Yang Jiechang: The Whip
Contemporary Chinese artist Yang Jiechang has established himself as a uniquely provocative figure—despite status as an expatriate for nearly thirty years, he has remained deeply immersed in Chinese cultural and artistic traditions. Fully cognizant of the distinctiveness of his position, he commented, “I keep distance from conventions of proper figurative techniques related to realism and globalization, but I also avoid rushing head-first into the ancient conventions of abstract and conceptual calligraphy. That is why I think my art is very particular to both China and the West.” September 7 – October 17, 2017 Chambers Fine Art, New York
In 1993, Li Shan shifted the focus of his decades-long career in painting to topics related to biology. He claimed to be making forms once reserved for God, and created a new artistic discipline: Bioart. It all started with Li’s long-time fascination with the existence of life, explorations of the biological code resulting in complete lifeforms, and advocacy for equality and uniformity between different lifeforms and species. This exhibition focuses on Li Shan’s Bioart-themed projects, which are firsts in China. Of the pieces on display, two involve living organisms and the rest are plans, sketches, drawings and documents about his Bioart projects. August 26 – November 26, 2017 Power Station of Art, Shanghai