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August 1, 2014

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Painter Peng again intrigues with solo show

IT is rare for an artist to have a solo exhibition at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, which is used mainly for various fairs. Both the huge space and high rental fees make it an unlikely venue for such a show.

But artist Peng Mingliang challenges that notion with a solo exhibition that will be unveiled at the cavernous site from tomorrow. Organized by Xinmin Evening News, the exhibition features nearly 400 of Peng’s oil and ink-wash paintings created over the past decade.

The 54-year-old is something of a lone wolf in art circles. Instead of learning about him through museums or galleries, many people became familiar with the oil painter from advertising posters on sightseeing buses and lamp posts or billboards on highways.

Peng promotes and sells his own art to the public, a surprisingly successful strategy. He refuses to cooperate with any gallery in the city. He also is one of the flashier artists, who attracts a lot of attention Ñ much of it critical.

Most of his peers sneer at him because he paints what they call “vulgar female curves” in what they consider to be crass commercialism.

“Many of the buyers are golden-collar workers with high educations. Do you think those people Ñ Ôthe cream of society’ Ñ are stupid enough to buy shallow art with no depth and taste?” Peng asks. “No one would waste their money on something worthless, it’s just that simple.”

A Shanghai native, Peng has two sides. He is shrewd and strategic in business Ñ negotiating, advertising and communicating with collectors. But at the same time, he is passionate about his art.

He explores feminine beauty interwoven with sexual desire. Overlapping petal shapes become his favorite form. While he claims his paintings are not narrative, the titles he gives them, such as “Dramatic Personae,” “Rainforest Royale” or “Freedom On-line,” have a lyrical quality.

“I tend to leave some space on my canvas for the viewers,” he says. “The subject is no longer important to me. What I pursue is lines and hues.”

In 1993, Peng went to Singapore to further his studies, which he calls “an unpleasant journey.”

Pleasant or not, living and working in Singapore for two years widened his vision of the outside world and sharpened his goals. When he returned to China, he secluded himself in his suburban studio.

Then he left the studio and began to build and promote the brand “Peng Mingliang.”

“There’s not a single artist who doesn’t want to sell paintings, including van Gogh and Picasso,” he says. “It’s hypocritical if someone says he cares little about sales. It is not simple profit but represents recognition by society.”

However, for the upcoming exhibition, none of his paintings are for sale.

“That’s me, kind of a bit naughty,” he says with a smile, “I have the ability to make impossible to be possible and possible to be impossible. The exhibition is an important manifestation for me and my art. Jesus, after so many years, whether you accept it or not, I am still in the spotlight of the public.”

Date: August 2-7, 9am-4pm

Address: 1000 Yan’an Rd M.

Admission: 50 yuan




 

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