Events
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An exploration to China’s new ‘ME’ Generation
Niubi Newbie Kids
Mixed Media Group Exhibition
Vernissage: 6:30pm – 8:30pm, 18 September 2008
Exhibition: 19 September – 13 October 2008
Venue: Main Gallery,
The Niubi[1] Newbie Kids exhibition will feature a group of cool young emerging talents born in the 80’s, offspring of China’s one child policy. This group of kids has been coined as China’s ‘Me’ generation, a generation whose solipsistic tendencies have been further encouraged by heavy influence of the Internet, comics, video games, the digital era and globalisation. Through this showing we wish to explore the identity and the story behind the ‘Me’ generation, in comparison to their senior peers, for example the New Wave artists who have emerged in the 80’s and have now become iconic figures.
In contrast to the artists deriving from the 85 New Wave movement, whose lives were defined by the epic events that shaped China’s past half century such as the Cultural Revolution and the opening to the West, this group of youngsters had never endured such hardships, and politics is not a common topic of discussion amongst them. They work with a diverse range of medium and this exhibition will involve mixed media elements such as paintings, sculpture, mixed digital media, 3D animation and mixed media photography. The Niubi kids are the direct beneficiaries of China’s current economic boom thus along with the effects of globalisation, they have been able to grasp a much wider vision and knowledge of the world. This phenomenon is reflected in their art, as one can hardly identify their origins; they no longer portray the celebrated Chinese faces nor are they set against a backdrop of historic China.
“For starters, I belong to the same generation as the artists in this collection; we are all 80s babies. I am also an only child – and a spoilt child I might add… I picked up the slang word “Niubi” when I was living in Beijing as a student and often used it later in life with the younger artists that I would meet on my travels. I felt that this “dirty” word, with its tongue in cheek tone was appropriate for the sentiments of the younger “newbie” artists, and hence the idea of this exhibition was born.”
- Nicole Schoeni, Director
[1] Niubi is a slang swear word used often amongst Beijing youngsters. There is no official translation into English, but it would be something along the lines of “F&%$ing cool”.
The Niubi Artists
Chen Fei – Born in 1983, Chen Fei, unlike his peers, graduated from Art department of the Beijing Film Academy and in fact, art for him is a past time and another way of expression. Chen’s use of repetitive patterns and bright colors are reminiscence to psychedelic style. His at times bold and explicit portrayal of his subjects - which only consist of himself, his girlfriend and his pet dog - is a perfect example that indicates the alternative extremities of this generation.
Chen Ke – Born in 1978, Chen Ke is an exception from the other Niubi artists born in the 80’s. However, she is an only child as well, and Chen considers herself to belong to that same generation, as they share the same ideals and beliefs. She is a MFA graduate from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, and is better known for her oil on canvas works portraying her female and elf -like characters in an almost surrealistic setting. In this exhibition, we will be showing Chen Ke’s mixed media photography, developed from photographs she had previously taken during her college years, of which she has recently reprinted and experimented with by adding life and colour by hand.
Feng Wei – Born in 1981, Feng Wei will be graduating this year with a Master’s degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Feng portrays imaginative comical images of cartoon like characters in humorous and cheerful scenes. She has participated vastly in both national and international competitions and has been awarded extensively, including the best short video award at the 2007 CCFG China Computer Graphics Festival and the best experimental animation award at the 2006 Yokohama New Media Festival. In this showing, we will be exhibiting Feng’s 3D animation installations, inspired by her animation projects. Her animations - which will also be part of the exhibition - consist of a distinctive world she has created with animal characters.
Zhang Ye Xing – Amongst the collection of Zhang Ye Xing’s works, we will be exhibiting his graduation piece, a mixed digital media installation highlighting his much used theme of television sets and. His pieces are characterised by strong green and red tones and they project a theatrical undertone with his recurrent depiction of the stage curtain. Zhang participated in the 2007 National Nominated Arts Student Exhibition at Today Art Museum in Beijing. He was born in 1981 and graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Experimental Film department.
Zhao Yi Qian – Born in 1982 and graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Fresco Painting Department. Zhao’s works clearly indicate his obsession with toys and comics as well as his fascination towards violence and sex fused with a cheeky sense of humour. “A wall stands before all of us; so huge that it forbids us to see what is on the other side.” says the artists, as he combines both Western cartoon characters together with traditional Chinese folk and mythological characters.
Zhou Jin Hua – One of the 30 finalists of the Sovereign Art Fund Competition (2007), Zhou was born in 1978 and graduated from Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts. He is known for his oil and acrylic on canvas works. However, with a background in photography, Zhou also enjoys to capture the image as if through a wide angle lens, giving an impression that the scene stretches infinitely beyond the frame. In this showing, he will be exhibiting his renowned oil on canvas works as well as his newest mixed media photography pieces, which have never been exhibited before. Zhou Jin Hua has already had two solos with Schoeni Art Gallery.
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