Wu Guanzhen: 折柳 & Heimweh

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Wu Guanzhen’s solo exhibition 折柳 & Heimweh draws inspiration from the allusion to the Willow Twig Tune in Li Bai’s poem “Hearing a Flute on a Spring Night in Luoyang”, reflecting the contemporary inner homesickness of individuals. It also employs the 17th- century European pathological concept of Heimweh (homesickness), highlighting the historical changes in the relationship between people and space in the process of modernization.

Wu’s paintings should first be understood as spatial installations, theatrical in nature. They return to the close relationship between painting and architectural elements such as screens and murals that existed before the Song dynasty. In terms of iconography, he draws inspiration from Modernism since Post-Impressionism, and ingeniously incorporates traditional Chinese lacquer craftsmanship and ramie weaving, creating a dual reference to both Eastern and Western, ancient and modern.

This exhibition will present over twenty works by Wu Guanzhen.