exhibitions include Telescope, Beijing (2020); L’s living room, Jimei Arles, Xiamen, (2019); Le déplacement, Gallery Liusa Wang, Paris (2018); A Scene · Being, Institute for Provocation, Beijing (2017); Distanciation, Dawan Art Foundation, Paris (2017); and Reduction of Image, Gallery Yang, Beijing (2016). Her recent group exhibitions include After Sunset, Gallery Liusa Wang, Pairs (2018); The Same But Also Changed, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai (2018); Bad New Days Ahead, Tai Kang Space, Beijing (2017); The Staged Club, Hong Kun Museum of Fine Art, Beijing (2017); Art from Beijing, S.E Gallery, Bergen (2017); and New Photography Choice, La Villa des Arts, Paris (2017).

No Place, 2017, archival inkjet print, 59 x 47 Âź inches 14

A Line, 2019, archival inkjet print, 88 Â˝ x 59 inches 15

Object No. 1, 2018, archival inkjet print, 59 x 67 inches 16

Object No. 2, 2018, archival inkjet print, 59 x 77 Â˝ inches 17

STEPHEN GLEADOW Through picking up materials from dust bins and other places that people ignore or despise, Stephen Gleadow recognizes and brings to light a material’s hidden and true value. His art is a brutal “in your face reality” but is built on a foundation of faith, hope unseen, and love of truth. Through reclaiming that which is viewed as worthless—mending the broken, gathering the lost, giving it a name and a place—Gleadow brings new forms to life and new life from the dead. Stephen Gleadow was born in the US in 1971; he currently lives and works in Beijing. He received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1995. His recent solo exhibitions include Signal, Telescope, Beijing (2018) and Synthesis, Beijing American Center, Beijing (2015). His recent group exhibitions include Likeness of a Thought, Telescope and Peking Fine Arts, Beijing (2016); Maybe BSpace, CAFA International Gallery, Beijing (2016); and Concrete Flux, Studio X + Dashilar Platform, Beijing (2015).

The Arrow, 2019, wooden branch, found plaster and sculptural fragments, aluminum tape, plywood, wooden bench, 47 1/5 x 19 7/10 x 11 4/5 inches

Tian Long Zuo / The Tail, 2019, gravitational interactions, moths and rust, wooden branch, found plaster sculptural fragments, wooden benches, 20 3/5 x 19 7/10 x 9 4/5 inches 21

Ara and the Deep Field, 2019, wooden branch, found plaster, sculptural fragments, wooden pedestal, 52 2/5 x 33 1/10 x 29 1/10 inches

Dust: A Region of Space from Which Nothing Can Escape..., 2019, paper, toner, linen, glue, gel, medium, gouache, 100 4/5 x 177 inches 23

Dust: A Region of Space from Which Nothing Can Escape... (detail), 2019, paper, toner, linen, glue, gel, medium, gouache, 100 4/5 x 177 inches

HE WEI 何伟 He Wei focuses on paint and process in his work. Utilizing brushes, sticks, rollers, scrapers, and watering cans, he applies thinned oil or acrylic paint to canvases on the floor to create semi-random atmospheric abstractions. In his new work, he incorporates hardedge geometric interventions into compositions to yield pulsating color combinations. This interplay between expressive gesture and deliberate mark-making reflects a tension between freedom and control, a central thematic undercurrent of He’s practice. He Wei was born in Xin Jiang, China, in 1980; he currently works and lives in Beijing. In 2005, he graduated from Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Chongqing, where he majored in oil painting. His recent solo and two-person exhibitions include He Wei & Tang Maohong, ShanghART, Beijing (2019); Primary Colour, C-Space, Beijing (2016); and Contradiction, Telescope, Beijing (2015). His recent group exhibitions include Dual Solo Exhibition of He Wei & Tang Maohong, ShanghART, Beijing (2019); A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Under the sign of the internet-connections and double meanings, CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing (2019); The Wind in The Willows, CSpace+Local, Beijing (2018); 4x3+4x6+1.5x9, OFF Space, Beijing (2017); and Interpretive Complexity, Tong Gallery, Beijing (2017).

No. 134, 2018, oil on canvas, 70 7/8 x 63 inches 26

No. 135, 2018-19, oil on canvas, 90 Â½ x 63 inches 27

No. 140, 2019, oil on canvas, 31 ½ x 35 ½ inches 28

JIU JIU 赳赳 Jiu Jiu examines image creation, the ethics of surveillance and voyeurism, and the evolving technologies of our increasingly visual culture. Interested in his generation’s fascination with and demand for novel visual experiences of high-tech devices, Jiu creates engaging films that source images and video clips from the internet. Jiu Jiu was born in Gansu Province, China, in 1986; he currently lives and works in Shanghai. He received a BFA in art history in Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2011. His recent solo exhibitions include Fantastic Grounds - Tomorrow, Taikang Space, Beijing (2017); Fantastic Grounds, I: Project Space, Beijing (2017); and Making good things go better, Telescope, Beijing (2016). His recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019) and Reality and the Aesthetic Regime of Art, Wangjiang Commune, Chongqing, China (2013).

Go Better (video still), 2015, HD video, color, sound, duration: 4 minutes 13 seconds 30

The year 2026, 2015, 3-channel video installation, (each monitor with stand, floor mat) 40 x 40 x 165 inches, duration: 11 minutes 13 seconds 31

The year 2026 (video still), 2015, 3-channel video installation, (each monitor with stand, floor mat) 40 x 40 x 165 inches, duration: 11 minutes 13 seconds

LI RAN 李然 Li Ran is known for his performances and pseudo-documentaries that investigate the institutions of art history and contemporary art. Employing mimicry, repetition, and satire to blur the boundaries between reality and fiction, Li draws attention to dominant narratives that have been accepted as truth. For Li, the processes of doubt and skepticism are a necessary part of the pursuit of transcendent truth. Li Ran was born in Shiyan, Hubei in 1986; he currently lives and works in Shanghai. Li received a BFA in Oil Painting Department from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing, in 2009. His recent solo exhibitions include Li Ran: Who Are You, Aike Dellarco, Shanghai (2019); Li Ran: Life of the Pilgrim, ShanghART Beijing, Beijing (2017); and Same Old Crowd, Aike Dellarco, Shanghai (2016). Li Ran’s single-channel video works have been screened in Centre Pompidou, Paris (2016, 2017), the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2015), the Jewish Museum, New York (2014), and Video Bureau, Beijing (2014). He has also participated in Montreal Biennale (2014), Geneva Biennale de I’Image en Mouvement (2014), 4th Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (2014), 2nd CAFAM Biennial (2014), 9th Gwangju Biennial (2012), and 7th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale (2012). He was also awarded with the “Best Artist” prize in the 4th Moscow International Biennale for Young Art in 2014, and nominated for the Future Generation Art Prize by Pinchuk Art Center in 2017.

Persona Swap (video stills), 2017-2019, synchronous dual-channel 2K video, black and white & color, 4.0 stereo channel, duration: 15 minutes 30 seconds

Somewhat Abstract, Somewhat Realistic (video still), 2019, dual-channel HD video installation, black and white & color, 4.0 stereo channel & 4.0, duration: 4 minutes 55 seconds & 4 minutes 50 seconds 35

Somewhat Abstract, Somewhat Realistic (video still), 2019, dual-channel HD video installation, black and white & color, 4.0 stereo channel & 4.0, duration: 04 min 55 sec & 04 min 50 sec

LI ZHENWEI 李振威 Li Zhenwei uses various mathematical systems to create his work. For instance, some of his works are based on Pi, a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Its decimal representation never ends and never settles into a permanent repeating pattern. In mathematical terminology, it is an “irrational” and “transcendental” number; it never repeats and never ends. Li uses mathematics to determine the numbering, spacing, color, and densities of the points of paint he applies to the canvas—patterns of dots, extruded by hand from tubes of oil paint. Although mathematics is involved in his process, it is just another material in the artist’s hand. Li’s deeper relationship to mathematics is in the psychological, emotional, and spiritual understanding of the irrational and the transcendent. Through his artworks are comprised of mathematics and paint, he aims to express his innermost being. Li Zhenwei was born in Liaoning Province in China in 1987; he currently lives and works in Beijing. In 2011, he graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing and was awarded the top painting prize of the school. His recent solo exhibitions include Predictably Irrational, Mama Gallery, Los Angeles (2016) and Irrational Transcendent: Li Zhenwei, Telescope, Beijing (2013). His recent group exhibitions include The apartment of works - a front warehouse, Beijing Commune, Beijing Contemporary Art Fair, Beijing (2019); Density Talisman Array, Ying Space, Beijing (2018); A Chinese Journey - The Sigg Collection, Het Noordbrabants Museum, Hertogenbosch Netherlands (2018); and Likeness of a Thought, Telescope & Pékin Fine Arts, Beijing (2017).

Non Existent #57, 2017, oil on canvas, 78 ¾ x 78 ¾ inches 38

Non Existent #111, 2019, oil on canvas, 39 Â½ x 118 inches 39

Non Existent #111 (detail), 2019, oil on canvas, 39 Â˝ x 118 inches 40

LIU DONGXU 刘冬旭 Liu Dongxu has an instinctual relationship with materials and forms. He creates sculptures that incorporate his passionate attentiveness to everyday objects and their architectural environments. “Technology and the products developed through science and technology continuously encircle and enrich our lives,” states Liu. He views the relationship between sculpture and their environments (especially built environments) as parallel to the relationship between human beings and their scientific-commercial environments—a relationship which tends to subjugate the individual. Through his art, Liu attempts to deconstruct these phenomena, including humans, by removing the “mass, usefulness, and functionality” of readymade materials in an attempt to present their pure, independent essence. Liu Dongxu was born in Xi’an, China, in 1983; he currently lives and works in Beijing. His recent solo exhibitions include Oblique Façades, Telescope, Beijing (2018), and his recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Daily Communication, Telescope, Beijing (2019); and art is much splendid a thing, Gallery 55, Shanghai (2017).

Light Light Light, 2018, stainless steel, baked auto lacquer paint, brass, copper, 80 ¾ x 21 ½ x 46 ¼ inches

Waves 1, 2019, Polyurethane resin, 28 ¾ x 24 ¾ x 11 ¼ inches 43

White Flower, 2013, marble, 31 ½ x 5 ½ x 5 ½ inches 44

LIU FUJIE 刘符洁 To create her sculptures, Liu Fujie combines accumulations of diverse materials such as wire, wood, and tape, often binding them together with plaster. Her sculptures convey the relationship among the body, bone, and brokenness. Although her sculptures take many shapes, they always seem to exist comfortably in the vulnerable forms she sources from the realm of the unconscious. In this way, these fragile forms present immutable, transcendent elements. Liu Fujie was born in Hebei Province, China, in 1983; she currently lives and works in Beijing. She received an MFA in Sculpture from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2013. Her recent exhibitions includes By chance, Telescope, Beijing, (2017); A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Final Del Juego, HongKun Museum of Fine Art, Beijing (2018); Infinite Rehearsal, Mo Cube, Beijing (2017); and As a Blue Sign, Qi Mu space, Beijing (2017).

Jungle-Concealed Body, 2019, brass, 67 x 208 ½ x 47 ¼ inches 46

Space-inside, 2017, plaster, acrylic, wood, stainless steel wire, 15 ¾ x 11 ¼ x 9 ¾ inches 47

No. 5 / Ball No. 5, 2017, plaster, iron wire, paint, cotton thread, gauze, 20 ½ x 13 ¾ x 7 ¾ inches 48

Body-ball, 2017, iron wire, antirust paint, cotton, 15 ¾ x 7 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches 49

Portrait-ball, 2017, iron wire, iron plate, paint, 15 ¾ x 6 ¼ x 4 ¼ inches 50

LYU ZHIQIANG 吕志强 Lyu Zhiqiang experiments with materials to create socially engaging installations and develops his concepts through extensive field investigation. Recently, he has been focusing on sound as a medium, providing a way to take the audience on a journey through time and space. Lyu Zhiqiang was born in Heilongjiang, China, in 1986; he lives and works in Beijing. Lyu is also a DJ and teaches at the School of Experimental Art in Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing. He received his MFA and BFA from the Central Academy of Fine Art in 2006 and 2009, respectively. His recent exhibitions include A Long Way, Telescope, Beijing (2019); PPPP and Friends, Fiber Space, Guiyang (2019); Inside-Out Museum, Beijing (2019); Happy People, Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, (2019); Today’s Yesterday—1st Anren Biennale, Chengdu, Sichuan (2017); and CAFA Relay Series Exhibition: Art Long March, National Art Museum of China, Beijing (2016).

A Long Way, 2019, installation: 3 benches, 1 set of photos, 1 painting, 2 speakers, 1 player, 1 U disk, 3 pedestals, and 1 vinyl, dimensions variable

A Long Way (detail), 2019, installation: 3 benches, 1 set of photos, 1 painting, 2 speakers, 1 player, 1 U disk, 3 pedestals, and 1 vinyl, dimensions variable 53

A Long Way (detail), 2019, installation: 3 benches, 1 set of photos, 1 painting, 2 speakers, 1 player, 1 U disk, 3 pedestals, and 1 vinyl, dimensions variable

NABUQI 娜布其 Nabuqi pursues universal elements of the subconscious; her sculptures do not present any realistic or specific scene. However, her recent works have overtones of expanding urbanization, including the vacancies which urbanization leaves behind and the discomforts it creates such as feelings of loneliness or abandonment. Her works also conjure dream-like nostalgia which transcends the ordinary sense of being habitually absorbed in our waking reality, returning the viewer to something sublime. Because her sculptures are non-specific, they point the viewer’s mind beyond the mundane to a sense of transcendent forms, like threedimensional renderings of the spiritual or subconscious imagination. The simple forms convey a subrational language that is at once concise and solemn, producing a sense of reverence or sacredness. Nabuqi was born in Inner Mongolia in 1984; she currently lives and works in Beijing. In 2013, she received her MFA from Central Academy of Fine Arts, China. Her recent solo exhibitions include Do real things happen in moments of rationality?, ShanghART, Shanghai (2018); Two-way Entry, C-Space+Local, Beijing (2018); Absent Paragraph, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Hague (2017); and Stay and Occupation, Dawan Art, Paris (2017). Her recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Cold Nights, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2017); Likeness of a Thought, Telescope, Beijing (2017); Zhongguo 2185, Sadie Coles, London (2017); and Any Ball, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (2017). Nabuqi participated in the 58th Venice Biennale (2019), the 11th Shanghai Biennale Why Not Ask Again? (2016), and the 11th Gwangju Biennale (2016). In 2016, she was nominated for the 2016 Art Sanya Huayu Youth Award. 55

A View Beyond Space No. 5, 2015, stainless steel, baked enamel, 86 ½ x 61 ½ x 7 ¼ inches 56

The Doubtful Site (Engulfing and Radiating Shapes), 2018, aluminum, resin and sand, 15 ¾ x 137 ¾ x 137 ¾ inches 57

Field (Slide), 2018, bronze, 9 ¼ x 9 ¼ x 3 ¾ inches 58

Field (Woods), 2018, bronze, 9 ¼ x 9 ¼ x 3 ¾ inches 59

Field (Gate), 2018, bronze, 9 ¼ x 9 ¼ x 3 ¾ inches 60

WU DI 吴笛 Wu Di uses imagery from classical Western paintings as a starting point for her work, and then carefully strips away any overt figuration or narrative through a spontaneous process of addition and subtraction. These abstracted, gestural paintings are characterized by a bold use of chiaroscuro, recalling the luminous light and rich shadows of religious icons and old master paintings. Wu Di was born in Beijing, China in 1979; she currently lives and works in Beijing. She graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, majoring in Mural Painting. Her recent solo exhibitions include From Subway to Seaside, Local Space, Beijing (2015) and BABY, DON’T CRY, PIFO Gallery, Beijing (2013). Her recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Collage: The Cards Players, Shanghai Gallery of Art, Shanghai,(2017); Negotiation Space: I Never Thought You Were Like That—The 3rd CAFAM Biennial, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing (2016); 1 Apartment for 2 Women 4 Men, Space Local, Beijing (2016); OVER POP, Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2016); and She: International Women Artists Exhibition, Long Museum, Shanghai (2016).

9-23, 2017, oil, toner, pencil and gold foil on wood, 59 Âź x 43 Âź inches 62

9-0, 2017, pencil and gold foil on c-print, 16 x 13 inches 63

Golden River, 2017, video installation; 8 monitors, sound from Soviet Pop, video made with Lyu Zhiqiang, duration: 20 minutes 19 seconds

XIE HONGDONG 谢红东 Xie Hongdong’s uses photography to explore the serendipitous connections between his subconscious mind and his external environment. The medium of photography is particularly wellsuited to that end, as it inherently integrates external subjects with the artist’s subjectivity. Xie Hongdong was born in Gansu Province, China, in 1986; he lives and works in Beijing where he has maintained his self-taught photography practice since 2012. His recent exhibitions include

Inside the Reed and Ice Crystal—Stanley Fung and Xie Hong Dong Exhibition, Artrue, Taipei, Taiwan (2018) and Dust-Light, Clerkenwell Space, Beijing (2016).

Garden, 2012, archival pigment print, 31 Â˝ x 23 Â˝ inches 66

Shore, 2012, archival pigment print, 31 Â˝ x 39 Â˝ inches 67

Dark Glass, 2012, archival pigment print, 23 Â˝ x 31 Â˝ inches 68

Silent Night 01, 2018, archival pigment print, 29 Â˝ x 39 Â˝ inches 69

Spectrum 01, 2016, archival pigment print, 39 Â˝ x 31 Â˝ inches 70

Spectrum 03, 2016, archival pigment print, 31 Â˝ x 39 Â˝ inches 71

Spectrum 04, 2016, archival pigment print, 31 Â˝ x 39 Â˝ inches 72

YANG JIAN 杨健 Yang Jian deploys seemingly mundane materials in order to narrate the habitual and limited experiences of daily life. Working across media such as painting, video, sculpture, and installation, Yang explores questions of power, social control, the role of capital, and the absurdity of organized civilization. Yang Jian was born in Fujian, China, in 1982; he currently lives and works in Beijing and Nanjing. He received his MA from Xiamen University Art College, Xiamen, China. His recent solo exhibitions include The Times Impossible to Encounter; The Gaze from a Composite Leviathan, WHITE SPACE BEIJING, Beijing (2018); Yang Jian und Tong Wenmin, Atelier am Eck, Düsseldorf, Germany (2018); General Image, SNAP, Shanghai (2017); Yang Jian: Constructing Ruins, Taikang Space, Beijing (2017); and Thank You! Have a Nice Day!, Telescope, Beijing (2015). His recent group exhibitions include Three Rooms: Edge of Now, Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany; Chronus Art Center, Shanghai; and Nam June Paik Art Center, Seoul, South Korea, (2019); A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); A White Space Odyssey, WHITE SPACE BEIJING, Beijing (2019); The 6th Guangzhou Triennial 2018-As We May Think Feed Forward, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China (2018); Rolling Snowball · Nanjing, Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts (AMNUA), Nanjing, China (2018); Replay, WHITE SPACE BEIJING, Beijing (2018); Flowing BooksTemporality: OCAT Nanjing Public Art Project 2018, OCAT Nanjing, Nanjing, China (2018); and Edge of Now, Nam June Paik Art Center, Seoul, South Korea (2018). 73

Neutron Stardust (video stills), 2018, HD video, color, stereo, sound, single channel, duration: 1 minute 41 seconds

A Composite Leviathan, 2018, lead, rebar, wire, cement, polyurethane foam, 137 Âž x 59 Âź x 59 Âź inches 75

A Composite Leviathan (detail), 2018, lead, rebar, wire, cement, polyurethane foam, 137 Âž x 59 Âź x 59 Âź inches

Internet of Things, 2018. Wi-Fi, napa cabbage, Wi-Fi antenna. dimensions variable 77

A Black Square by Malevich and A Quasistationary Distribution Figure from the Essay Consensus Through the Influence of Committed Minorities, 2018, mixed media on canvas, lead, galvanized tin armatures, 78 Âž x 251 inches

YE SU 耶苏 Ye Su has produced paintings, installations, video art, and novels. Ye’s art explores the connections between the Chinese literati tradition, Chinese feudalism and its influence, on ancient Chinese art and culture, and Chinese contemporary social reality. To that end, his art is oriented both toward and around a methodology of storytelling. Ye Su was born in 1983 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang; he currently lives and works in Beijing. He graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2007 with a major in oil painting and received an MFA from the Experimental Art Department of Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, in 2010. His recent solo and two person exhibitions include Qin in Retrospect, OCAT Xi’an Museum, Xi’an, China (2019); Everywhere, Ye Su & Zhang Si, Telescope, Beijing (2018); Cooland: Ye Su | Zai Zai, Yi Pai Hutong, Beijing (2017); and Scrutinize “Ling,” Space Regeneration Projects, Tianjin, China (2016). His recent group exhibitions include Open Islands, Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok, Thailand (2019); The Glowing Warmth, XC-HuA, Beijing (2019); FUTURE GAMES, Kommunale, Berlin, Germany (2019); Stacks of Paper, Riot of Color: The Politics of Taste, Inside-Out Museum, Beijing (2018); Mapping the City: A Vision of History and Xi’an, OCAT Xi’an Museum, Xi’an, China (2018); Bad New Days Ahead, Taikang Space, Beijing (2017); and Good Painting, Light Pavilion Project, Taikang Space, Beijing (2017).

The Coming Sharp No.2, 2018, installation, dimensions variable 80

The Coming Sharp, 2018, installation, dimensions variable 81

The Coming Sharp (detail), 2018, installation, dimensions variable 82

Sharp Philtrum, 2018, wood and sticker, dimensions variable 83

ZENG HONG 曾宏 Zeng Hong draws inspiration from artists of the past who have created their own aesthetic vocabulary in order to articulate the social and political concerns of their respective times. His sparse, elegant compositions constitute meditations on abstraction and line, and are reminiscent of written symbols. On a formal level, they conjure a nostalgia for the working class experience of twentiethcentury Chinese socialism. Zeng Hong was born in Chengdu, China, in 1974; he currently lives and works in Beijing. He graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing, China. His recent solo exhibitions include Quaderni rossi, Ginkgo Space, Beijing (2018); Key-Frame Extraction, Telescope, Beijing (2015); and Zeng Hong, Gallery Yang, Beijing (2015). His recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); A Geography of Resistance, Taikang Space, Beijing (2019);

Factories, Machines and the Poet’s Words—Echoes of the Realities in Art, A07 798 Art Zone Buildings, Beijing (2019); Under the Sign of the Internet—Connections and Double Meanings, CSpace+Local, Beijing (2019); The Glowing Warmth, XC, HuA Galleries, Beijing (2019); Happy People, Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing (2019); and Go Live, Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, Nanjing, China (2018).

The People, 2016-2017, acrylic on canvas, 47 Â¼ x 63 inches 86

United Lines (yellow and blue), 2018, acrylic on canvas, 55 ¼ x 70 ¾ inches 87

Divided Lines (Red), 2019, acrylic on canvas, 70 ¾ x 70 ¾ inches 88

ZHANG MIAO 张淼 Zhang Miao integrates painting, sculpture, architecture, and design to create unique forms and compositions that explore concepts of memory and comprehension. His practice is one of experimentation; through combining and reworking a range of materials, he disrupts the conventional structures and categories that are traditionally associated with each medium. The final expression of his work often manifests in odd and compelling forms that hover between the familiar and the ambiguous. Zhang Miao was born in Beijing, China in 1985; he currently lives and works in Beijing. In 2008 and 2017, he received a BFA and an MFA, respectively, from the Painting Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His recent solo exhibitions include It’s Your Moment, Enjoy It, C5798, Beijing (2018) and Newborn Series, Art021 Contemporary Art Fair with C5Art, Shanghai (2016). His recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Story, curated section, Beijing Contemporary Art Expo, Beijing (2019); Happy People, Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing 2019; Garage Sale, Sandwich Space, Bucharest, Romania (2019); Under the Sign of the Internet– connections and double meanings, CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing (2019); Mandarin Paintings, C5Art, Beijing (2018); Collage—The Great R&C Friendship Cafeteria, C5+86, Beijing (2018); and Drawing Pogo, Taikang Space, Beijing (2017).

Viewless, 2018, oil on canvas, 74 ¾ x 122 ¼ inches 90

Enjoy, 2018, brass, stainless steel, wood, shoe polish, metal primer, acrylic paint, 51 ¼ x 47 ¼ x 15 ¾ inches 91

Blue wave, 2017, brass, enamel paint, 15 Âž x 19 Âž x 2 inches 92

Mansion Becomes Farm, 2016, brass, intaglio prints, 23 Âź x 67 x 4 inches 93

ZHANG RUYI 张如怡 Zhang Ruyi’s artwork centers on hidden relationships between consciousness and mundane experience. She explores the tension between the individual and wider reality through imagery of the parallel tension between natural phenomena and industrial landscapes. Aesthetically, her art tends toward presenting orderly relationships which present a sense of space to be “read,” “questioned,” and “remembered.” Using juxtaposition, she raises questions about the objects which she creates in her art. Likewise, the sense of space implied by her art is meant to raise questions about spaces in the wider world. The implied questions often involve overtones of resistance to certain elements of the social order. Zhang Ruyi was born in Shanghai, China, in 1985; she currently lives and works in Shanghai. She received a BFA and MFA at the Fine Art College of Shanghai University, Shanghai, in 2007 and 2012, respectively. Her recent solo exhibitions include Consciousness of Location Zhang Ruyi, Don Gallery, Shanghai (2019); Bonsai, François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles, California, United States (2019); Profile, Art Basel HK (Discoveries), Hong Kong, China (2018); Decoration: Dump, Telescope, Beijing (2017); and Decoration: Commodity, MOCA Pavilion, Shanghai (2017). Her recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Steadfastly Lower the Standards in Nonproductive Construction, Don Gallery, Shanghai (2018); Witness, Pilar Corrias Gallery, London (2018); Emerald City, K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong, China (2018); Walking On the Fade Out Lines, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai (2018); Zhong Guo 2185, Sadie Coles HQ, London, (2017); and The New Normal: Art and China in 2017, UCCA, Beijing (2017). 95

Individual Plant—17, 2018, concrete, ceramic tiles, wood panel, metal, 16 ½ x 11 ¾ x 4 inches 96

Individual Plant—24, 2019, concrete, pigment, ceramic tiles, wood panel, metal, 20 ¼ x 12 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches 97

Individual Plant—28, 2019, concrete, ceramic tiles, wood panel, metal, 27 ½ x 12 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches 98

Matte Substance-2, 2019, concrete, gravel, reinforcement, 35 Â˝ x 8 x 8 inches 99

Matte Substance-1, 2019, concrete, gravel, ceramic tiles, 43 ¼ x 13 ¾ x 7 ¾ inches 100

Some Reflection, 2018, mixed media on wood panel, 27 ½ x 19 ¾ x 1 ½ inches 101

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ZHANG XINJUN 张新军 Zhang Xinjun focuses on how common materials and objects of his everyday life relate to their typical surroundings. The relationships he highlights often involve references to general history and his own past. These installations are not intended to convey any specific or symbolic meanings. Rather, Zhang aims to nurture a space abstracted from time, integrating nonlinear fashion elements of childhood, motherhood imagery, daily life, memory, living spaces, society, and the natural environment. Zhang Xinjun was born in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, in 1983; he currently lives and works in Beijing. He received a BFA at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2005 and an MFA from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, in 2009. His recent solo exhibitions include Mine, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany (2017); Folds, Gallery Yang, Beijing (2015); and Zhang Xinjun, Telescope, Beijing (2014). His recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Bird, Space, Deep Blue, C-Space, Beijing (2017); Marching in Circles, Long March Space, Beijing (2017); Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany (2016); The 2nd “CAFAM Future” Exhibition: Observer-Creator, CAFA Museum, Beijing (2015); and Out of the Fence: Connected in Parallel, Galerie Philine Cremer, Dusseldorf, Germany (2015).

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Tent, 2018, canvas, dimensions variable 104

Mine, 2017, earth, wheat straw, wood board, 70 ¾ x 47 ¼ inches 105

Coal, 2017, wood, India Ink, linen, 63 x 55 Â¼ inches 106

ZHAO YANG 赵洋 Zhao Yang’s work is influenced by his academic background in traditional Chinese painting, particularly one of its central tenets regarding the unpredictable flow of ink in water. He applies these traditional principles to figurative paintings, eschewing overt narrative, instead enfranchising the hermeneutical subjectivity of the viewer. Behind Zhao’s paintings, however, lies his imagination regarding the cessation of modern industrial civilization and a return to what he calls “paradise lost.” Zhao Yang was born in Siping, Jilin, China, in 1970; he currently lives and works in Beijing. He graduated from China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China, in 1995. His recent solo exhibitions include Zhao Yang: Roma is a Lake, ShanghART Beijing (2019); Leave Far Away, Nova Contemporary, Bangkok, Thailand (2018); ALAYA, chi K11 Art Museum, Shanghai (2018); Zhao Yang: In Between, Kuandu Museum, of Fine Arts, TNUA, Taipei (2016); “Zao” by ZHAO Yang, ShanghART H-Space, Shanghai (2016); and “Zao” by ZHAO Yang, ShanghART Main Space, Shanghai (2016). His recent group exhibitions include A Composite Leviathan, Luhring Augustine Bushwick, New York (2019); Winter Exhibition, ShangART Beijing (2019); Symbols of Eternity, Shanghai Oil Painting Sculpture Institute, Shanghai (2019); New Art History, 2000-2018, Chinese Contemporary Art, MOCA Yinchuan, Yinchuan, China (2019); and on paper 2, White Space Beijing, Beijing (2018).

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Roma Is a Lake 181202, 2018, oil and acrylic on canvas, 78 x 120 Â¼ inches 108

Roma Is a Lake 180829, 2018, oil and acrylic on canvas, 82 ½ x 82 ½ inches 109

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CHECKLIST Deng Tai

Fan Xi

He Wei

archival inkjet print 24 x 35 inches © Deng Tai, Courtesy of the Estate of Deng Tai page 8

archival inkjet print 59 x 67 inches edition of 3 © Fan Xi page 16

oil on canvas 70 7/8 x 63 inches © He Wei page 26

Shadow #1, 2011

Object No. 1, 2018

No. 134, 2018

Deng Tai

Fan Xi

He Wei

archival inkjet print 24 x 35 inches © Deng Tai, Courtesy of the Estate of Deng Tai page 9

archival inkjet print 59 x 77 ½ inches edition of 3 © Fan Xi page 17

oil on canvas 90 ½ x 63 inches © He Wei page 27

Shadow #2, 2011

Deng Tai

Object No. 2, 2018

No. 135, 2018-19

Stephen Gleadow The Arrow, 2019 wooden branch, found plaster and sculptural fragments, aluminum tape, plywood, wooden bench 47 1/5 x 19 7/10 x 11 4/5 inches © Stephen Gleadow page 20

He Wei

Deng Tai

Stephen Gleadow

Jiu Jiu

archival inkjet print 19 ½ x 27 ½ inches © Deng Tai, Courtesy of the Estate of Deng Tai page 11

gravitational interactions, moths and rust, wooden branch, found plaster sculptural fragments, wooden benches 20 3/5 x 19 7/10 x 9 4/5 inches © Stephen Gleadow page 21

HD video, color, sound duration: 4 minutes 13 seconds © Jiu Jiu page 30

Shadow #6, 2011

archival inkjet print 24 x 35 inches © Deng Tai, Courtesy of the Estate of Deng Tai page 10

Shadow #11, 2011

Tian Long Zuo/The Tail, 2019

No. 140, 2019

oil on canvas 31 ½ x 35 ½ inches © He Wei page 28

Go Better (video still), 2015

Fan Xi

Stephen Gleadow

Jiu Jiu

archival inkjet print 59 x 47 ¼ inches edition of 4 © Fan Xi page 14

wooden branch, found plaster, sculptural fragments, wooden pedestal 52 2/5 x 33 1/10 x 29 1/10 inches © Stephen Gleadow page 22

3-channel video installation, (each monitor with stand, floor mat) 40 x 40 x 165 inches duration: 11 minutes 13 seconds © Jiu Jiu pages 31-32

No Place, 2017

Fan Xi A Line, 2019 archival inkjet print 88 ½ x 59 inches edition of 3 © Fan Xi page 15

Ara and the Deep Field, 2019

The year 2026 (video stills), 2015

Stephen Gleadow

Li Ran

paper, toner, linen, glue, gel, medium, gouache 100 4/5 x 177 inches © Stephen Gleadow pages 23-24

synchronous dual-channel 2K video, black and white & color, 4.0 stereo channel, duration: 15 min 30 sec © Li Ran, Courtesy of Aike Gallery, Shanghai page 34

Dust: A Region of Space from Which Nothing Can Escape..., 2019

Persona Swap (video stills), 2017-2019,

Li Ran

Somewhat Abstract, Somewhat Realistic (video stills), 2019

dual-channel HD video installation, BW & color, 4.0 stereo channel & 4.0, duration: 4 minutes 55 seconds & 4 minutes 50 seconds © Li Ran, Courtesy of Aike Gallery, Shanghai pages 35-36

Liu Fujie

Nabuqi

brass 67 x 208 ½ x 47 ¼ inches edition of 3 © Liu Fujie page 46

stainless steel, baked enamel 86 ½ x 61 ½ x 7 ¼ inches edition of 4 © Nabuqi, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 56

Jungle-Concealed Body, 2019

Li Zhenwei

Liu Fujie

oil on canvas 78 ¾ x 78 ¾ inches © Li Zhenwei pages 38

plaster, acrylic, wood, stainless steel wire 15 ¾ x 11 ¼ x 9 ¾ inches © Liu Fujie page 47

Non Existent #57, 2017

Space-inside, 2017

A View Beyond Space No. 5, 2015

Nabuqi

The Doubtful Site (Engulfing and Radiating Shapes), 2018

aluminum, resin and sand 15 ¾ x 137 ¾ x 137 ¾ inches edition of 3 © Nabuqi, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 57

Li Zhenwei

Liu Fujie

Nabuqi

oil on canvas 39 ½ x 118 inches © Li Zhenwei pages 39-40

plaster, iron wire, paint, cotton thread, gauze 20 ½ x 13 ¾ x 7 ¾ inches © Liu Fujie page 48

bronze 9 ¼ x 9 ¼ x 3 ¾ inches edition of 6 © Nabuqi, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 58

Non Existent #111, 2019

No. 5 / Ball No. 5, 2017

Field (Slide), 2018

Liu Dongxu

Liu Fujie

Nabuqi

Light Light Light, 2018

Body-ball, 2017

Field (Woods), 2018

Liu Fujie

Nabuqi

Liu Dongxu

Lyu Zhiqiang A Long Way, 2019 installation: 3 benches, 1 set of photos, 1 painting, 2 speakers, 1 player, 1 U disk, 3 pedestals, and 1 vinyl dimensions variable edition of 3 © Lyu Zhiqiang pages 52-54

White Flower, 2013

Portrait-ball, 2017

Field (Gate), 2018

Wu Di 9-23, 2017 oil, toner, pencil and gold foil on wood 59 ¼ x 43 ¼ inches © Wu Di, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 62

Yang Jian

Wu Di

Ye Su

Yang Jian

Ye Su

HD video, color, stereo, sound, single channel, duration: 1 minute 41 seconds © Yang Jian, Courtesy of WHITE SPACE BEIJING page 74

Yang Jian

Xie Hongdong

Yang Jian

Zeng Hong

Golden River, 2017

video installation; 8 monitors, sound from Soviet Pop, video made with Lyu Zhiqiang duration: 20 minutes 19 seconds edition of 3 © Wu Di, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 64

Silent Night 01, 2018

Neutron Stardust (video stills), 2018

A Composite Leviathan, 2018

lead, rebar, wire, cement, polyurethane foam 137 ¾ x 59 ¼ x 59 ¼ inches © Yang Jian, Courtesy of WHITE SPACE BEIJING pages 75-76

Internet of Things, 2018

A Black Square by Malevich and A Quasistationary Distribution Figure from the Essay Consensus Through the Influence of Committed Minorities, 2018 mixed media on canvas, lead, galvanized tin armatures 78 ¾ x 251 inches © Yang Jian, Courtesy of WHITE SPACE BEIJING page 78

Sharp Philtrum, 2018

United Lines (yellow and blue), 2018

Zeng Hong

Zhang Ruyi

concrete, pigment, ceramic tiles, wood panel, metal 20 ¼ x 12 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches © Zhang Ruyi, Courtesy of Don Gallery, Shanghai page 97

Divided Lines (Red), 2019

Individual Plant—24, 2019

Zhang Miao Viewless, 2018 oil on canvas 74 ¾ x 122 ¼ inches © Zhang Miao, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 90

Zhang Ruyi

Zhang Miao Enjoy, 2018 brass, stainless steel, wood, shoe polish, metal primer, acrylic paint 51 ¼ x 47 ¼ x 15 ¾ inches © Zhang Miao, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 91

Zhang Ruyi

Zhao Yang

Zhang Miao Blue wave, 2017 brass, enamel paint 15 ¾ x 19 ¾ x 2 inches © Zhang Miao, Courtesy of CLC Gallery Venture, Beijing page 92

Zhang Ruyi

Zhao Yang

Zhang Miao

Zhang Ruyi

Mansion Becomes Farm, 2016

Zhang Ruyi

Individual Plant—17, 2018

concrete, ceramic tiles, wood panel, metal 16 ½ x 11 ¾ x 4 inches © Zhang Ruyi, Courtesy of Don Gallery, Shanghai page 96

Individual Plant—28, 2019

concrete, ceramic tiles, wood panel, metal 27 ½ x 12 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches © Zhang Ruyi, Courtesy of Don Gallery, Shanghai page 98

Matte Substance-2, 2019

Matte Substance-1, 2019

Some Reflection, 2018

Roma Is a Lake 181202, 2018

Roma Is a Lake 180829, 2018

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ABOUT THE CURATOR James Elaine is an artist and curator of contemporary art living and working in Beijing, China since 2008. From 1999 to 2009 he was the Hammer Projects curator at the Hammer Museum UCLA, Los Angeles where he curated or oversaw more than 80 project exhibitions and three large-scale group shows of local and international emerging artists. His Hammer exhibition, THING: New Sculpture from Los Angeles, 2005, won the International Art Critics Association’s award for best thematic US museum show of the year. From 1989-1999 he was the curator for the Drawing Center Museum in New York. There he showcased hundreds of emerging artists, many of who are now recognized leaders in the international art world. Elaine is a recipient of a 2008 Asian Cultural Council research grant, a Metabolic Studio curatorial fellowship, and a Foundation for Arts Initiative travel and research grant, among others. He is the winner of the 2008 Ordway Prize for his lifetime curatorial work. In 2011, Elaine curated the first contemporary emerging Chinese artist exhibition in New York, In A Perfect World..., at Meulensteen Gallery, and in 2012, the first emerging Chinese video exhibition in the US, Unfinished Country: New Video from China, at the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, and the Asia Society in Houston Texas. In 2012 Elaine founded Telescope, a non-profit project space in Beijing where he is currently exhibiting unknown Chinese artists, giving many of them their first solo exhibitions. Elaine’s first show at Telescope in 2012 featured the work of the young performance artist Deng Tai and in 2016 Elaine was invited by MoMA PS1 to curate a solo exhibition of the late artist’s work at the museum. 116