Luo Xu Solo Show “Soliloquy of Life: Chapter Two":
Contrasts Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the Luo Xu solo exhibition, “Part II: The Soliloquy of Life”. The exhibition will feature sculptures by the Yunnan-based artist that have been made in the period since his first solo show (or first “chapter”) [at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art] in 2004. The works on view will include three of his famous “Legs” as well as his most recent “Leaf” sculptures. “Soliloquy of Life” will be on view at Contrasts Gallery, 5/F 133 Sichuan Road, Shanghai, from April 28 through May 28, 2006.
Luo Xu’s works must be seen as an extension of his extraordinary life. Unlike other well-known contemporary Chinese artists from his generation, Luo Xu is largely self-taught, and has come to the art world only after working on a construction team, in a porcelain factory, as dance choreographer, as a rabbit breeder, as a restaurateur, and as an architect. The single year of instruction he received at the under the tutelage of the sculptor Qian Shaowu from the Central Academy of Art in Beijing left Luo Xu with an admiration of large-scale sculptures. His strong individuality and willingness to take risks also led to Luo Xu’s determination to stay clear of the mainstream art trends that his fellow-students gravitated towards. Returning to his homeland, Yunnan province, Luo Xu set up his studio and began creating sculptures that explored single themes and commonplace shapes.
The first form that captivated Luo Xu’s imagination was the female leg. In Luo Xu’s hands, the familiar leg became a stylized autonomous creature; the “Leg” sculptures are whole and complete units despite the absence of the rest of the female body. Each “Leg” has the same stylized bulbous thigh that tapers down to a tiny bound foot, but by installing the sculptures in different settings or positions and by casting them in different materials, the “Legs” are individualized. Luo Xu has created overtly sexual legs, menacing and destructive legs, tender and loving legs, and elegant and cold legs. At this point in the artist’s career, this veritable army of legs are the most famous and easily recognizable of Luo Xu’s artworks.
In 2005, the artist abandoned the Leg in favour of another familiar form, the Leaf. As in the Leg series, Luo Xu has been able to imbue an inanimate object with a range of human attributes. The personified leaves are by turns protective and insular (Summer Seaside, 2005), hostile and dominant (Maple is Red, 2006), and tender and in love (Movement of Spring, 2005). The response to the Leaves has been amazingly positive with the general public as well as with international art critics. The noted art authority and writer Barbara Pollack has recently contributed the text for a forthcoming book on Luo Xu’s work, and a number of feature articles are slated for publication in major periodicals. In addition, with a second Contrasts Gallery solo exhibition in Beijing and with Luo Xu’s participation in 2006 French and North American art fairs, Luo Xu is slated to become one of the major figures of Chinese contemporary art.
Time: April 28-June 12, 2006
Venue: 5/F, No. 133 Middle Sichuan Road, Shanghai
Telephone: +8621-63219606
Opening Hours: 10:00-22:00 daily
|
