Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    MORE than 100 paintings by Shenzhen-based artist Zou Ming are on exhibition at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum through July 26.

    The exhibition, composed of four parts, including color ink, pottery art, water town scenery and comprehensive topics, is a review of the artist’s achievements over the past 25 years.

    Like typical ink and wash paintings, Zou’s portrayal of water towns abounds in poetic scenes with a nostalgic note. But he has carefully weaved modern elements into his work to create a sense of history for modern subjects.

    As an artist who arrived in the city 25 years ago and has grown with the urbanization of Shenzhen, Zou gives great attention to the development of urban cities. But rather than praising the city’s modernization, he offers a critical perspective. Some of his paintings have an intentional use of dark-colored inks to offer a sense of heaviness and stress.

    In two paintings entitled “City in Dereliction” and “Between Heaven and Earth,” the artist created scenes of urban cities that are overwhelmed by concrete blocks and cranes with construction underway.

    “I want to express my thoughts about a city that is increasingly encroached upon by modern construction and create a sense of struggle between dwindling land and expanding high-rise buildings through the medium of water and ink,” he said.

    Now an art professor at Shenzhen University, Zou has held dozens of art exhibitions both at home and abroad and released several publications on his art research.

    Wang Mingming, president of the Beijing Academy of Art, said Zou has caught the Zeitgeist of our time through keen observations of life and transposed them in his paintings.

    Dates: Through July 26

    Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, 6026 Hongli Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路6026号关山月美术馆)

    Metro: Longgang or Longhua Line, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit B