at: Shanghart H-Space, Bldg 18, Nr. 50 Moganshan Rd.
tel: 86-21 6359 3923 fax: 86-21 6359 4570
www.shanghartgallery.com info@shanghartgallery.com
Opening Hours: 1-6pm (Tue-Sun)
Here’s the press release:
In his engaging artistic practice Pu Jie is attempting to use fragments of the collected memory as well as his own personal experiences to put together a narrative of contemporary way of existence in the shade of China’s recent history. Without falling into the trap of neither nostalgia nor amnesia he references life in the rapidly expanding urban metropolis and its oscillating imagery of eroticism, political propaganda and ancient myths. Monochromatic colors of red, yellow and blue dominate his large-scale paintings. The compositions are not subject to the classical central perspective, but consist of collage of figures and texts that are noticeable as a vast basis in favor of other images, usually painted with striking contours. The different layers of imagery are brought together in the picture by the unifying aesthetic expression, which is a blend of pop and comic strips. In chaotic processions Pu Jie touches upon a variety of themes that he conjures up in un-usually dynamic and intense scenes. Here, he underscores the illusory aspects of the mediated day-to-day reality of a rapidly changing society. Life is experienced as fragmented and shifting, without any way to effectively present a thorough interpretation of it. Attempting to expose this recognition, Pu Jie in practical terms conjures up and juxtaposes seemingly contrasting narratives and memories.
Focusing on the urban context, Pu Jie additionally touches upon the tabula rasa approach that is so prominent in the city development, where entire neighborhoods are being destroyed causing severe social implications. His Modernization (2001) featured a plastic replica of the Pudong Tower in Shanghai, which he subsequently submerged under water or splashed with alcohol and set on fire, ending up with the ashes of a city of ruins.
The exhibition is inculding Pu Jie recently two year’s works, about 15pcs of paiting.
Pu Jie was born in Shanghai in 1959. He graduated from the Fine Art Department of the Shanghai Teachers University in 1986. Today he lives and works in Shanghai.
Recent exhibitions include Mahjong, Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland (2005), Urban Art 2003, City of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (2003), Pu Jie – City of London Festival, Royal Exchange, London, UK (2003), The Dream of the City by the Sea, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, Hamburg, Germany (2003), and Pu Jie – Speed of Culture, ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai, China (2002).
