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Incomplete Wonder · Everlasting Land 不周山·员丘山

Artist: 周蒙 Meng Zhou

Curator: Alexandra Grimmer

 

Incomplete Wonder 不周山
2023.09.16 - 10.31

Nan Ke Gallery

No. 5, Lane 386, Changle Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Everlasting Land 员丘山
2023.09.16 - 2023.10.16
BACKSTAGE ART

(by appointment only

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The exhibition "Incomplete Wonder · Everlasting Land" was presented in two distinct chapters and spaces. The first chapter, "Incomplete Wonder", was on display at Nan Ke Gallery from September 16 to October 31, while the second chapter, "Everlasting Land" was showcased at BACKSTAGE ART space (by appointment only) from September 16 to October 16.

 

The double-chapter exhibition covers Meng's latest series of sculptures, installations and paintings. The exhibition unfolds gradually like a journey, with light and shadow flowing through the years. The artist uses fragmented materials and myths to create hazy stories, where reality and fantasy seem to unfold in a dream world. Like a cultural archaeology, he collects and arranges stories from different ancient civilisations (e.g. Greece, Egypt, China) as well as from the oral tradition of the indigenous people, and presents them in a way that grows from each other, in order to find a common source of the human past. At the same time, in those missing pieces, the artist fills in fantasy bridges, exotic collections, and a lot of white space, and then gives the stories new connotations and meanings through modern deconstruction and reorganisation.

Meng has been travelling between the UK and China for the past 10 years, exploring the intersection of cross-cultural identities. His work is characterised by the elegance and flavour of the East, but also by the intellectualism and authenticity of the West. The scope of this exhibition encompasses occultism, mythology, palaeontology and dance, with the human being at the centre of the cultural map. In the labyrinth of his mind, or the journey, the destination seems to become blurred, and the process of exploration is more important. The works on display include fossils, meteorites, ores, herbs, creatures, etc., which are rightly or wrongly paired together in an extraordinary journey of the ordinary.

Nan Ke Gallery 南柯画廊

 

Nan Ke Gallery is an emerging gallery dedicated to exploring the boundaries of contemporary art, focusing on the creative expressions of young Chinese artists. The gallery represents artists working in various media, including installation, film, sculpture, and painting. Nan Ke Gallery emphasises the formal and conceptual aspects of artistic creation and actively reflects on and explores topics and issues at the forefront in local and international contexts, seeking to uncover the connections between art, society, culture, and technology.

Located in a century-old mansion in the heart of Shanghai, Nan Ke Gallery is adjacent to several listed historic buildings. Hosting regular lectures, artist salons, and other events, Nan Ke Gallery aims to become the definitive resource for emerging Chinese contemporary art and to create a diverse platform for artists, curators, collectors, and art lovers alike to exchange ideas and experiences.

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