Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce our third solo exhibition of new paintings by Z.Z. Wei, entitled Song of
Colors. The exhibition opens on March 3 and will be on view through April 5, 2011 with an opening reception on Thursday,
March 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Pacific Northwest artist, Z.Z. Wei’s passion for art and nature burgeoned at a very young age and was largely attributed to his
cultural upbringing in his native China. The Taoist philosophy believes that one can find happiness and harmony when man
and nature are aligned and in traditional Chinese painting, the artist seeks to depict an atmospheric feeling of the landscape
rather than an accurate realistic representation. These elements are evident in Z.Z. Wei’s work. But as a Chinese American
Wei brings both Eastern and Western influences into his work. It was in Eastern Washington where he became entranced by
the evocative rust and ochre colors and fluid landscape and it was knowledge and inspiration of the Hudson River School, the
Regionalists, and Georgia O’Keefe that has fully developed his work. Wei’s story is a unique one, which is evident in his work
but in all its uniqueness maintains strong traditional roots in Eastern and Western art history.
A Z.Z. Wei painting presents bright, energetic colors, brisk brushstrokes and expressive, voluminous forms. He captures the
mood and energy of the landscape while evoking its quiet simplicity. Rusted abandoned cars, red barns, yellow fields, and trees
are common subjects in his work that all harken to a rural, pastoral environment that many of us have only seen in movies or
through car windows on long road trips out west. Wei captures an American experience while conveying the energy and spirit
of Chinese art and philosophy.
Z.Z. Wei graduated from the Central Institute of Arts & Design, Beijing, China before moving to Seattle, Washington to
serve as an artist in residence at various universities. His work is part of the permanent collections of the Westin Hotel, Seattle,
WA; Weyerhaeuser Corporation, Seattle, WA; Pro Foods, Vancouver, WA; Omnivore Inc., Bellevue, WA; Vulcan Northwest,
Bellevue, WA; Tri Holding Ltd., Vancouver, BC, Canada; Ii Architecture, Seoul, South Korea; Frohwitter, Munich, Germany
among others. Critical attention for his work has been received from ARTnews, Artweek, Southwest Art, Architectural Digest,
and Art Now. Wei has mounted solo shows across the country since 1991 and has been included in group shows in both China
and America and is a 2011 Washington Governor’s Mansion Foundation Exhibitor. A 180 page full color monograph which
includes a selection of 180 paintings and essay by John O'Hern, Z.Z. Wei, Light and Shadow: A 20 Year Journey of American
Landscape is available through Jenkins Johnson Gallery