Vanguard Gallery is pleased to announce “An Unlikely Menagerie And The Resulting Chaos”, a group exhibition showcasing representative works and new creations by artists Chen Xingye, Dai Zhankun, and Zhang Wenzhi, opening in January 2024. The exhibition resembles a gathering of mystical scenarios and a menagerie of unlikely creatures, attempting to reveal the origins and undercurrents of the chaotic world.

Chen Xingye’s works continue to illustrate the sensory and aesthetic threads of power itself. In his new pieces, volcanic eruptions dominate the imagery as an undeniable driving force, with its kinetic energy conveyed through a series of images and dynamics. The symbolism in this work traverses the boundaries of popular culture and historical civilizations, evoking sensory impacts beyond the visual realm. Chen Xingye orchestrates his paintings like managing a rock concert, responding to his ongoing exploration between visuals and sound.

Dai Zhankun’s “Dragon Slaying” series constructs monuments with unexpected materials, imbuing them with a sense of eternity. These materials, with their dark metallic sheen and cold industrial feel, are actual missile wreckage that, under the artist’s reconstruction, gains a new life as “swords to plowshares.” With bold concepts and occasional absurdity, Dai Zhankun transforms real-world weapons into embodiments of classical heroism or installations full of metaphor and corrective intent, intervening in the discourse competition regarding force and power in a unique manner.

Zhang Wenzhi envisions introducing possibilities outside absolute rationality back into the real world. His reference system draws from classical knowledge, metaphors, literary imagery, and beyond. His images appear to couple Chinese epigraphy with Western cabinets of curiosities, reinstating the symbolic aura of geopolitical and historical heritage. Zhang Wenzhi’s creations reimagine the pre-modern crossroads of the East Asian history, questioning recorded history and unyielding monuments, deconstructing and subverting them within endless fantasies.