Show pays tribute to ‘Golden Age’ of contemporary art
Su Mang, founder and dean of Soul Art Center, said she hopes to run the gallery like a “3D magazine” covering art, culture, fashion, and poetic living. The gallery will function as a “cozy, dynamic, experimental art space offering the visitors a full range of experiences catering to their eyes, heart, and soul”. [Photo provided by Soul Art Center]
The Soul Art Center, a new gallery at the heart of Beijing’s 798 Art Zone, is holding a new show titled Song of Soul.
On display are 42 carefully selected oil paintings, mixed media, sculptures, and installations, created by 22 influential artists, including Cai Guoqiang, Xu Bing, Sui Jianguo, Zhan Wang, Shang Yang, Zeng Fanzhi, Qiu Zhjjie, and Yin Zhaoyang.
The participating artists, aged between 30 and 70, are among the most active in the country’s art academies and their works have always been sought-after collectibles in major auctions, according to Zhang Zikang, chief curator of the exhibition.
“Each of these showpieces is unique in its own ways and diverse in genres and themes. But they have at least one thing in common: They are all inspired by Chinese traditions,” Zhang said.
“With this show, we intend to pay tribute to the past 22 years, a timespan widely considered to be the golden age of Chinese contemporary art,” said Su Mang, founder of the two-story gallery which is a part of a huge Bauhaus-style compound built in the 1950s in northeast Beijing.
“I have done a great deal of research when selecting participating artists. I want to make sure each of them has forged a personal connection with 798 Art Zone in one way or another. And each has played an important role in pushing forward China’s contemporary art over the past two decades,” said Su, a fashion mogul who has organized crossover projects integrating art, fashion, design, and philanthropy over the years.
The exhibition runs through Dec 8.
