Lustrous and Dazzling

July 04, 2015-August 09, 2015

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Artist / Guo Hongwei

Text / Gallery 100, Robin Peckham

Gallery100 is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition of new works by artist Gou Hongwei – Lustrous and Dazzling in Dun-nan space. In this new series of painting, Gou attempts to revolve around light through the lens of darkness by employing the nature of painting materials. For the works included in this exhibition, Guo begins with canvases primed in a flat, even, matte black pigment, then proceeds to build above their surfaces thick layers of glossy oil, so that pictures emerge not only in the positive space of what is applied at this stage but also in the contrast between these two different sets of layers. From some angles the pictures are difficult to see, and the viewer is required to duck and dodge—inhabiting different positions in order to get a sense of the totality of the object. These paintings can be split into several categories by subject, collectively responding to the questions Guo sets out to answer. The subjects in painting are chosen by artist himself on purpose and in conscious as well for a reason: they emit, filter, reflect, or refract light, most commonly collecting it in one place and then diffusing it elsewhere via transparency or a multitude of angles. We might consider these the test cases, the exercises that contribute to a toolbox of techniques ultimately mobilized in other forms. Opening on July 04, 2015 and the exhibition through August 09, 2015.