Shen Liang: Immortal sRecycling Station
Beijing
April14 - May 19, 2024
Liang: Immortals Recycling Station
Shen Liang: Immortals Recycling Station
This exhibition features three series of works, with Series One titled 'The Book Painting Project'.In his earlier period, Shen Liang painted a collection of oil-on-canvas pieces that were themed around vintage book covers, with his Journey to the West series being widely recognized by the public. However, in this phase of 'The Book Painting Project,' compared to previous series, the forms and expressions have become more diverse and vivid. The impetus for this particular series stemmed from Shen Liang's search for old paper to copy ancient paintings; due to the scarcity of such paper, he stumbled upon old books one day. The unique colors, textures, and age of these books imparted a sense of history and time quite unlike any other. It was as if he had unlocked a magical door. Shen Liang began by copying the back covers of oldillustrated books, and eventually, taking advantage of the varying sizes and contents of the books, he moved on to creatively altering them in a way that was both site-specific and whimsical. The use of humor, satire, and playful language in his work broke free from all constraints on the canvas. When confronted with old books, Shen Liang was able to create spontaneously, resulting in works that burst forth like long-absent hormonal outbursts—raw, genuine, and utterly without pretense or disguise.
In Series Two, titled "Liang's Sojourn"，Shen Liang has long been an enthusiast with a penchant for collecting antique artifacts and admiring ancient architecture. When confronted with these centuries-old structures, there appears to be a distant voice speaking—a voice that might manifest as a pigeon perched atop the edifice, a cat nestled in a corner, or perhaps a small dog resting at the foot of a statue. This elusive yet persistent voice echoes through time, while the divine figures worshipped by people stand equally close, as tangible as a water cup at one's fingertips. The intricate web of intertwined time and space, coupled with a hazy blend of emotions, moved Shen Liang to capture this labyrinthine chronotope and the resonating sense of time-travel within his work. Where words may falter to articulate, art speaks volumes.
Series Three is titled 'The Immortals Recycling Station', which also serves as the origin for the name of this solo exhibition. Two years ago, Shen Liang acquired over two hundred vintage picture frames through an online platform akin to a secondhand marketplace (referred to as "Xianyu"). These frames were eclectic, each carrying a rich patina of time and emotion. This very patina inspired Shen Liang with the idea of transforming discarded items into treasures. With the material premise of "responding to objects and depicting their shapes" now in place, Shen Liang was granted immense creative freedom. He started dismantling the frames, examining them closely, and basing his paintings on the distinctive patterns and textures found within each frame. Decisions about what images to use, which frames to select, and what techniques to apply—choices that might seem to require deliberation—were typically made by Shen Liang in a flash. He painted whatever content came to mind, whatever resonated with the frames, allowing everything he'd long wanted to paint but hadn't to find its place within these antique borders. The vintage frames served as a sort of image recycling depot, indiscriminately welcoming highbrow and lowbrow subjects alike. The process was invigorating, thrilling, and deeply authentic.
The combined body of work consisting of over three hundred pieces across these three series is so substantial that it elevates the act of painting to become the very essence of everything.
About Artist
Shen Liang, born in Liaoning, China in 1976, graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a Master's degree in 2003 and currently teaches at the School of Art and Design, Beijing University of Technology. He currently resides and works in Beijing.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024, Immortals Recycling Station, Hunsand Space, Beijing, China; 2021, Ever Young, Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok, Thailand; 2021, Mao Ke, Lin & Lin Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan; 2021, Shen Liang,Solo Project, Hong Kong Artbasel, Hong Kong, China; 2019, Journey to the West, West Bund Art & Design, Shanghai, China; 2017, Neon Landscapes, Lin & Lin Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan; 2015, Shen Liang, Lin & Lin Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan; 2013, Superfluous Things I: Shen Liang, Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China; 2012, Third Grade Second Class, VA Gallery, Hong Kong, China; 2012, Showcase, China Space, Beijing, China; 2012, Material．Engraving．Picture, Space Station, Beijing, China; 2011, Far．Mountain, Michael Schultz Gallery, Beijing, China; 2008, Undercover, Michael Schultz Gallery, Berlin, Germany; 2008, This Is a Book, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China; 2008, Hope to See You There, Michael Schultz Gallery, Seoul, Korea;
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023, Group as Method: Research and Samples of Art Groups from Central Academy of Fine Art, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China; 2022, The Trace of Civilization——The Great Art of Dunhuang, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing; 2021, The Way We Eat, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; 2020, Physis: Production of Nature, Human and Technology, Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan, China; 2019, THEN. The First Ten Years of the White Rabbit Gallery, White Rabbit, Sydney, Australia; 2017, Trace - Shen Liang, Zhang Zhenyu, Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, China; 2016, Each to His Own: Li Wendong / Wei Cingye Collection Exhibition, OCAT Xian, XIan, China; 2015, BREAKING THE IMAGE: Methods in the Treatment of Imagery by Contemporary Artists from China, Si Shang Art Museum, Beijing, China; 2014, N12 - No.6, Lin & Lin Gallery/Beijing Commune, Taipei/Beijing, Taiwan; 2009, China Total, Rostock Museum, Rostock, Germany; 2006, Extended Realism - The Oil Painting of China Mainland from 1978, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan;
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