Deng Jianjin Solo Exhibition
Underflow: the agony and the ecstasy
Triangle Space Gallery @ Chelsea College of Arts, UAL
16 John Islip St, Westminster, London SW1P 4JU
24-28 September 2019 | Opening Reception 24 September 6-9, with Artist & Curator Talk and DJ
Underflow: the agony and the ecstasy
Triangle Space Gallery @ Chelsea College of Arts, UAL
16 John Islip St, Westminster, London SW1P 4JU
24-28 September 2019 | Opening Reception 24 September 6-9, with Artist & Curator Talk and DJ
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Underflow is the first solo exhibition in the UK of the established Guangzhou-based painter Deng Jianjin (b.1961). Deng was born and raised in Guangdong, the province at the forefront of Chinese economic reforms since 1978 and the wealthiest in China today. Since Deng Xiaoping’s ‘Opening-up Policy’ were introduced four decades ago, Guangdong's inhabitants witnessed the breath-taking phenomena of industrialization, urbanization, modernization and capitalist consumerism.
Deng originally studied sculpture but in the early 1990’s, emerged as a significant post- realist painter, within an artistic development that adopted cynical realism, neo-expressionism and surrealism in China. He has been widely exhibited internationally, including in South Korea, Japan, France, Germany and the USA. His early works, subtly satirical depictions of groups of friends, appeared in several important national exhibitions and he has since evolved a distinct neo-expressionist style showing dense, fluid compositions of profligate bodies. As a pioneer of contemporary art in South China, Deng applies bold and erotic symbols in surrealist and expressionistic style, to reflect the psychological condition and spiritual state of people of various classes of society, revealing the pressure of survival and the uncertainty of the future in such a transitional society.
According to Michael Sullivan (1916-2013), the well-respected British art historian and collector in the field of Chinese art, Deng’s works ‘reflect(ing) problems plaguing Chinese society’ (Michael Sullivan, Art in China since 1949, Oxford University Press).
Underflow: the agony and the ecstasy addresses the unpalatable fusion of psychological pain and physical excess borne of a rapidly urbanised, over-commoditised society exerting numerous pressures on the individual and collective psyche. Grotesque figures, often naked and masked, appear in theatrical mini psychodramas in which the protagonists flail about in various states of lust, violence and power, orchestrated by the artist through a bleakly cynical lens. Deng’s palette of pale yellows, purples and blues and his oozing painterly style captures a contemporary version of the medieval carnival. His clustered compositions act as ‘dark hallucinations’. In this exhibition, the gratuitous gratification portrayed through Deng’s imagery expresses a ‘flamboyant narrative’ provoking ‘sorrow, fear, compassion and endless delusion.’
Whether circular, triangular or hexagonal, irregular-shaped canvases are commonplace in Deng’s works. Although they are not employed to suggest religious dogma, for the past 10 years, Deng has embedded some religious ideas and iconography into his imagery, to question and inspire a deeper exploration of society and human nature.
Katie Hill, the curator of the exhibition, adopted “the agony and the ecstasy” as the subtitle of the exhibition, which is taken from the 1965 film starring Charlton Heston based on Irving Stone’s biography of Michelangelo, calling to mind conflicts of belief systems and power in the religious context of renaissance Italy and its subsequent mythology in popular culture.
In Deng Jianjin's first London exhibition - Underflow: the agony and the ecstasy - the artist will present 16 works on canvas created between 2014 and 2019, offering visitors the opportunity to view his dark and degenerate imaginary and contemplate an alternative view the of modernisation and industrialization, as well as to have a better understanding of not just the differences but commonalities between East and West. During the opening reception on September 24th (6-9pm), Deng Jianjin and Katie Hill will have a dialogue. DJ GXIV will perform music to resonate with the exhibition.
For Media Enquiry
Lang Xiao| lang.xiao@artouchconsulting.com | +44 7591 877 185
For hi-res images and more information please download here
Notes to Editors
Artist - Deng Jianjin
Deng Jianjin was born in Guangdong, China in 1961. He currently lives in Guangzhou and works as a professor at the Oil Painting Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Deng studied sculpture at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jiangxi, which is also known as the world’s ‘Porcelain Capital’ with a history dating back more than 1,700 years. Shortly after his graduation in 1986, he started to teach at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, which is regarded as the cradle of avant-garde contemporary art in South China. Deng was one of the members of 105 Studio, a group promoting experimental oil painting practices in the 1980s. Since then, his works have been widely exhibited, including at China’s first ever Guangzhou Triennial “Reinterpretation: A Decade of Chinese Experiment Art (1990-2000) curated by Wu Hung and Huang Zhuan in 2002; solo exhibitions at Guangzhou Xinghe Exhibition Hall in 1988, Tsinghua University in 2002, Beijing 3+3 Gallery in 2005, Beijing Today Art Museum in 2009, Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP (Beijing) in 2012, Guangzhou Fei Art Gallery in 2013, Beijing 798 Art Zong White Box Gallery in 2018 and Vancouver’s R Space in 2018, as well as group exhibitions in the United States, Russia, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Austria, Estonia, Spain, France, Australia Germany, and Portugal. Paintings and sculptures by Deng Jianjin have been acquired by leading museums and art institutions in China, such as National Museum of Art, Beijing; Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai; Long Museum, Shanghai; Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou; Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing; Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen; etc.
Curator – Katie Hill
Dr Hill is the Program Director of MA Modern and Contemporary Asian Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. She is also the director of OCCA, Office of
Contemporary Chinese Art, an art consultancy promoting Chinese artists in the UK. As the author for the Chinese Art Book (Phaidon 2013) and a regularly invited speaker for exhibitions and events in leading art institutions, such as Tate Modern and Hayward Gallery, Dr Hill has a solid understanding of Chinese contemporary art and its market.
Sponsor – Link Life Design· Art· Lifestyle
Deng originally studied sculpture but in the early 1990’s, emerged as a significant post- realist painter, within an artistic development that adopted cynical realism, neo-expressionism and surrealism in China. He has been widely exhibited internationally, including in South Korea, Japan, France, Germany and the USA. His early works, subtly satirical depictions of groups of friends, appeared in several important national exhibitions and he has since evolved a distinct neo-expressionist style showing dense, fluid compositions of profligate bodies. As a pioneer of contemporary art in South China, Deng applies bold and erotic symbols in surrealist and expressionistic style, to reflect the psychological condition and spiritual state of people of various classes of society, revealing the pressure of survival and the uncertainty of the future in such a transitional society.
According to Michael Sullivan (1916-2013), the well-respected British art historian and collector in the field of Chinese art, Deng’s works ‘reflect(ing) problems plaguing Chinese society’ (Michael Sullivan, Art in China since 1949, Oxford University Press).
Underflow: the agony and the ecstasy addresses the unpalatable fusion of psychological pain and physical excess borne of a rapidly urbanised, over-commoditised society exerting numerous pressures on the individual and collective psyche. Grotesque figures, often naked and masked, appear in theatrical mini psychodramas in which the protagonists flail about in various states of lust, violence and power, orchestrated by the artist through a bleakly cynical lens. Deng’s palette of pale yellows, purples and blues and his oozing painterly style captures a contemporary version of the medieval carnival. His clustered compositions act as ‘dark hallucinations’. In this exhibition, the gratuitous gratification portrayed through Deng’s imagery expresses a ‘flamboyant narrative’ provoking ‘sorrow, fear, compassion and endless delusion.’
Whether circular, triangular or hexagonal, irregular-shaped canvases are commonplace in Deng’s works. Although they are not employed to suggest religious dogma, for the past 10 years, Deng has embedded some religious ideas and iconography into his imagery, to question and inspire a deeper exploration of society and human nature.
Katie Hill, the curator of the exhibition, adopted “the agony and the ecstasy” as the subtitle of the exhibition, which is taken from the 1965 film starring Charlton Heston based on Irving Stone’s biography of Michelangelo, calling to mind conflicts of belief systems and power in the religious context of renaissance Italy and its subsequent mythology in popular culture.
In Deng Jianjin's first London exhibition - Underflow: the agony and the ecstasy - the artist will present 16 works on canvas created between 2014 and 2019, offering visitors the opportunity to view his dark and degenerate imaginary and contemplate an alternative view the of modernisation and industrialization, as well as to have a better understanding of not just the differences but commonalities between East and West. During the opening reception on September 24th (6-9pm), Deng Jianjin and Katie Hill will have a dialogue. DJ GXIV will perform music to resonate with the exhibition.
For Media Enquiry
Lang Xiao| lang.xiao@artouchconsulting.com | +44 7591 877 185
For hi-res images and more information please download here
Notes to Editors
Artist - Deng Jianjin
Deng Jianjin was born in Guangdong, China in 1961. He currently lives in Guangzhou and works as a professor at the Oil Painting Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Deng studied sculpture at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jiangxi, which is also known as the world’s ‘Porcelain Capital’ with a history dating back more than 1,700 years. Shortly after his graduation in 1986, he started to teach at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, which is regarded as the cradle of avant-garde contemporary art in South China. Deng was one of the members of 105 Studio, a group promoting experimental oil painting practices in the 1980s. Since then, his works have been widely exhibited, including at China’s first ever Guangzhou Triennial “Reinterpretation: A Decade of Chinese Experiment Art (1990-2000) curated by Wu Hung and Huang Zhuan in 2002; solo exhibitions at Guangzhou Xinghe Exhibition Hall in 1988, Tsinghua University in 2002, Beijing 3+3 Gallery in 2005, Beijing Today Art Museum in 2009, Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP (Beijing) in 2012, Guangzhou Fei Art Gallery in 2013, Beijing 798 Art Zong White Box Gallery in 2018 and Vancouver’s R Space in 2018, as well as group exhibitions in the United States, Russia, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Austria, Estonia, Spain, France, Australia Germany, and Portugal. Paintings and sculptures by Deng Jianjin have been acquired by leading museums and art institutions in China, such as National Museum of Art, Beijing; Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai; Long Museum, Shanghai; Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou; Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing; Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen; etc.
Curator – Katie Hill
Dr Hill is the Program Director of MA Modern and Contemporary Asian Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. She is also the director of OCCA, Office of
Contemporary Chinese Art, an art consultancy promoting Chinese artists in the UK. As the author for the Chinese Art Book (Phaidon 2013) and a regularly invited speaker for exhibitions and events in leading art institutions, such as Tate Modern and Hayward Gallery, Dr Hill has a solid understanding of Chinese contemporary art and its market.
Sponsor – Link Life Design· Art· Lifestyle
邓箭今个展 | 潜流：痛苦与狂喜
英国伦敦艺术大学切尔西艺术学院
Triangle Space Gallery @
Chelsea College of Arts, UAL
16 John Islip St, Westminster, London SW1P 4JU
2019年9月24日- 28日
开幕招待|2019年9月24日6 - 9 PM (含艺术家策展人对话及DJ表演)
媒体专访|2019年9月24日 3 – 6 PM
策展人：Katie Hill博士
“潜流：痛苦与狂喜”是来自中国广州的艺术家邓箭今(生于1961年)在英国的首次个展。 邓箭今, 作为一位重要的后现实主义油画家, 在中国上世纪90年代初期玩世现实主义、新表现主义和超现实主义的艺术发展中走进公众视野。除了中国大陆之外，其作品也在韩国、日本、法国、德国和美国等地广泛展出。 邓箭今早期作品常见于中国国家级大展中，内容有很多对艺术家朋友们巧妙而调侃的描绘。这后来演变出一种独特的新表现主义风格，呈现密集、强烈且流畅的放荡肉体组合。
邓箭今生活和创作的地方是40年前中国改革开放政策的前沿阵地，如今广东省更是长期位居中国GDP总量榜首。艺术家对于工业化、城市化、现代化和消费主义飞速发展的奇观有着最切实的感受。作为南中国当代艺术的先锋代表之一，邓箭今在他的超现实主义和表现主义风格中的大胆使用了与情色相关的符号,以 反映社会各阶层群体的心理状态和精神状态，呈现转型社会中的生存压力和对未来的不确定性。
正如英国艺术史家、汉学家、“20世纪系统介绍中国现代美术的西方第一人” 苏立文（Michael Sullivan，1916-2013）在其所著的《1949年以来的中国艺术》(Art in China since 1949)一文中对邓箭今的评价：“邓的作品真实反映了困扰中国社会的问题”。
展览“潜流：痛苦与狂喜”通过一系列具有代表性的作品，试图阐述由于高速城市化和过度商品化给个人和集体在精神上带来的巨大的压力，描绘一种难以名状的心理苦闷和生理超负荷的结合体。那些亦或带着面具、亦或赤裸的怪诞人物，在一幕幕冲突感极强的迷你心理剧里登场，在艺术家透过凄凉而讽刺的视角精心策划的“欲望，暴力和权力”中摇曳挣扎。邓箭今运用偏冷色系的黄、紫和蓝，以及他渗透渲染式的笔触，营造了一场当代版的中世纪狂欢节；那些一组组的构图正是“黄昏幻觉”（殷双喜）所致的幕幕场景。在这次展览中，邓箭今将无偿的享乐和满足感表现得淋漓尽致，构建了评论家樊林笔下的一场引发“悲痛、恐惧、同情心和无尽妄想”的“华丽叙事”。
无论是圆形、三角形还是六边形，异形外框作品在邓箭今的作品中并不少见。尽管艺术家并没有想通过作品形状使作品富有表型上的“宗教感”，但他确实为这些作品加入了一些宗教的理念，延续了进十年来的图式和线索。邓箭今表示：“我希望让作品对社会性产生一种相互制约的关系，从而对人性进行更深层次的探索”。
伦敦展览策展人Katie Hill博士赋予展览的副标题—--痛苦与狂喜，取自1965年由查尔顿·赫斯顿（Charlton Heston）主演的关于米开朗基罗（Michelangelo）的电影，改编自欧文·斯通（Irving Stone）创作的纪传体小说，旨在唤起意大利文艺复兴时期宗教背景下的信仰体系和权力冲突以及随后在流行文化中出现的古典神话。
在“潜流：痛苦与狂喜”—--邓箭今伦敦首展上，艺术家将展出16幅于2014-2019年创作的布面作品，首次为伦敦观众呈现邓式黑暗和蜕化的想象，以及对现代化和工业化的另一种观点。艺术家本人也希望通过展览，“展示一种东方思维的艺术理念和对审美的差异与理解，让伦敦观众更多地了解东西方的区别和融合”。
2019年9月24日开幕当晚，邓箭今和策展人Katie Hill博士将在现场展开对话。此外，特邀DJ GXIV还将进行现场表演，呼应艺术家作品和主题。
媒体垂询
肖朗lang.xiao@artouchconsulting.com | +44 7591 877 185
高清图片及更多信息请点击下载这里
致编辑
艺术家 邓箭今
邓箭今1961年出生于中国广东。现居广州，现任广州美术学院油画系教授。邓曾在江西景德镇陶瓷学院学习雕塑。1986年毕业后不久，他开始在广州美术学院任教。广州美术学院被认为是华南地区前卫当代艺术的摇篮。邓也是20世纪80年代推动实验性油画实践的团体105工作室的成员之一。从那时起，他的作品被广泛关注并展出，曾参加2002年由巫鸿、黄专策划的中国首届广州三年展“重新解读：中国实验艺术十年（1990-2000）”、1988年在广州星河展馆举办个展、2002年在清华大学美术学院举办个展、2005年在北京3+3空间举办个展、2009年在北京今日美术馆举办个展、2012年在广州美术学院美术馆举办个展、2012年在北京东京画廊举办个展、2013年在广州扉艺廊举办个展、2018年在北京798白盒子艺术馆举办个展、2018年在加拿大温哥华R Space举办个展，并在美国、俄罗斯、意大利、日本、瑞典、奥地利、爱沙尼亚、西班牙、法国、澳大利亚、德国和葡萄牙等地参加群展或个展。邓箭今的绘画和雕塑作品也被中国领先的博物馆和艺术机构收藏，其中包括中国美术馆（北京）、上海美术馆 （上海）、龙美术馆（上海）、广州美术馆 （广州）、广州、四方当代美术馆 （南京）、深圳美术馆 （深圳），等等。
策展人 Katie Hill
Dr Katie Hill (何凯特博士) 是英国伦敦苏富比艺术学院现当代亚洲艺术研究生项目的主管，她也是致力于在英国推广中国当代艺术的咨询机构中国当代艺术办公室的总监。作为英国费顿出版社2013年出版的《中国艺术》一书的作者，以及包括英国泰特现代美术馆和海沃德美术馆在内的领先艺术机构的常邀主讲嘉宾，她对中国当代艺术以及市场发展有着独到和深厚的理解。
赞助商 伶居 Link Life
英国伦敦艺术大学切尔西艺术学院
Triangle Space Gallery @
Chelsea College of Arts, UAL
16 John Islip St, Westminster, London SW1P 4JU
2019年9月24日- 28日
开幕招待|2019年9月24日6 - 9 PM (含艺术家策展人对话及DJ表演)
媒体专访|2019年9月24日 3 – 6 PM
策展人：Katie Hill博士
“潜流：痛苦与狂喜”是来自中国广州的艺术家邓箭今(生于1961年)在英国的首次个展。 邓箭今, 作为一位重要的后现实主义油画家, 在中国上世纪90年代初期玩世现实主义、新表现主义和超现实主义的艺术发展中走进公众视野。除了中国大陆之外，其作品也在韩国、日本、法国、德国和美国等地广泛展出。 邓箭今早期作品常见于中国国家级大展中，内容有很多对艺术家朋友们巧妙而调侃的描绘。这后来演变出一种独特的新表现主义风格，呈现密集、强烈且流畅的放荡肉体组合。
邓箭今生活和创作的地方是40年前中国改革开放政策的前沿阵地，如今广东省更是长期位居中国GDP总量榜首。艺术家对于工业化、城市化、现代化和消费主义飞速发展的奇观有着最切实的感受。作为南中国当代艺术的先锋代表之一，邓箭今在他的超现实主义和表现主义风格中的大胆使用了与情色相关的符号,以 反映社会各阶层群体的心理状态和精神状态，呈现转型社会中的生存压力和对未来的不确定性。
正如英国艺术史家、汉学家、“20世纪系统介绍中国现代美术的西方第一人” 苏立文（Michael Sullivan，1916-2013）在其所著的《1949年以来的中国艺术》(Art in China since 1949)一文中对邓箭今的评价：“邓的作品真实反映了困扰中国社会的问题”。
展览“潜流：痛苦与狂喜”通过一系列具有代表性的作品，试图阐述由于高速城市化和过度商品化给个人和集体在精神上带来的巨大的压力，描绘一种难以名状的心理苦闷和生理超负荷的结合体。那些亦或带着面具、亦或赤裸的怪诞人物，在一幕幕冲突感极强的迷你心理剧里登场，在艺术家透过凄凉而讽刺的视角精心策划的“欲望，暴力和权力”中摇曳挣扎。邓箭今运用偏冷色系的黄、紫和蓝，以及他渗透渲染式的笔触，营造了一场当代版的中世纪狂欢节；那些一组组的构图正是“黄昏幻觉”（殷双喜）所致的幕幕场景。在这次展览中，邓箭今将无偿的享乐和满足感表现得淋漓尽致，构建了评论家樊林笔下的一场引发“悲痛、恐惧、同情心和无尽妄想”的“华丽叙事”。
无论是圆形、三角形还是六边形，异形外框作品在邓箭今的作品中并不少见。尽管艺术家并没有想通过作品形状使作品富有表型上的“宗教感”，但他确实为这些作品加入了一些宗教的理念，延续了进十年来的图式和线索。邓箭今表示：“我希望让作品对社会性产生一种相互制约的关系，从而对人性进行更深层次的探索”。
伦敦展览策展人Katie Hill博士赋予展览的副标题—--痛苦与狂喜，取自1965年由查尔顿·赫斯顿（Charlton Heston）主演的关于米开朗基罗（Michelangelo）的电影，改编自欧文·斯通（Irving Stone）创作的纪传体小说，旨在唤起意大利文艺复兴时期宗教背景下的信仰体系和权力冲突以及随后在流行文化中出现的古典神话。
在“潜流：痛苦与狂喜”—--邓箭今伦敦首展上，艺术家将展出16幅于2014-2019年创作的布面作品，首次为伦敦观众呈现邓式黑暗和蜕化的想象，以及对现代化和工业化的另一种观点。艺术家本人也希望通过展览，“展示一种东方思维的艺术理念和对审美的差异与理解，让伦敦观众更多地了解东西方的区别和融合”。
2019年9月24日开幕当晚，邓箭今和策展人Katie Hill博士将在现场展开对话。此外，特邀DJ GXIV还将进行现场表演，呼应艺术家作品和主题。
媒体垂询
肖朗lang.xiao@artouchconsulting.com | +44 7591 877 185
高清图片及更多信息请点击下载这里
致编辑
艺术家 邓箭今
邓箭今1961年出生于中国广东。现居广州，现任广州美术学院油画系教授。邓曾在江西景德镇陶瓷学院学习雕塑。1986年毕业后不久，他开始在广州美术学院任教。广州美术学院被认为是华南地区前卫当代艺术的摇篮。邓也是20世纪80年代推动实验性油画实践的团体105工作室的成员之一。从那时起，他的作品被广泛关注并展出，曾参加2002年由巫鸿、黄专策划的中国首届广州三年展“重新解读：中国实验艺术十年（1990-2000）”、1988年在广州星河展馆举办个展、2002年在清华大学美术学院举办个展、2005年在北京3+3空间举办个展、2009年在北京今日美术馆举办个展、2012年在广州美术学院美术馆举办个展、2012年在北京东京画廊举办个展、2013年在广州扉艺廊举办个展、2018年在北京798白盒子艺术馆举办个展、2018年在加拿大温哥华R Space举办个展，并在美国、俄罗斯、意大利、日本、瑞典、奥地利、爱沙尼亚、西班牙、法国、澳大利亚、德国和葡萄牙等地参加群展或个展。邓箭今的绘画和雕塑作品也被中国领先的博物馆和艺术机构收藏，其中包括中国美术馆（北京）、上海美术馆 （上海）、龙美术馆（上海）、广州美术馆 （广州）、广州、四方当代美术馆 （南京）、深圳美术馆 （深圳），等等。
策展人 Katie Hill
Dr Katie Hill (何凯特博士) 是英国伦敦苏富比艺术学院现当代亚洲艺术研究生项目的主管，她也是致力于在英国推广中国当代艺术的咨询机构中国当代艺术办公室的总监。作为英国费顿出版社2013年出版的《中国艺术》一书的作者，以及包括英国泰特现代美术馆和海沃德美术馆在内的领先艺术机构的常邀主讲嘉宾，她对中国当代艺术以及市场发展有着独到和深厚的理解。
赞助商 伶居 Link Life
