ZHU JIA

As the pioneer of early video and photography art in China, ZHU Jia was in the frontier edge of practice from late 80s. With his impassive, matter-of-fact manner and concise way of production, as well as an aggressive while placid perspective to the reality, he became a special case in Chinese conception art. His pioneering experimental works provides adventurous precedents to the succeeding practitioners. Furthermore, his works simultaneously step with prevailing globalization of 90s, providing real-time critical commentary to the conversion of Chinese society.

In today’s world, any normalcy seems to be occasional and temporary, thus the key point is how we define ‘normalcy’. In this coming solo show, ZHU Jia will dissect the ‘normalcy in daily life, in politics, and in art’ under critical state from different angles and perspectives, giving our audiences extended experiences when they will be put on the edge of fear and taboo, or in his words, the ‘very embarrassed feeling deep inside me created by reality’.

ZHU Jia, born in 1963, Beijing. Graduated from the oil painting department of the 3^rd studio, China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1988. He lives and works in Beijing.

Selected exhibitions include Mobile M+: Moving Images, Hong Kong (2015); Landseasky, Revisiting Spatiality in video art, OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Shanghai (2014); Out of the Box, The Threshold of Video Art in China (1984–1998), Guangdong Times Museum, Guangzhou (2011); Trans Local Motion—7^th Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Musuem, Shanghai (2008); 10^th International Istanbul Biennial-Not only Possible, But also Necessary-Optimism in the Age of Global War, Istanbul, Turkey (2007); Zooming into Focus (NAMOC)-Contemporary Chinese Photography and Video from the Haudenschild Collection, National Art Museum Of China, Beijing (2005); 50^th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale-Dreams and Conflicts. The Dictatorship of the Viewer, Venice, Italy (2003); Tempo, the Works Show of Contemporary Art in 20^th, The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York, U.S.A. (2002); Living in Time-29 Contemporary Artists from China, National galerie im Hamburger Bahnhof Museum fuer Gegenwartskunst, Berlin, Germany (2001); Every Day-11^th Biennale of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art etc., Sydney, Australia (1998); Trade Routes: History and Geography, 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg, South Africa (1997).