New York, NY, May 2, 2023 - Eli Klein Gallery is thrilled to present Suffocation, Zhang Dali’s third solo show with the gallery. An ambitious presentation of 13 unique works of art on cotton by one of China’s most revolutionary and recognized artists. The exhibition examines life under China’s extreme and inhumane Covid and other policies. Many of the cyanotypes on display cannot be exhibited inside of China, where the restrictive Covid policies that were only terminated a few months ago are a forbidden topic forced into the shadows.
Cyanotype has been a highlight of Zhang Dali’s artistic practice since 2009. It is a meticulous process that requires a unique blend of nature, chemistry, and creativity. The process involves coating a surface with a solution, placing objects directly onto it, and exposing it to sunlight. The resulting reaction with ultraviolet rays creates a distinctive silhouette aesthetic, with exposed areas taking on a different hue, while unexposed areas remain white. Invented in 1842, Cyanotype is a complicated physical method of light-maneuvering that produces unique one-of-a-kind works. In Dali’s words, they are the shadow of objects and the shadow of reality.
Cyanotypes provide a distinct monochromatic aesthetic; the shapes depicted have to be the exact same as the original object. Throughout years of experimentation, Zhang Dali developed a technique where he would prepare cotton sheets for portable use - a liberating method as a gesture to break out of the highly restricted political environment which exists in contemporary China. Suffocation carefully selects cyanotypes of three different color systems, all created during the time of Covid. With these visually striking works, Zhang Dali raises questions such as “Can we turn to plants for escape when we are confronted with oppression?” and “How do we find freedom when we’re constantly faced with restrictions?”
Zhang Dali’s gorgeous cyanotypes of plants depict China’s natural beauty. Before 2020 the dominant / subordinate relationship between humans / urban plants was often taken for granted. But the past few years blurred this relationship in China, when people were not allowed to venture out of their apartments for months, whereas urban plant life breathed freely.
As one of the most influential figures in socio-political artistic movements in China, Zhang Dali has, for decades, challenged the conventional by utilizing governmental slogans. Although he chose to speak with imageries instead of slogans in most of the cyanotypes on view, Slogan (22) links us to Zhang Dali’s trademark technique of appropriating slogans. This time, the slogan “I can’t breathe,” which was uttered by a slowly dying George Floyd was appropriated to convey the sensation of suffocation felt by Chinese citizens during Covid lockdowns.
Shadows are very intriguing and differ greatly in form. Beside shadows’ ability to prove the existence of material objects, shadows also carry their own intrinsic value and existence, not only as a reproduction or copy of the world of material things, but also as a type of “anti-matter” marking the space material objects occupy under the sun. Zhang Dali's photography utilises the early process of cyanotypes to create evocative images of the transience of urban life. Beside his east-Beijing studio, Zhang uses the receding vestiges of the natural environment to create his large scale compositions. His practice also includes installation, working directly onto old buildings earmarked for destruction. The constant of his work is an engagement with the ever changing urban fabric of China.
Eli Klein Gallery is a leading New York–based gallery specializing in contemporary Asian and Asian diasporic art. Founded in 2007, the gallery has played a pivotal role in shaping the institutional landscape for these artists in the West, serving as a vital cultural bridge between Asia and the international art world.
