June 2, 2012 – The Tina Keng Gallery (Beijing) is pleased to present Wu Tien-Chang’s (b. 1956) first solo exhibition in Beijing curated by Leslie Ureña, The In-Between Space, which opens on June 9 and on view until July 15 (opening reception: Saturday, June 9, 4:30-6:30pm). With works dating from 1995 to 2011, The In-Between Spaceoffers an overview of Wu’s work since his turn to working with mixed media, introducing audiences to the characters and narratives that have appeared throughout his works, and the transition to video and photography.
The In-Between Spacestarts with such iconic works as Dream of a Past Era Iand Dream of a Past Era III(1995), both of which demonstrate Wu’s transition from painting to mixed media and his culling from local culture, and its history and traditions through their lavishly decorated frames, their bespectacled ladies, and their backgrounds. Such interests continue in his photographs, or as he calls them “digitally created paintings,” including Work Side by Side(2001) and We’re All in the Same Boat(2002). These not only demonstrate his interest in history and culture, but their surreal and haunting scenes also bring to the fore Wu’s interest in photographic theories. Wu presents the contradictions of the photographic medium, with its apparent reality and yet contrived and fictitious nature, through the costumes, props, and backdrops of his elaborate and surreal compositions.
In his most recent works, including the video and lenticular photographs of the series Luan(2011), the flowered wallpaper and the lacy trimmings of the collar of the young boy hark to familiar details, such as those of Dream of a Past Era, as do the settings, poses, and the ambiguous gender of the sitters of the photographs from the series Unforgettable Lover(2011). Throughout, Wu explores ways in which to expand his chosen medium, while simultaneously exploring themes of gender, culture, and history. In his transition to video, especially, we see the ways in which the element of time, a long-time concern for him, has become crucial to the execution of his works.
Wu Tien-Chang
Wu Tien-Chang (b. 1956) lives and works in Taipei, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1980 from the Chinese Culture University. His work has been shown internationally, including in the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane (1996) and the Venice Biennale (1997); as well as at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (1986-1990, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2011), the Asia Society, New York (1998), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (2004, 2005, 2009), the National Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung (2005, 2009), the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (2006, 2010, 2011), the Taipei Cultural Center, New York (2008), the National Art Museum of China, Beijing (2009), and MOMA Contemporary, Fukuoka (1997), the Soho Photo Gallery, New York (2010), the Hong Kong Art Centre (2010), and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2010).
