Fang Lijun, 2021.1.12-2023.4.7, Colored ink on paper, 90.5×60.5cm, 2023
Triumph Gallery announces that Fang Lijun’s latest solo exhibition Look on, Near and Far, will be unveiled at the gallery on October 25th, 2024. Curated by Du Xiyun, this exhibition will feature more than 20 works created by the artist in recent years, and it remains on view until December 8th.
Fang Lijun: Viewed up Close and Afar
Preface for the Exhibition
By Du Xiyun
Under the great expanse, all the secrets of the mortal world lie within the human mind, which becomes a driving force that regulates the world and manifests into our living situations.
In Fang Lijun’s works, his passion for life and curiosity towards humanity permeates throughout, generating intimate proximity to his subject that allows him to grasp deeply and discern many subtleties, translating into his visual expression with a humanistic touch. This was already noticeable in the studies he made during his college years: “Arriving late, I could only sit close by [the model]. The light struck the model, and her body was steaming. I could hear her breathing. Suddenly, amid a routine of choosing an optimal composition and angle, I realized none of these are as important as the temperature, elasticity, and fluidity of the organism [we tried to depict], which are often overlooked or abandoned by us.”
Fang Lijun, 2013-2023.12.4, Colored ink on paper, 71.8×71.8cm, 2023
The large number of portraits he has painted in recent years advances such realization even more consciously. Throwing himself into the party, enthusiastically spending time with his friends, feeling their state and consciousness in multiple directions, and letting his expression take hold of his instincts and sentiments, he lets the language of art emanate his personality and cognition intensely.
Fang Lijun, 2023.8.16, Colored ink on paper, 180×246.8cm, 2023
Fang Lijun often wanders on the periphery, as if he were a bystander at a distance, observing others and himself from afar. The specific and subtle differences that are highlighted when viewed up close gradually weaken and even disappear when viewed from afar, and the commonalities that run within, between, and above each other emerge the tendencies of human nature, the state of life, the structure of a group, and even destiny…
Fang Lijun, 2015, Porcelain, 46×44.5×42cm, 2015
In the turmoil of day-to-day life, the complexity of change when viewed up close and the enduring constancy when viewed from afar is not easily perceived. From printmaking, oil painting, and sculpture to ink and porcelain painting, Fang Lijun employs a personalized artistic language to constantly sample and summarize his observations from near and far and enthusiastically shares them with others. Being on the same planet, everyone is created equal. He observes others as well as himself, often shrouding everyone's state and situation in a sense of humor. After all, you and I are all mortal beings, and reality is perceivable yet unbearable.
About the Artist
Fang Lijun was born in 1963, Handan, Hebei. He graduated from the Printmaking Department of China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1993. on July 1st of the same year, Fang Lijun moved to Yunamingyuan, the Old Summer Palace, and later the Yunamingyuan Artists' Village was gradually formed. In 1993, Fang Lijun established his studio in Songzhuang. The Songzhuang Artists' Village has steadily developed for the last two decades. In 2014, Fang Lijun established the Archive of Chinese Contemporary Art.
Fang Lijun has held exhibitions in major art institutions and galleries, including Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Ludwig Museum Koblenz, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Japan Foundation, Ariana Museum in Geneva, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Turin, Macaw Museum of Art, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Shanghai Art Museum, Hunan Museum, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, Hubei Art Museum, United Art Museum and the etc. His participation includes the Venice Biennale, Sǎo Paulo Biennial, Kwangju Art Biennial, and Shanghai Biennial. His works are collected by The Museum of Modern Art (USA), Seattle Art Museum(USA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (USA), Centre de G. Pompidou (France), Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst (Germany), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam(Holland), The National Gallery of Australia (Australia), Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (Japan), Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo(Japan), Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art(Japan), National Art Museum of China(China), Shanghai Art Museum (China), Guangdong Art Museum (China), He Xiangning Art Museum (China), Hunan Museum（China）, CAFA Art Museum(China). He is one of the Chinese contemporary artists with the most extensive collection by major art institutions worldwide.
He has published more than 50 personal catalogues and related publications, including Fang Lijun: Chronicles, Fang Lijun: Criticism, Fang Lijun: Works of Art, FANG LIJUN, Fang Lijun: The Precipice Over the Clouds, Fang Lijun: Espaces Interdits Forbidden Areas, Fang Lijun: Woodcuts, Live Like A Wild Dog, etc. Fang Lijun has been invited as a visiting professor and graduate supervisor at more than 20 universities and colleges, including Central Academy of Fine Arts, Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Xi 'an Academy of Fine Arts, Wuhan University, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts and the etc. In 1993, his painting "Series 2, No. 2" appeared on the cover of the New York Times Magazine.
About the Curator
Du Xiyun, Born in 1978, graduated from the Department of Oil Painting, Shaanxi Normal University's School of Fine Arts in 2000 with a Bachelor's degree. Completed a Master's degree in Art History from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2006. Held positions as Deputy Director at HOW Art Museum（Shanghai） and Deputy Director at Shanghai Himalayas Museum.
Curated numerous exhibitions and projects, recent ones include: "Zhao Bandi's Nut" (Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Xiamen, Shenyang, Shunde, Qingdao, Chengdu, Changzhou, Zhengzhou，Beijing... from 2020 to present); "Drift: Fostering Stars Project" at Wuhan Art Museum (Qintai Art Museum) in 2023; "Me & Beuys: Wang Guangyi" at HOW Museum（Shanghai） in 2021; "A Realistic Shocking Of The Virtual Authenticity: Shanghai's First Global NFT Crypto Art Exhibition" at Tank 1, West Bund Art Park in Shanghai in 2021; "Me & Beuys: Yin Xiuzhen" at HOW Museum（Shanghai） in 2021; "Me & Beuys: Zhao Bandi's Nut" at HOW Museum（Shanghai）in 2020; "Collaborative Construction" at Suzhou Jinji Lake Art Museum in 2020; "Me & Beuys: Yang Zhenzhong" at HOW Museum（Shanghai） in 2020; "Me & Beuys: Zhou Xiaohu" at HOW Museum（Shanghai in 2019; "Shanghai Files: Uniform Motion" at Shanghai Himalayas Museum in 2019; "Montadas: Asian Protocols" at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in 2018; "Yesterday's Today: First Anren Biennale" in 2017; "Exposición: El futuro ya está aquí: frenesí musical de Madrid a Pekín" at Cervantes Institute in 2017; "Scarcity and Supply: 3rd Nanjing International Art Exhibition" at Baijia lake Art Museum in 2016; "Beijing 798 Genesis(2002-2006)" at Songzhuang Art Museum in 2016.
About the Exhibition
Fang Lijun: Look on, Near and Far
Curator: Du Xiyun
Duration: 2024.10.25 - 2024.12.08
Venue: TRIUMPH GALLERY
Address: A-05, 798 Art Zone, No.2 Jiuxianqiao Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Courtesy of the Artist and TRIUMPH GALLERY.
