Asian Art Works Exhibition Critiques Materialism And Modern Living

Flowers Talk, Kho Sangwoo, photography

Our friends at Beijing Today swing by now and then to introduce art and culture in the city.

Judging by the latest collection at Asian Art Works, the life of the modern artist is world-weary and pessimistic.

The new exhibition, titled Collections of Asian Art Works, reflects the personal attitudes of the gallery’s collected artists. Those attitudes may be a symptom of China’s general outlook on prosperity.

Aya Kakeda’s “Search for New World” paints society as a pool of small cats swimming in an endless ocean to reach an imaginary shore.

In “Lover,” Ding Xiaoqing tells us how isolated from the world we become when we fall in love.

Guo Lina’s “Yoga Retreat Barbell” is a bitter commentary on the modern woman’s obsession with personal image.

The modern world offers no shortage of creature comforts, but these artists say they are all distractions from matters of the heart.

Korean artist Koh Sangwoo uses negative photos in her “Lady in Amazon” to render her model’s attractive figures and faces as something horrible and unclear. The theme continues in her series “Flower Talk.”

A hard paper Bodhisattva is the contribution of artist Hoyoon Shin. The flat image is symbolic of how from the right angle everything can look beautiful and solid but when viewed from another angle it will vanish.

Aside from its criticism of materialism, the exhibition offers basic truths about daily life.

Aiyung Yun’s “Unknown Space” creates a field of twinkling stars as a reminder that space is a place rather than pure emptiness. In “Package,” Sun Wenyi displays a wonderful, colorful box with nothing inside.

Asian Art Works is jointly organized by Chinese and Korean artists. Most exhibitions focus on the conflict between worldly and spiritual issues.