WANG GUANGLE

The title Wave is derived from the ripples that repeatedly appear in the artist’s creative process as a lasting expression of the certainty of his own system. Being part of the water, waves are not meant as a form of natural depiction but rather a non-temporal and non-spatial relationship between nature and ideology. All meanings are rooted in the present and are constantly changing. Analogically, these waves serve as the questioning and affirmation in Wang Guangle’s artistic career. In Zen tradition, the concept of ‘Waves and the Sea’ embraces the inseparable relationship between instability and inherent certainty, both of which are present simultaneously as one. In the end, the seemingly flowing waves are still the unchanged water.

A soft monochromatic tone runs through the exhibition as a way to bring various simple and rough materials as close to their true colours as possible, albeit not fully reaching the purity state. The use of plaster, paint and acrylic symbolises the artist’s continuous and in-depth exploration of painting materials, as well as his fundamental understanding of this aspect over the years. It exemplifies a support point for his later ‘Untitled’, ‘Terrazzo’ and ‘Coffin Paint’ series. In this exhibition, the multi layers of contrasting colours that are not completely covered from the side of Untitled 170625 reveal the time trajectory of creation like annual rings, adding a sense of complexity, weight and stability to the seemingly monotonous exhibition hall. With an unbreakable connection between each colour block and medium, one part naturally and smoothly transitions to another, bestowing the work meaning altogether. Waves 2013 superposes layers of paint to bring out the textural quality, further challenging and breaking through the realm of painting. The artist takes things as they go, often using the most comfortable and effective methods at hand, so that all creations continue to maintain the acute awareness of specificality. In 160501, Wang Guangle gradually filled a found wooden frame with paint in the outdoor setting. Painted layer by layer from the rim to the core, leaving a dent in the center, while the dust it collects highlights the specific feeling of the relationship between time and nature.

The works exhibited can be regarded as the foundation of his creative career. Through a simple and precise manner, they fully explore the in-depth foundation of Wang Guangle’s practice, seeking to manifest his consistent working method. Through his tedious and repetitive process of ‘labour’, layer piles upon layer like rammed earth reveals a kind of warmth, infinite tenderness and humanity. Whether it is the light in the ‘Untitled’, ‘Coffin Paint’ or ‘Terrazzo’ series, they all include the feelings and encounters of a specific time and space, as well as a sense of eternity that transcends any time node in the realistic world.

Wang Guangle (b. 1976, Fujian) graduated with a BA in Oil Painting from Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2000. He currently lives and works in Beijing. His paintings have been extensively shown worldwide in important biennials and triennials, including the California-Pacific Triennial (2013), Busan Biennale (2010) and Prague Biennale (2009). Museums and institutions that have shown his art include Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Netherlands; Museion, Bozen, Italy; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Rubell Family Collection and Contemporary Arts Foundation, Miami; White Rabbit Art Museum, Australia; Museum Ludwig, Germany; Today Art Museum, Beijing; Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing; Long Museum, Shanghai; Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai; Zhengda Museum, Shanghai; Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing; National Art Museum, Beijing; Fosun Foundation, Shanghai; He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen; Times Museum, Beijing; Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; Taikang Space, Beijing and so on.