SEARCHING FOR THE LIGHT

An exhibition of contemporary artist Wang Xiaobo’s work, staged by the Art Futures Group, probed the nature of human existence

HONG KONG’S Art Futures Group recently presented an exhibition of artist Wang Xiaobo’s work at Elements, Tsim Sha Tsui. The exhibition featured 10 of Wang’s hyperrealist works. The artist, born in 1974 and based in Beijing, is known for his focus on the human form and its relationship with the psyche. A devotee of Chinese contemporary oil-painting masters Jin Shangyi, Zhu Naizheng and Yang Feiyun, he is best known for his Inverted Woman and Two Person’s World series. Wang’s paintings remain popular with collectors and have been shown and sold around the world: in 2012, Inverted Woman fetched just over HK$4 million at auction. His latest work follows a period of deep contemplation during which he pondered the nature of human existence and its various expressions. Wang’s two most recent series are entitled Searching for Light and Sinking and Floating. The former explores the search for light – and truth – from the perspective of a child. Sinking and Floating, meanwhile, uses the artistic device of a fat woman as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for social expectations and desires. “Now that I am the father of two kids, I can observe childhood closely through my children and reflect on my own childhood in Searching for Light,” says Wang. “Kids are curious about everything and they dream about their future – the common traits of mankind throughout evolution.” The exhibition was the first collaboration between the artist and Art Futures Group and represented the culmination of much hard work on the part of the group and its founder and CEO, Jeremy Kasler. “Wang’s artistic perspective and thoughtful exploration of humanistic philosophy have won admiration from collectors,” said Kasler ahead of the exhibition. “I believe that his latest series will again create a sensation in the market. I look forward to the fruitful results of our collaboration.” Established in 2010, Art Futures Group is the world’s leading investment broker for Chinese contemporary art. As the first in Asia to offer a complete end-to-end art investment service, it is dedicated to helping its clients profit from portfolios containing the market’s most exceptional finds. The group is backed by an expert team, thorough research, comprehensive knowledge of market developments and financial acumen built on more than two decades’ experience in alternative assets.