Oil on canvas

120×150 cm. 47 1/4×59 in.

Signed in pinyin on the reverse

LITERATURE
2008, GANG ZHAO 2008, Hanart TZ Gallery / Hong Kong Art Center / AW Asia, Hong Kong, p.34-35
EXHIBITED
2008, Gang Zhao 2008: Victims of Our Times, Hanart TZ Gallery / Hong Kong Art Center, Hong Kong

PROVENANCE
Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Asia

Beyond Romantic Narratives: Traces of an Era
Zhao Gang's Love Imagery

Born in 1961, Zhao Gang is a pioneering figure in China's avant-garde art movement. His bold, rugged, and free-spirited style explores themes of identity, cultural conflict, and history. His works have been showcased in landmark exhibitions such as The Door at PS1 Institute of the Arts in New York (1990), Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (2017), and M+ Sigg Collection: From Revolution to Globalisation in Hong Kong (2021).

Intoxicated, Oblivious to the Sky Mirrored in the Water

Created in 2007, Untitled stands apart from much of Zhao's work, which often critiques society. This piece exudes abstract poetry and is one of only eight works in his entire body of work to address the themes of "love and marriage." In this painting, Zhao uses a palette of blue, purple, white, and black to depict a couple standing in a small boat, drifting through a river of love beneath the rosy glow of a sunset. Combining classic linear brushstrokes with dot-like colour blocks, Zhao maintains his signature rugged style while evoking a sense of luminous light reminiscent of Pointillism.

Sensual Fragments Reflecting the Spectrum of History

In 2008, Zhao Gang exhibited works exploring the theme of marriage at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, including Untitled. Some of these pieces were inspired by old wedding photographs of Chinese couples in New York, while others drew from images of sweet modern couples found in popular magazines. This piece belongs to the latter category. While these works evoke themes of happiness, the figures within them are devoid of distinct facial features. The paintings speak to the broader societal idealisation of happiness and its pursuit, contrasting with the individual's sense of powerlessness in times of profound social change. Through a sensual lens, Zhao portrays the gap between hope and reality, subtly alluding to the social issues that often lie behind love and romantic ideals.

Price estimate:
HKD 100,000 – 200,000
USD 12,800 – 25,600