Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    ILLUSTRATIONS by contemporary German artist Michael Jordan are on exhibit at Shenzhen Fine Art Institute in Luohu District through March 14.

    This exhibition, entitled “No Dream to Stay,” emanates from three parts of Jordan’s pursuit to delineate ordinary daily trivialness through narrative comics and illustrations.

    The first part showcases his illustrations created through printmaking. The second part displays selected comics, among which some are collages and some are drawn by hand. The third part is a mini workshop, where students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Shenzhen participated in creating sketches based on Jordan’s works.

    The concern for love, religion, development and fear of the uncertain future have been the recurring topics in Jordan’s works. His portrayal of human figures is often characterized by rich emotions. For instance, his work “Demonstration” presented a slew of feelings: indifference, excitement, irony, admiration and submission.

    His works also embody his contemplation for various social occurrences. In “Space,” he shows his concern for the impact of scientific advances upon human being’s destiny by depicting a giant tearing apart a spaceship.

    Jordan said the contents of his art are a dialogue with himself about the absurdity and the complexity of the world and the impossibility of understanding relationships. He said the content, photos and text that he encounters in magazines and on the Internet are the sources of his inspiration and he puts the flood of images in a new context and creates new stories and references.

    Jordan, who is the eighth artist to come for a monthlong visit to Shenzhen in an art exchange program between Shenzhen Fine Art Institute and Nuremberg since 1997, said he hopes visitors could begin to understand the humor of a different cultural background through his work.

    He said he is working on a sketchbook based on his impressions of the city’s art complexes, including OCT-LOFT, Dafen Oil Painting Village and various art museums.

    Dates: Until March 14

    Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

    Venue: Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, 36 Jinhu Street 1, Yinhu Road, Luohu District （深圳市罗湖区金湖一街36号深圳画院）

    Buses: 69, 4, 5, 7, 201, 218, 222, 301, 360, 315 (Yinhu Stop)