Coloured pencil on paper

32×25 cm. 12 5/8×9 7/8 in.

Titled, dated and signed in Chinese on bottom right

LITERATURE
2022, Geng Jianyi, China Academy of Art Press, Hangzhou, p. 156
EXHIBITED
10 Nov 2022 – 12 Feb 2023, Who Is He? Retrospective of Geng Jianyi's Works, Power Station of Art, Shanghai
18 Mar – 11 Jun 2023, Who Is He? A Geng Jianyi Retrospective, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing

PROVENANCE
ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai
Private Collection, Asia

Imagery Unleashed
Geng Jianyi's Palace of Metaphors and Hints

Geng Jianyi's avant-garde concepts and succinct visual language broke barriers between audience and artwork throughout his life. Born in 1962 to a military family in Henan, he studied oil painting at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art) from 1981. His graduation work, Two People Under the Light, made a significant impact during the "85 New Wave" art movement. His persistent exploration of "light sources" and "spots of lights" became his signature. In 1993, he was among the first Chinese artists invited to the Venice Biennale, solidifying his crucial role in contemporary Chinese art.

Geng's works are housed in prestigious institutions, such as the Tate Modern in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, and M+ in Hong Kong. Despite his death in 2017, his influence endures. This exhibition features two significant pieces from his Interchange of Lights and Silver Halide Photograph series.

Light Fragments: Visual Freedom in Interchange of Lights

"From my experience, when we try to see a person clearly, we often inadvertently see the shadows of others."
—Geng Jianyi

The Spots of Lights series, initiated in 1990, captivated Geng with the fragmented shapes light creates on faces. By interweaving and overlapping images, he altered the viewer's habits. Using "standard photos" and "group photos," he cleverly extracted and layered the illuminated parts of different faces, dissolving concrete imagery until only spots of lights and shadows remained, creating a "reborn and liberated" form. The 2022 Geng Jianyi retrospective used this series prominently in its poster, highlighting its significance.

Two Spots of Lights (1999) (Lot 80) is a classic from this series. One of only ten paperwork in the series, it uses warm orange-brown tones to depict fragmented facial features, blending two faces and reducing their recognizability. The composition is powerful and simple, with varied pencil strokes creating dynamic layers of light and shadow, prompting viewers to reconsider the "viewing—being viewed—acceptance—distance" dynamic and reassess their interaction with art and imagery.

Painting in Photography, Photography in Painting

"I believe that painting on silver halide photograph in the darkroom expresses more about spontaneity, which is a core charm of contemporary art."
—Geng Jianyi

In 1995, Geng extended his interest in disappearing and overlapping fragments with bold "darkroom photography" practices. He abandoned traditional photo development rules, instead painting, scribbling, and even splashing and erasing on silver halide photograph paper. This allowed viewers to search for the subject's identity in a fluid visual game, epitomizing his manifesto of breaking conventional painting norms. Visible Daily Image 3 (Lot 81) is a prime example. Most of his silver halide photos are monochromatic and detailed, large-format works are rare, making this piece a notable inclusion.

Using full-frame composition and chemicals like developer and fixer as mediums, Geng's work obscures and disrupts the original image on exposed photo paper. The result is a surreal fusion of photography and painting, offering alternative narratives and interpretations. Emphasizing spontaneity, he used the photo's base colour as paint, with dynamic brushwork creating dense, overlapping, and fading lines. This process questioned the essence of visible daily objects and human nature, suggesting that identity is shaped by self, society, and external values, leading to a complex multifaceted individual. Geng's creation and destruction raised philosophical questions, inviting deep contemplation.

Price estimate:
HKD 20,000 – 40,000
USD 2,600 – 5,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 54,000