Zheng Chongbin Ink Installation
Black Wall/ White Space
16th-27th February 2012
Opening reception: Thursday, 16th February, 6-8pm
Pearl Lam Galleries is pleased to present BLACK WALL / WHITE SPACE, Ink Installation, a solo exhibition of new work by Zheng Chongbin. The exhibition by the San Francisco-based Chinese artist at the Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre, will feature thirteen ink brush paintings and a video installation, previously unseen in Hong Kong.
“I like my paintings to be seen as the alternation between objectification and architectonic engagement. The paintings explore the ways in which mental volumes interact with physical space. A fundamental concern of the paintings is the perception and realization of material content, its direct presence.” Zheng Chongbin
BLACK WALL / WHITE SPACE aims to investigate the logic of the ink medium and its perceptual characteristics. The exhibition extends the traditional territory of ink painting. Moving beyond the flat surface, Zheng creates works that are connected to the physical space, a marriage between paintings and installation. Challenging the tempo of brushwork and creating choreography of shapes, the techniques of traditional Asian ink painting in Zheng’s work reveal a contemporary relevance. The artist creates “mind landscapes”, exploring the frontiers between rhythm, formality and time to alter the perceptions of the viewer whilst questioning visual certainties.
Four Defined Squares by Me (2011) traces the perimeter of the land known as oblivion, an alteration between the materiality of the work and transcendence. Its panels of vertical columns are not just convenient geometry but mark a shift toward objectification, towards an experience of architectonics and frontality. Untitled (2011) oscillates between darkness and luminosity, suggesting the passage of time and its neglects. Rather than construct images that create illusions of spatial depth as historical ink paintings do, this work reveals realities in which visual perceptions remain obscured from view. The language of the ink is combined with forms that allude to a sense of emotion and facial expression.
The new ink pieces will be accompanied by the socio-political video installation Trim Master (2012), which emphasizes Zheng’s use of contemporary procedures. Combining projections of channel news with paper, while content, size, timing and color are controlled and removed by an arbitrary device, this work focuses on concerns of censorship and the power of restriction.