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Born into a loyal but somehow
tragic a soldiers' family, Tang Zhi-gong was growing
up with a group of highly-educated criminals among
whom there were a couple of talented painters.
That nourishes his talents for art. Afterwards
he became a professional soldier too. Military
life, meetings, and children are all the motives
of his painting. Canvas has recorded his life's
journey that never runs out of conflicts and absurdity.
But there is still a slim of hope that he keeps
to face the difficulties in life. Accordingly,
such attitude results in a turning point critical
to his life. There is a sensitive heart of a litterateur
under his soldier image. Likewise, there is a
trace of insecurity under his sense of humor.
Tang said, "I am a hopeless nihilist, a fundamental
pessimist." His skeptics-based pessimism
originates from his seeing through the struggle
between those who punish and those who are punished,
that between those who govern and those who are
governed, or that between appearance and truth.
He is so ready to accept whatever the fate offers,
a bitter-sweet beauty and sadness.
His paintings combine two different qualities
in nature: sadness and happiness are the two sides
of one coin.
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There exists balance in the seemingly
conflicts and chaos. After his experiment with
social realism that lasted until the end of the
80s, now he leans more toward neo-realism. For
instance, his "Children's Conference"
successfully exposed a wild imagination under
a well-ordered life. The clear-cut picture exhibits
purity of profundity. He used the innocent faces
of children to satirize a game-like displacement
and absurdity in adults' world. Viewers cannot
but smile at his sarcasm. But more is to come;
they'd find a group of kids are playing a very
serious joke and may recognize the hidden absurdity
of the bureaucratic system's inner logics beguiled
in a funny appearance. A premature unhappiness
is shown clearly on these naive faces. A meeting
is no more than a play. Compare that to the truths
and lies of our own life, you will find the play
is worth further studying, though absurd. With
a deep concern and profound sadness, Tang makes
fun of the bureaucracy, of life, of the viewer,
and of himself.
The "Blue Eyes" series, shows an even
greater simplicity and profounder melancholy.
The dreamy eyes that is as pure and as innocent
as an ocean speak of chaos that are bound to happen,
of a hybrid of blood and a confused mind. Tang
Zhi-gong takes pure and naive babies as his tool
to wave his bare Chinese myths.
In Tang Zhi-gong's works 2006, much more humor
is added into the banter. Children's indoor stages
also extend to the boundless land. Reflected to
appreciators' smiles, Tang Zhi-gong's words as
usual contain his special tragic sense. He said
with seriousness, "I process my own extreme
bitterness, to achieve the merry faces of the
world."
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1959 |
Born in Kunming,
Yunnan Province. |
1976 |
Joined the army after
graduation from high school. |
1989 |
Graduated from the Department
of Oil Painting at the People’s Liberation
Army Art Institute. |
1996 |
Started teaching at the
Yunnan Art Academy until now. |
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Solo Exhibitions
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1994 |
"The Life of Soldiers",
Yunnan Art Academy, Kunming. |
2000 |
"Children in Metting",
Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong |
2002 |
"Half a Soldier's
Life", Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong |
2004 |
"Tang Zhigang",
Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris |
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Group Exhibitions
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1986 |
"National Art Exhibition
Celebrating the 60th of the People's Liberation
Army", Beijing. |
1989 |
"The 7 th National
Art Exhibition", Nanjing. |
1993 |
"The 2 nd China Oil
Painting Exhibition", Beijing. |
1994 |
"The 8 th National
Art Exhibition", Beijing. |
1995 |
"Current
State"(organised by the Cultural Exchange
Center of the University
of Columbia, United States),Kunming. |
1996 |
"Life Style",Yunnan
University Science Center, Kunming. |
1997 |
"Urban Personality",
Kunming. |
1999 |
"Moment: Chinese
Contemporary Art Exhibition", University
of Chicago Art
Center, Chicago.
"Open, All Directions", Kunming.
"China 46",Shanghai;Melboume.
"Chinese Avant-garde Exhibition",
Saint-Benin Art Centre, Italy; Musee
Gtanet Provceence, France.
"Three Artists form Kunming",Hanart
T Z Gallery, Hong Kong. |
2000 |
"Chinese Avant-garde
Exhibition", De La Villette Museum, Paris.
"Tales of Two Cities",Asia Contemporary
Art, London. |
2001 |
"VASL International
Artists Workshop", Karachi.
"Boy, Girl", Kunming, Singapore.
"Basel International Art Fair",
Basel. |
2002 |
"Paris-Pekin",
Espace Cardin, Paris.
"China Art", Germany.
"The First Guangzhou Triennial",
Guangzhou.
"China-Pop", Sydney.
"The 17 th World Cup", France. |
2003 |
"Collection
of Lasalle-sia College of the Arts",
Singapore.
"From China with Art", National
Gallery of Jakarta, Jakarta.
"Gui Yang Biennial", Gui Yang. |
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