#Chinese portraiture trial#
#Chinese portraiture series#

I had to pick motifs from Chinese art that were so iconic that even when you put it in a Western setting, they would still read as Chinese.вЂќД®rnest Chang. What I like the most about cel-shaded comics is its self-contained colours but itвЂ™s the opposite of Chinese culture and paintings. ItвЂ™s really difficult to translate it into a Pop art setting. вЂњSome Chinese paintings donвЂ™t work on Western art-from the fading of the colours to the softness of the palette and the fluidity and expressiveness of the ink. вЂњIn the beginning, I really wanted to make things that were undisputedly Chinese,вЂќ Chang explains. For his new show вЂњBling DynastyвЂќ, Chang has essentially created his own version of deepfakes by replacing Chinese figures with popular Western cartoon characters.

#Chinese portraiture trial#

Through trial and error, Chang sought for the perfect middle ground in marrying Chinese art practices with Western popular culture. Prompted by his fatherвЂ™s love of calligraphy, Chang began to experiment with various traditional Chinese art practices such as embroidery and paper cutting.

вЂњBy flipping the value of Renaissance art into an Asian context,вЂќ says Chang, вЂњit sparked a new train of thought for me which is to bridge these cultures together but in a way that is contemporary and humorous to create work that says I am Chinese and I am American.вЂќ

#Chinese portraiture series#

His 2019 series вЂњFamous by ProxyвЂќ saw the heads of figures in Renaissance-style works be replaced by manga characters. Though not one to stay static creatively, Chang has experimented with graphic design and interactive art before diving into creative avenues such as digital painting and new technologies like deepfake-manipulated media that allows an existing image or video to be replaced with someone elseвЂ™s likeness. The Hong Kong-based artist, who founded gallery and studio The Stallery in 2014, first made an impression in the local art scene back in 2016 with his вЂњBlue HouseвЂќ photo series capturing the beautiful decaying interiors of this historic building in Wan Chai ahead of the siteвЂ™s revitalisation project. These are just some of the examples from Ernest ChangвЂ™s latest works showcased in вЂњBling DynastyвЂќ, which sees the American Chinese artist pay tribute to his two cultures by superimposing Western cartoon characters onto traditional Chinese settings.Д®rnest Chang, Age of Abundance, 2020, silkscreen print on acrylic glass, 54x 76 cm. On closer inspection, these characters are not presented as they usually are, but rather dressed in historical Chinese attire, printed with luxury brand logos, and set against varying backgrounds typically associated with Chinese art from Tang and Han dynasties. Surrounded by vibrant, colourful portraits of Rick Sanchez from Rick and Morty, Lois Griffin from Family Guy and Eric Cartman from South Park, the cosy interiors of The Stallery in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, can easily be mistaken for a Cartoon Network studio. Shen Shaomin, вЂњStandard Portrait,вЂќ oil on silicone, 2009 вЂњGo Figure!вЂќ will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery,Canberra until February 17.In a new exhibition titled вЂњBling DynastyвЂќ, Hong Kong-based artist Ernest Chang unveils 18 new works that superimpose cartoons and gaming characters of popular culture against backdrops rich with Chinese tradition. Sigg began collecting in the 1990s and hnder a part gift/ part purchase agreement, Sigg recently donated 1,463 artworks toHong KongвЂ™s M+ Museum which will open in 2017. His collection boasts more than 2,200 artworks by 350 artists in a variety of media.

The exhibition is drawn from the collection of Uli Sigg, Swiss businessman, former Swiss Ambassador to China and art collector. вЂњDuring a time of significant economic and social change,вЂќ the exhibition arguese, вЂњthese artists have negotiated the complex realities of contemporary China.вЂќДЄrtists represtned in вЂњGo Figure!вЂќ include Ai Weiwei, Fang Lijun, Geng Jianyi, Liu Xiaodong, Peng Yu and Sun Yuan, Shen Shaomin, Wang Guangyi, Wang Jianwei, Yin Xiuzhen, Yu Hong, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Peili and Zhang Xiaogang. In her view, much of that art involves the idea of play вЂ“ вЂњthe liberal use of humour, irony and the absurd.вЂќ It is curated by Dr Claire Roberts, senior lecturer in art history at Adelaide University, an expert on Chinese contemporary art. Jing Kewen, No clouds at the Great Wall, oil on canvas, 2010.Exhibited simultaneously at the NPG and Sherman Contemporary Art FoundationвЂ™sSydneygallery, this exhibition of 55 works includes painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and installation works by Chinese artists from 1979 to the present. CONTEMPORARY Chinese portraiture is all the go in the National Portrait GalleryвЂ™s latest show, вЂњGo Figure!вЂќ