Entitled “The Nightmare”, the opening of new solo exhibition of Li Zhanyang will be announced by Galerie Urs Meile to be on March 3rd at its Beijing gallery. Li Zhanyang (b.1969 in Changchun, China) creates sculptures similar to comic dioramas to effectively express his ideas in a subjective manner that address social themes. In “Nightmare”, Li Zhanyang draws inspiration from the school experiences of his daughter and countless other Chinese children, metaphorically transposing it into the two large scale installations featured in the exhibition.
In China, a fast-growing global economic superpower with a population of over 1.3 billion people, being a child means learning from a tender age how much weight is placed on classroom education as a way to distinguish oneself and be successful in life. It means enduring a very busy daily study schedule, an endless stream of exams, and the unceasing struggle in pursuit of outstanding scholastic achievements. It means constant pressure, as well as fierce competition. As an art professor and the father of a nine-year-old girl, artist Li Zhanyang is very familiar with the Chinese educational system.
- Li Zhanyang-The Nightmare(schoolgirl and Li Zhanyang) 2011-2012
Li Zhanyang-The Nightmare (Red Scarves) 2011-2012
Li Zhanyang-The Nightmare(Red Scarves), detail, 2011-2012
In the second installation by Li Zhanyang, the artist fills a wall with a multitude of those triangular red scarves that are given to only the highest achieving Chinese primary school students as a symbol of the national flag and the “Young Pioneer” movement. If on the one hand red scarves serve as an incentive for the students to improve their motivation and performances, on the other hand they might be seen as a discriminatory instrument that undermines the self-confidence of the underachieving children. With their ambivalent nature, red scarves epitomize an official label for acknowledgment, excellence and success that every child has to attain.
Venue: Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne, Beijing
Opening: Saturday, March 3, 2012 - 4 to 7 pm
Exhibition: 3 March – 29 April 2012
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, for further information please visit Galerie Urs Meile.
