Artist: Wang Xiaoben
Opening: 3pm, Jan. 5, 2008
Duration: Jan. 5 – Jan. 20, 2008
3F, Bldg.21, 50 Moganshan Rd., Shanghai
Hours: Tues.-Sun. 11am-6pm
Vanguard Gallery is delighted to bring you the latest works by Wang Xiaoben, including two series “Cactus” and “On or not”. The artworks show the artist’s attention to the female world, not only the female themselves but also the affect the environment has on them.
In China, the female’s social class has risen with more jobs for women along with the adjustment of the industrial structure. Women in the cities are financially independent, but it doesn’t mean that they are spiritually satisfied. As a 70s generation woman, Wang Xiaoben feels so herself. She expresses her own emotions on the canvas, also reveals the inside of her – strong and weak, happy and sad, entice and resist, retain and liberate. Wang Xiaoben is trying to balance all these emotions, as a lot of other women are.
In daily life, people often only care about the outer prettiness of women, not knowing the stings of the cactus have already pierced into their body. The enlarged cactus and the sharp needles emphasize the unstable and insecure feelings among the female who live in metropolitan cities. The scars represent the unavoidable problems and pressures that women have to face.
We have simple and beautiful dreams but have to face the cruel reality. There are too many uncertainties affecting us and our future. It may not be the most important whether the ending is good or bad.
The show starts on 5th Jan and will be on for 15 days.