Press Release

Arario Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of recent works by LIANG Manqi at its brand-new space in Shanghai. Titled Gazing at the Imaginary, on view from January 14th to March 4th, 2023. Featuring LIANG Manqi’s latest works, including paintings and installations that have come as a result of self-reflection and consolidation by the artist.

LIANG Manqi uses painting as a medium for deconstructing and reconfiguring the geometry of colours as symbols, exploring and investigating the relationship between the imaginary, symbolic, and real realms. As the three sections of the exhibition are opposed to each other but transformed towards one another, they provide people with a comprehensive experience of entering the phantasm, walking through the ground of symbols, and ultimately arriving at reality.

This exhibition explores the intricacies of the human mind and unravels the enigma inherent in the intangible expressions of thoughts, emotions, and consciousness. Our perception of the world and our experience are inextricably intertwined with our minds. Through optical illusions, déjà vu, delusions, and hallucinations, our minds play tricks that manifest through our actions, which are shaped by perception, thus continuing to shape our world. LIANG Manqi believes that people ‘register’ the image or thing in their minds before they realise what they are seeing in front of them. The sensation of the abstract often overrides our perception of reality. ****LIANG Manqi’s works strive to hold onto each of these fragmented, abstract, and seemingly meaningless but significant moments in our daily life.

‘My work is not creating a new image but deconstructing and reconstructing the real images in the limbic system of each of our brains that we tend to ignore, which includes an infinite level of space that I have to ponder for a long time. Color and geometric structure are like a universal formula, freely woven and overlapped on the picture; different colours sometimes interfere with each other to form a conflict, and sometimes they restrain each other to reach a balance; nothing could be more relevant to what I want to express than the relationship between them both.’

In addition to the paintings, this exhibition includes a new installation on display, Portal, as a continuation of the artist’s passion and response to the space and the powerful dichotomy between our internal and external perceptions and emotions to evoke the emotional blast behind the repetitive actions of mundane life.

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About the Artist

Liang Manqi (b.1986, Guangdong, China) graduated from the department of Art Education at the China Academy of Art (CAA) in 2009 and obtained her Master of Fine Art degree from the CDK (Chinesisch-Deutshe Kunstakademie) project, a joint degree programme of the University of the Arts, Berlin and the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, in 2012. She currently lives and works in Shanghai. She has held solo exhibitions and participated in group shows in China and Korea. Previous projects and exhibitions include, Imaginary Practice, Solo Exhibition, Contemporary by Angela Li, Hong Kong (2016); Space in Mind, Animamix Biennale 2015-2016, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai (2016); WE: A Community of Chinese Contemporary Artists, K11 Art Foundation, K11 Museum, Shangha; Colometry, solo exhibition, Arario gallery, Seoul (2015); Several Objective Relations, ARARIO MUSEUM Dongmun Motel, Jeju, Korea (2014).

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Also Exhibiting at Arario Gallery

About the Gallery
ARARIO GALLERY opened its first Chinese branch in 2005 in the Jiu Chang Art District, Beijing. The Beijing space, which operated successfully for over seven years, closed its doors in 2012. In 2014, ARARIO GALLERY SHANGHAI opened in Xujiahui, Shanghai, operating until June 2017. It then relocated to West Bund, Shanghai, from July 2017 to August 2020, and once again within the West Bund from October 2022 to April 2024. The gallery has played a significant role in introducing the works of not only Korean artists but also a diverse range of Asian artists from Japan, India, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia to the Chinese art scene. Building on decades of experience and expertise, ARARIO GALLERY SHANGHAI reopens its new space in Jing’an District, Shanghai, in March 2025. As the oldest Korean gallery in China, ARARIO GALLERY SHANGHAI is firmly established and continues to provide a sustainable foundation for Asian artists through the continuous discovery of emerging talents and the creation of advanced exhibition opportunities.
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Shanghai 2F-205, 30 Wen'an Road
Arario Gallery
2F-205, 30 Wen'an Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, China
+86 21 5424 9220
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Opening hours
Tuesday – Saturday
11am – 6pm
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