Fragments: new environmental art works by Huang Xu / 碎片:黄旭新环境艺术品展 April 17, 2009

In his London debut exhibition at the October Gallery, Chinese artist Huang Xu presents a series of ethereal prints exploring the fragile nature of the contemporary global economy. The tattered remains of plastic bags from rubbish heaps in China are collected and digitally remodeled, in three-dimensional scanners normally used by archaeologists, to produce images of haunting luminosity. For Huang Xu, the mundane history of the plastic shopping bag evokes a critical commentary on China’s acceleration towards a free-market economy and the global shift in the fortunes of capitalism. Far from resembling waste, the Beijing-born artist’s densely textured, luminous prints suggest the fine silk textiles of Imperial China, evoking an age of decadence and wealth, and recalling the historic trade links between China and the West. While China once shipped silk to the West, the West now ships used plastic bags back to China. From February 12 to April 18, 2009. (See www.octobergallery.co.uk for details and photographs.)

中国艺术家黄旭在英国伦敦”十月画廊”举办的首次个人作品展将有一系列精美飘逸的艺术品展出,他的作品探讨了处在当今全球经济中脆弱的自然环境. 他从中国成堆的垃圾中收集塑料袋碎片,用考古学家使用的三维扫描仪,经过重新改造,创造出萦绕的发光体.对于黄旭来讲,塑料购物袋的故事发出了对中国转向自由市场经济和全球资产资本化的批评性评论.这位北京出生的艺术家的作品表现了中国古代帝国华丽的丝绸,唤起了的时代中国与西方的贸易活动,与垃圾大相径庭.中国曾经把丝绸运往西方,而现在西方把废旧塑料袋运到中国.

展览时间:2009年2月12日-4月18日

Official Website: http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/homepage.shtml