PRIVATE VIEW Tuesday, 29th
April, 6
-
8pm
This spring Ben Brown Fine Arts presents Slumber Song, the first solo exhibition in the UK of contemporary Chinese photographer Chen Wei. Currently living and working in Beijing, the spirit of his work resonates with a new generation of emerging Chinese artists using photography as an instrument to capture human encounters with a rapidly developing China. Distinct from their 'New Wave' predecessors who place political and social criticism at the core of their artistic message, Chen Wei andhis contemporaries focus on intellectual freedoms and the individual's place in modern China. Chen Wei's photographs are visually enigmatic, characterised by uncompromising technical virtuosity and the elaborate scenes he creates.
The exhibition will feature some of Chen Wei’s mo
st impressive still life photographs, the finest examples of
his exacting approach to constructing a scene. In
The Raven Zoar
(2008), Chen Wei has carefully arranged
each object in an eerie, cage
-
like setting, triggering
feelings of
anxiety and claustropho
bia. Similarly the
juxtaposition of objects in
Cage or Sonata (2007)
makes for an unsettling yet oddly beautiful image
where,
as in so many of his works, human presence is felt but not depicted.
Before physically constructing each scene
Chen Wei makes el
aborate sketches, choreographing each vital
element into a surreal studio
-
like diorama. In his use of found and natural materials such as taxidermy,
broken glass and rocks, the eccentricities of early investigations into science, alchemy, and philosophy
ar
e
echoed. Hinting at the academic compositions of a Northern Renaissance master though often surprising in
their subject matter, these pieces push traditional references into new, visceral directions.
Chen Wei is fascinated by human fa
miliarity with ever
yday objects
and frequently dramatises these
relationships in his meticulous compositions. His
Coins
s
eries and
A Boy in the Fountain Basin
(2012)
give
muddied coins, tossed ritualistically into pools and fountains, a new, et
hereal quality. In these images
Chen
Wei depicts the complex relationship humans
hold with their discarded items
, explaining ‘I wish the coins
were about the present, about dream and loss.’
One More Cup of Afternoon Tea
(2009), coupling old
cigarette butts with a blooming rose, similarl
y contrasts ideas of abandonment and renewal.
Interpretations that contradict and compete with one another are inherent in all
of
Chen Wei’s works and
are reflected in the exhibition ti
tle. He describes
Slumber Song
as a reference to a song about sleep, a
lullaby, but als
o to a melody inducing a paralys
ing apathy
.
Method of Slumber (2009),
with a metronome
symbolis
ing the passing of time, encapsulates this soporific atmosphere.
Chen Wei is a teller of unfinished stories. Fascinating in their open
-
endedne
ss, his carefully fabricated
scenes and cryptic titles contain numerous possible narratives for the viewer to unveil. Though often
challenging, his diverse works make for compulsive viewing.