China, an enigma
Peter Lewis
4 – 27 November
Private View: Thursday 3 November 6-9pm
Rogue Project Space
China, an enigma is a new body of work, which began at Red Gate Gallery in Beijing’s 798 Artzone. The catalyst for its development was an International Art Residency in 2019, which included the opportunity of living amongst the local community and experiencing the intensity of China’s capital city.
Photography was used as a method to record personal observations of China, from the banal to the peculiar. The work is an exhibition of ceramics, paintings, collage and mixed media, in response to the residency period in Beijing, but also includes experiences prompted by visits to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Huangshan, Jingdezhen and Xi’an City.
Source material to further develop ideas, comes from a mixture of collected ephemera from China and the UK, with items being acquired from second hand shops, in both countries. The work uses imagery alluding to aspects of Chinese history, culture and contemporary life, but also incorporates British history in an attempt to set up a dialogue, which teases out comparisons as well as differences between the two countries.
An additional layer of meaning communicated is the legacy of the Cultural Revolution, manifestations of this ten-year period still exist in China today. Upheaval and turmoil are common features in our turbulent world…
So many years ago heroes ruled the world
(some died for love in a cruel world)
They were the only ones in a cruel world
Lyrics by Level 42 – The Chinese Way © Peermusic Publishing
The residency in Beijing was supported by Wales Arts International (WAI), and the subsequent artworks endorsed by Palis Advisory GmbH, Berlin.
https://www.peterlewisartist.co.uk
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