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Remembrance of things past
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“MY Story,” an exhibition by Ouyang Chun at ShanghART, is a highlight of this month’s city art scene and the first solo exhibition in town for Ouyang — despite the fact that his works are coveted in the Beijing and Shanghai art markets.
Ouyang’s canvases showcased at the exhibition do indeed recreate his story — a visual record of his memories and feelings from boyhood.
Born in 1974 in Beijing, Ouyang grew up in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, in an environment which could be called a “work unit.” All of his neighbors were affiliated to Shaanxi Mechanical College where his father worked, living together in the same residential compound.
For the small boy, life in the residential compound was isolated and boring.
For visitors who understand Chinese, it is insightful to read the texts containing 100,000 characters written on a wall in the exhibition hall.
Growing pains
These were written by the artist over three days — an experience painful both in the physical slog of the task and for the subject matter.
The words on the wall reflect the growing pains and inner tortures in Ouyang’s journey from boy to man.
Ouyang relates his difficult early experiences living and producing art on the periphery of Xi’an.
“I loathe mediocrity,” once claimed the artist.
But the adoration from his many admirers helps assure Ouyang that his work is not mediocre in the slightest.
Ouyang established an artistic language quite distinct from his peers, defined by his excellent painting technique and the subjects he depicts.
A highlight of the exhibition is “The Catcher in the Rye,” a 3.6 meter x 6 meter panoramic scene conveying, on first glance, something of a joyful religious mood.
Taking its name from JD Salinger’s classic novel on teenage angst and alienation, the first thing to strike you about the painting is its daunting size.
It presents a countryside scene crisscrossed by roads, fields and crops in layers of green, red and yellow, while a rainbow arches across the canvas. In the center, the artist stands in a tall wooden tower facing the viewer, paintbrush in the one hand, canvas in the other.
The composition of the work reminds one of altarpieces from the Renaissance period Europe.
Yet there is more to “My Story” than this.
There is another kind of life depicted by Ouyang’s brush. For example, the artist in “The Catcher in the Rye,” is at rest, arms by his side, perhaps suggesting that his powers have dimmed.
Tormented reality
And the curious, vulnerable vantage point — a narrow, rickety tower — set against a landscape of crude and violent expressive brushworks — speaks of romantic personal ideals amidst a harsh, tormented reality.
Even those who don’t share a similar background with Ouyang can still find that the work chimes with their experiences.
“That’s the charm of Ouyang’s paintings,” said Helen Zhu, one of the exhibition organizers. “The artist evokes a universal feeling from the viewers, reminding them of their own stories from their past.”
Date: Through April 19,
10am-7pm
Address: Bldg 16 and H Space, 50 Moganshan Rd
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