Wang Guangxu: Hidden Force

HIDDEN FORCE WANG GUANGXU

王光旭

Hidden Force Hong Kong’s 10 Chancery Lane Gallery is pleased to introduce Beijing artist Wang Guangxu, curated by Tang Zehui, in his first Hong Kong solo exhibition.

Innovative artist Wang Guangxu creates sculptural works using magnets and iron ore. Having been featured in the UCCA exhibition “The New Normal” last year, he is one of the most exciting young artists to explore the use of unconventional materials in China. Wang describes himself as an intermediary in the process of his creation. The magnetic force allows the artist only a certain amount of control as the materials act to self-organize themselves. It is an indirect and hidden power that determines the work and releasing his control allowed him to begin to find the infinite possibilities of his process. The artist stated “I naively wanted to control the material but later I found out that not controlling it actually gives more possibilities. The material and I are on equal level and in many situations the material can tell me what to do.”

The works presented are both wall reliefs as well as sculptural works. The hair-like filaments of the iron ore morph into fuzzy trails and patterns. Worm-like chains cover the surface of “Gauss 2” as the forms squiggle in loops and circles in contrived designs. The title references the German mathematician, Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, whose work significantly contributed to the understanding and measurements of magnetic fields. Wang considers forces of his intervention to be an equal partner to the forces of the magnetic field. The work “Fur” is formed on a magnetic chain that hangs from the ceiling. The soft hairs of the iron are nearly impossible to not want to touch as they dangle in front of the viewer in biblical temptation. Exhibition curator, Tang Zehui, described that “Under the attraction of magnets, the powdered iron particles accumulate, group and obtain their expression and style in an extremely delicate way. They show a fur-like texture and luster, or a growing state of mushroom and moss. This contrast changes our stereotype perspective of the material. As a result, a powerful and different kind of beauty is presented between hard and soft, industrial and organic.”

Fascinated by subtle, trivial and everyday materials, he uses observation and intuition through his process. As a self-taught artist he feels free from the constraints of academic burden. He is the brother of famed artist Wang Guangle and lives among the artistic milieu of Beijing’s vibrant art scene, but chooses in his practice to rely on his own comprehension of self and determination.

He doesn’t like to explain his works as much as to allow the viewer to experience them leaning towards mystery and uncertainty as a conceptual idea over fact and reason.

10 Chancery Lane Gallery director Katie de Tilly states: “The works of Wang Guangxu represent both the force and fragility of our world today, as a medium of action and articulation, this innovative artist seems to encapsulate our ever-changing and unpredictable present.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST Wang Guangxu was born in 1978 in Fujian, China. He currently works and lives in Beijing. Selected exhibitions include “Nature Follows Abstraction” KWM Art Center, Beijing, “4x3+4x6+1.5x9” Blackbridge Offspace, Beijing, “The New Normal” UCCA, Beijing, “24/7” Black Sesame, Beijing , “Aliens of Courtyard 23” Baitasi Remade, Beijing, “To Labor Day: The Fruits of Unconventional Labor” Star Gallery, Beijing.

ABOUT THE CURATOR Tang Zehui is a Beijing-based curator and writer. A recipient of the Getty Foundation Fellowship and the Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, she graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Master Degree in Arts Administration and Policy.

Tang Zehui has been curating and writing about contemporary art since 2004. She co-curated the First Shenzhen Biennale which opened in May 2018. Tang was once curator at the National Art Museum of China and the Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Red Brick Art Museum in Beijing. Exhibitions she curated recently include: Laure Prouvost: Into All That Is Here, Tatiana Trouve: L’éclat de l’absence, Red Brick Art Museum, Jimei-Arles Photo Festival Discovery Award Exhibition, Xiamen; Timeline: Abstract Art from China, 10 Chancery Lane gallery, Hong Kong; Wu Haizhou: Above-average Romance, Mebospace, Beijing, Reverse the Perspective, Xiangsi Art Museum, Tianjin; The Revival of Tradition: Another Approach to Contemporary Chinese Art, Javits Center, New York.

Tang Zehui writes and edits for numerous catalogues, and is also a contributor to the art section of the Bloomberg Business Weekend and New York Times Chinese online.

隱力 香港10號贊善里畫廊很高興地呈獻北京藝術家王光旭， 並由唐澤慧策展他在香港的首次個展。 創新藝術家王光旭利用磁鐵和鐵屑創作雕塑作品。 去年在北京尤倫斯當代藝術中心的展覽 《例外 狀態： 中國境況與藝術考察2017》中，在探索使用非傳統材料的中國年輕藝術家之中王氏是最令人 興奮的一位 。 王氏在他的創作過程中將自己描述為中間人。 材料在磁力的影響下可以自我組織， 限制了藝術家對材料的控制。 這一種間接和隱藏的力量確定了成品， 同時促使王氏對絕對控制權 放輕鬆，開始尋找創作過程中無限的可能性。 王氏說：「我曾經很愚蠢要控制材料，但後來發現不 控制它反而給我更多的可能性，我和它是平等的，很多時候，它能告訴我怎麼做。」 是次展出的作品既有牆壁浮雕，也有雕塑作品。鐵屑的毛狀細絲形成了絨毛似的痕跡和圖案。類似 蠕蟲的鏈條覆蓋了「高斯2」的表面，通過人為的設計他們以蜿蜒的迴路和繞圓圈的形式爬行。該作 品標題引用了德國數學家Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss的名字，他的研究對磁場的理解和測量作出 了重大貢獻。王氏認為他干預材料所產生的力量與磁場自身的力量是平等的。作品「皮草」是在懸 掛於天花板的磁鏈上形成。鐵屑柔軟的毛在觀眾面前搖晃，誘惑著我們去觸摸。 展覽策展人唐澤慧 描述「粉狀的鐵屑在磁鐵的吸引之下，堆積，聚合，獲得極為細膩的表現力和造型能力，呈現出如 同皮草一般的光澤和質感，又或者像蘑菇和苔蘚一般的生長性狀態，這種反差打破了我們對材料的 慣性認知，在堅硬與柔軟，工業化和有機感之間，呈現出一種充滿張力的異質性美感。」 王光旭著迷於細微，瑣碎和日常的材料， 他在創作的過程中使用他的觀察力和直覺。 作為一名自 學成才的藝術家，他沒有受到學術的限制。 他是著名藝術家王光樂的弟弟，居住在充滿藝術氛圍的 北京，但在創作中卻選擇依靠對自我的理解和決心。 他不喜歡解釋他的作品，相對於事實和理性， 王氏只希望觀眾通過神秘和不確定性去體驗他的作品 。 10號贊善里畫廊總監姬蒂·天利（Katie de Tilly）表示：「王光旭的作品代表了當今世界的力量和脆 弱，作為一種代表行動力和表達性的媒介，這位創新的藝術家似乎囊括了我們不斷變化和不可預測 的現在。」

有關藝術家 王光旭 藝術家王光旭1978年出生於中國福建松溪，現工作、生活於北京。曾參與的部份展覽包括《環 中——自然追隨抽象》金杜藝術中心，北京；《4x3+4x6+1.5x9》OFF空間，北京；《例外狀態》 UCCA, 北京； 《24/7》芝麻空間，北京； 《23號院的異客》白塔寺再生計劃，北京； 《致勞動 節——非典型勞動者的勞動典型》星空間，北京。 有關策展人 唐澤慧 唐澤慧是當代藝術的策展人和藝評人。畢業於美國芝加哥藝術學院藝術管理專業，獲碩士學位，是 美國蓋蒂基金會和亞洲文化協會學者獎獲得者。過去十多年曾先後在中國美術館、紅門畫廊等機構 工作，2014年參與創建北京紅磚美術館並任策展部總監。 2018年擔任《開放源》首屆深圳藝術雙 年展策展人。 唐澤慧曾策劃特納獎（Turner Prize）得主勞拉•普羅沃斯特（Laure Prouvost）和杜尚獎（ Prix Marcel Duchamp） 得主塔題安娜•圖薇（Tatiana Trouve）在中國的首次美術館個展，她近期策劃 的其它展覽包括： 《時間線——中國抽象藝術》（香港10號贊善里畫廊），2017集美-阿爾勒攝影 節發現獎提名展，《戲法——曾健勇個展》（索卡北京），《第二口氣》（Mebo Space 美博）， 《反轉視角——在華國際藝術家聯展》（巷肆美術館，天津），《再見傳統——中國當代藝術的另 一條線索》 （賈維茨展覽中心，紐約）。她同時為《紐約時報》（中文網）、《彭博商業周刊》等 媒體撰寫藝術評論。

Wang Guangxu 王光旭

Bonsai 2016 Iron dust, magnet, iron nail, wood branch 50 x 43 x 39 cm

Hidden Force 2017 Iron dust, magnet, iron panel 210 x 103 x 2 cm

Fur 2015 Iron dust, magnet, iron chain 212 x 16 x 16 cm

Gauss 3 2014 Iron dust, magnet, iron panel 240 x 40 x 8 cm

Untitled 2015 Iron dust, magnet, iron nall, wood 53 x 45 x 35 cm

Gauss 2 2011 Iron dust, magnet, iron panel 210 x 106 x 2 cm

Gauss (small 1 - 3) 2014 Iron dust, magnet, iron panel 40 x 40 x 7 cm

About 10 Chancery Lane Gallery 10 Chancery Lane Gallery was established by Katie de Tilly in 2001 in Hong Kong.

Originally from the U.S., de Tilly was taken by the vast and important developments of art in the Asia-Pacific region when she moved there in 1994. The gallery focuses on art from China, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. With a strong interest in the origins and art movements of contemporary art from the Asia Pacific, the gallery works with regional curators to offer a diverse program of survey exhibitions with academic analysis and critical writing.

Installation view Wang Keping, Eternal Smile at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery

This booklet is published on the occasion of Wang Guangxu’s solo exhibition Hidden Force at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong from October 11th to November, 2018.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Photo credits Photpgraphs by Wang Guangxu

Designed by Rachel MAN Tung Ching Printed in Hong Kong, 2018