October 29 – late 2009 AW Asia, 545 West 25th Street, New York
AW Asia’s inaugural exhibition “Half the Sky,” features eight large portraits painted by the artist Qi Zhilong. Within the nine works lining the gallery’s intimate setting, the viewer is provided with key examples of the artist’s series focusing on female Chinese youths. To compliment these oil paintings, AW Asia is showing a set of ten original propaganda posters alongside the Qi Zhilong work that concentrate on the Chinese female participation in the political, social and economic movements of the 20th century.
During Mao Zedong’s reign, official doctrine urged women to shoulder half the work of the state’s development. Gender stigmas were blurred in the quest for a ‘harmonious society’ and propaganda encouraged women to shed their sexuality in the name of the common good. In essence, women were charged to ‘hold up half the sky’.
It is the fate of the average female living in the communist state that the artist Qi Zhilong strives to articulate in his paintings. Dressed in the official uniform of the People’s Liberation Army, Qi Zhilong’s dexterously painted youths capture an idealized beauty seldom seen during the second half of the 20th century. Historical documentation demonstrates how the ubiquitous green uniform intentionally eliminated body type distinctions and women frequently cut their hair to acquire gender ambiguity.
Qi Zhilong’s beauties, however, exude a luscious sexuality and playful femininity. Their delicate features are often accentuated by flowers in the hair, colorful barrettes and plump lips, recalling the glamour of the 1930 Shanghai pin up girl posters. By defying the official dogma of conformity, Qi Zhilong’s women demonstrate the tension between contemporary Chinese women’s increasing emphasis on sexuality and the roles that the previous generations assumed in the past.
Of the nine works on display, four large earlier canvases accompany five slightly smaller 2009 paintings. The selection provides excellent examples of the artist’s increasing confidence in his subject matter and technical execution. The earliest, titled “Chinese Girl” (2006), depicts an up-close vision of a toothy, smiling young girl. Using decidedly prominent brushstrokes, Qi Zhilong captures a frank demeanor and cheerful expression of the proud young girl.
The artist becomes more confident in a group of 2007 paintings. Each titled “Female Student”, the figures’ faces resemble one another. That the artist explicitly chooses the word ‘student’ indicates his reluctance to portray each youth as an individual. Rather he is interested in engaging femininity as a universal dialogue, not one with distinct characteristics. His model serves this purpose well, for each of the paintings’ gazes maintains aloofness not apparent in 2006’s “Chinese Girl”. Unlike the muted earthy tones of the earlier work, Qi Zhilong has moved on to brighter backgrounds and accents. These female soldiers appear staged against a backdrop curtain of pinks and blues.
The strongest and most corporeal works included in “Half the Sky” are the five 2009 works. While still maintaining an emphasis on ephemeral beauty, the figures depicted in Qi Zhilong’s most recent paintings convey a streak of strength and tangibility hitherto absent in earlier work. Emboldened by a thicker, richer palette, Qi Zhilong’s precise and confident brushstrokes demonstrate a mastery of the brush in order to flesh out the presence of his female protagonists.
In comparison to the hearty, vigorous images of women portrayed in the Soviet style propaganda posters, Qi Zhilong’s women brazenly embrace their sexuality even while burdened by a drab green uniform and empty surroundings. Unlike their predecessors in the communist posters, they are not afraid to look the viewer head on in an assertive declaration of their position in society. Qi Zhilong’s masterstroke in “Half the Sky” lies not in his perpetuation of CCP dogma, but in allowing the duality of beauty and sexuality to coexist with the determination and strength of the common Chinese female.
Upon returning to New York after her first visit to China, Soraya Broukhim provides a review of Wang Qingsong’s "When World's Collide" exhibition of photographs and videos at ICP. (Read more)
Upon returning to New York after her first visit to China, Soraya Broukhim provides a review of Wang Qingsong’s "When World's Collide" exhibition of photographs and videos at ICP. (Read more)
Half the Sky: Eight Large Works by Qi Zhilong at AW Asia
October 29 – late 2009
AW Asia, 545 West 25th Street, New York
AW Asia’s inaugural exhibition “Half the Sky,” features eight large portraits painted by the artist Qi Zhilong. Within the nine works lining the gallery’s intimate setting, the viewer is provided with key examples of the artist’s series focusing on female Chinese youths. To compliment these oil paintings, AW Asia is showing a set of ten original propaganda posters alongside the Qi Zhilong work that concentrate on the Chinese female participation in the political, social and economic movements of the 20th century.
During Mao Zedong’s reign, official doctrine urged women to shoulder half the work of the state’s development. Gender stigmas were blurred in the quest for a ‘harmonious society’ and propaganda encouraged women to shed their sexuality in the name of the common good. In essence, women were charged to ‘hold up half the sky’.
It is the fate of the average female living in the communist state that the artist Qi Zhilong strives to articulate in his paintings. Dressed in the official uniform of the People’s Liberation Army, Qi Zhilong’s dexterously painted youths capture an idealized beauty seldom seen during the second half of the 20th century. Historical documentation demonstrates how the ubiquitous green uniform intentionally eliminated body type distinctions and women frequently cut their hair to acquire gender ambiguity.
Qi Zhilong’s beauties, however, exude a luscious sexuality and playful femininity. Their delicate features are often accentuated by flowers in the hair, colorful barrettes and plump lips, recalling the glamour of the 1930 Shanghai pin up girl posters. By defying the official dogma of conformity, Qi Zhilong’s women demonstrate the tension between contemporary Chinese women’s increasing emphasis on sexuality and the roles that the previous generations assumed in the past.
Of the nine works on display, four large earlier canvases accompany five slightly smaller 2009 paintings. The selection provides excellent examples of the artist’s increasing confidence in his subject matter and technical execution. The earliest, titled “Chinese Girl” (2006), depicts an up-close vision of a toothy, smiling young girl. Using decidedly prominent brushstrokes, Qi Zhilong captures a frank demeanor and cheerful expression of the proud young girl.
The artist becomes more confident in a group of 2007 paintings. Each titled “Female Student”, the figures’ faces resemble one another. That the artist explicitly chooses the word ‘student’ indicates his reluctance to portray each youth as an individual. Rather he is interested in engaging femininity as a universal dialogue, not one with distinct characteristics. His model serves this purpose well, for each of the paintings’ gazes maintains aloofness not apparent in 2006’s “Chinese Girl”. Unlike the muted earthy tones of the earlier work, Qi Zhilong has moved on to brighter backgrounds and accents. These female soldiers appear staged against a backdrop curtain of pinks and blues.
The strongest and most corporeal works included in “Half the Sky” are the five 2009 works. While still maintaining an emphasis on ephemeral beauty, the figures depicted in Qi Zhilong’s most recent paintings convey a streak of strength and tangibility hitherto absent in earlier work. Emboldened by a thicker, richer palette, Qi Zhilong’s precise and confident brushstrokes demonstrate a mastery of the brush in order to flesh out the presence of his female protagonists.
In comparison to the hearty, vigorous images of women portrayed in the Soviet style propaganda posters, Qi Zhilong’s women brazenly embrace their sexuality even while burdened by a drab green uniform and empty surroundings. Unlike their predecessors in the communist posters, they are not afraid to look the viewer head on in an assertive declaration of their position in society. Qi Zhilong’s masterstroke in “Half the Sky” lies not in his perpetuation of CCP dogma, but in allowing the duality of beauty and sexuality to coexist with the determination and strength of the common Chinese female.
– Contributed by Alessandra Henderson