During the 80’s, Zhou Zixi (bornin 1970 in Jiangxi, living and working in Shanghai) first studied literaturebefore shifting to oil painting. Zhou Zixi’s works cover a vast array oftopics and subjects: from his paintings realized at the end of the 90’ssuch as Net View, Legend-The Tower with Its Top in theHeavens to his series Happy Life in2005.
In his exhibition China1946-1949 held in 2008, the artist presented a selection of works developedaround metaphorical symbols on history. The absurd overlapping between realityand history in The Days of Liberated Areaor Street Battle in the City and therevisited “communism” visual language in his “photographic” series – paintings inspiredfrom old pictures – all present this “dark, ugly” yet “grandiose and dramatic”aesthetics characteristic to his paintings.
The artist neither considers that the relation between historyand reality is a causal one, nor does he believes that it constitutes aconnection of fragments. For him, they exist in parallel within a certaincontext. Zhou Zixi’s sensitivity for “illusionary moments” results from a reflectionon survival. In Spring Outing to Xiaogang,the artist depicts caves landscapes in Xiaogang. Past and present blend intouncertain boundaries, between fiction and reality, eroding into the desolaterelief of the caves.
Zhou Zixi exhibition presented in MadeIn Gallery attempts toexplore the representation of political landscape in art. These fictionalized politicalsceneries will further draw viewers’ attention on the past.
AboutXiaogang mountain:
Xiaogang is located in the center of a province in China,this quiet area dominated by the skies, mountains and dense forests, is barelyaccessible. A river flowing along the mountains is commonly called “clear waterriver” or “limpid river”.
The river, in its remote and isolated environment, wasfallen into oblivion. At the end of the 80’s, local farmers accidentlypenetrated the site and discovered numbers of cave sculptures and reliefs,bringing them into light. Years after years, various governmentaladministrative departments decided to protect and open the caves to the public,current leaders in particular gave special consideration to the site and largelypromoted it.
Since, the number of visitors to Xiaogang caves hasregularly increased, it progressively became an important touristicdestination. It isn’t clear when the caves were built exactly. In good weather,the grottoes spreading on a few kilometers from South to North, reflected onthe surface of the river smooth as a mirror, create a spectacular scenery. The alcovesin intense density contain more than a thousand unique sculptures, reliefs andfrescoes of Buddhist characters in various postures and attitudes. The richnessof the art constitutes a remarkable treasure inescapable in the history ofChinese civilization.
