Exhibitions

Zhang Wenzhi: The Journal of the Black Dragon

June 8 - July 18, 2019

ART LABOR is pleased to announce its upcoming solo exhibition “The Journal of The Black Dragon” by emerging Chinese artist Zhang Wenzhi. Recently graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing with an MFA degree last year, this is his debut solo exhibition. The exhibition will be held from June 8th to July 18th, 2019.

Zhang Wenzhi’s artistic practice is largely inspired by historical research, mythology and local folklores from his hometown Dalian and the surrounding areas in Northeast China. This exhibition was born as an experiment and imagining of “The God of Thunder”, which can morph into several different forms, and one of them is Gong Gong (共工), the black dragon.

Using the history of the Kwantung Leased Territory as a background (actual historical events) the artist adds on his vivid imagination to thread the narrative. A portrait of the Japanese emperor, an enormous fish head skull, and a shark morphed into a tiger… bits and pieces of information being linked together develop into a fantastical epic about this former colonial territory.  The Black Dragon turns into a gigantic catfish – an omen that history was taking a mystical turn. The assassination of Itō Hirobumi, the collapse of Nikolai II’s regime, the Great Kantō earthquake (1923), and the sudden death of Inoue Enryō, all these incidents symbolize the clues that the black dragon left behind.

The exhibition serves as a stage for this historical drama. The artist has attempted to search out the black dragon myth, and in doing so reveals the competition for power among the countries, which reflected the special geographical features of the Liaodong Peninsula, as well as imagined alternative destinies for the historical figures. This group of art works are a re-invention of many stories that happened during the Japanese occupation of Dalian, a journal filled with bizarre and quotidian tales, interwoven with local history.

Zhang Wenzhi was considered one of the top graduates from the CAFA class of 2018, and is a highly talented ink painter, an avid researcher of Late Qing Dynasty and early Republic history, and a collector of old documents, artifacts and specimens, and has amassed a fascinating exhibition consisting of ink on paper works, as well as sculpture and installation. This exhibition will explore and explain a realm of history, myth, and imagination.

Asia Express

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Asia Express

Artist:

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 140 x 216 cm (triptych)

Asia Express

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 140 x 216 cm (triptych)

Block Team Merman

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Block Team Merman

Artist:

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 139 x 72 cm

Block Team Merman

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 139 x 72 cm

Catfish Bone

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Catfish Bone

Artist:

2019

Mixed media

H 43 x 100 x 123 cm

Catfish Bone

2019

Mixed media

H 43 x 100 x 123 cm

Counsil of Gao Tao

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Counsil of Gao Tao

Artist:

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 40 x 34 cm

Counsil of Gao Tao

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 40 x 34 cm

Dalny No.1 – No.10

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Dalny No.1 – No.10

Artist:

2018

Graphite on paper

38 x 56 cm each

Dalny No.1 – No.10

2018

Graphite on paper

38 x 56 cm each

Dance of Tao Tang and Songs of Ge Tian

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Dance of Tao Tang and Songs of Ge Tian

Artist:

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 40 x 34 cm

Dance of Tao Tang and Songs of Ge Tian

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 40 x 34 cm

Fish No.1

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Fish No.1

Artist:

2017

Ink and color on rice paper

H 36.5 x 31.5 cm

Fish No.1

2017

Ink and color on rice paper

H 36.5 x 31.5 cm

Fish No.2

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Fish No.2

Artist:

2017

Ink and color on rice paper

H 50 x 55 cm

Fish No.2

2017

Ink and color on rice paper

H 50 x 55 cm

Flying Snakes Island

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Flying Snakes Island

Artist:

2019

Ink and color on rice paper

H 140 x 140 cm (diptych)

Flying Snakes Island

2019

Ink and color on rice paper

H 140 x 140 cm (diptych)

Invention of Chinese Characters

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Invention of Chinese Characters

Artist:

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 72 x 36 cm

Invention of Chinese Characters

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 72 x 36 cm

Markarov Lighthouse

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Markarov Lighthouse

Artist:

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 55.5 x 101 cm

Markarov Lighthouse

2019

Ink on rice paper

H 55.5 x 101 cm

Mount Buzhou

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Mount Buzhou

Artist:

2016

Ink on rice paper

H 20 x 45 cm

Mount Buzhou

2016

Ink on rice paper

H 20 x 45 cm

ZHANG Wenzhi64 pieces of works