Chen Linggang
During the year of 2007 to 2008, I started to create some works of my mine besides working. And I thought it was easy, and believed that I could paint really well, a lot better than the others.
Not soon after, I realised that this was not an easy task. Initially, you would have to establish a mature idea (of what you were doing), and then, it is even harder to find a suitable way to accurately express your idea.
Hence, during that time, I created a series of drastically dissimilar works, among which there was we oil on canvas, mixed media, etc. In an earlier phase, I had drawn the scenarios at the bus station, mainly about the people waiting there, or rushing in and out of the buses. Afterwards, I moved on to Childhood Memory series, for example, I would recreate some toys and model figures from my childhood, and glueing or trussing them on canvas. At the time, I thought they were adorable, and it was fun to create them. There it went, the Game Series.
My major transition happened in 2008. I quitted my job and put all my time of creating works. That year was a diving point (of my life path). At some point, I was organising some photo document; all of a sudden, an idea came to my mind — “what will it look if I glue all the photos on canvas?” On the same night, I did so; however, it turned out to be a bit plain. I then placed old newspaper around the photos, created a series of works - Lost Series, where photos are divided into squares by white strings made out of newspaper.
Later on, the squared-boxed techniques continued until today, which had become my signature presentation, even the works after 2008 inherited this method as well, namely Heritage Series and Reading Series.
Chen Linggang November, 2017, Beijing
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1978 |
Born in Jilin |
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2000 |
Graduated from Jilin Forestry University, Environmental Art Dep. |
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Present |
Currently lives and works in Beijing |
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Solo Exhibitions
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2016 |
On Reading and Writing, Red Gate Gallery |
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2013 |
On the Paper, Si Tou Ai Ran Se, Beijing |
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2011 |
Heritage, Studio Rouge, Shanghai |
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2009 |
History on Paper - Chen Linggang, 798 Jindu Art Center, Beijing |
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Group Exhibitions
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2019 |
The Splendid Languages of Paper - Contemporary Art on Chinese paper-making Culture, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou |
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Splendid Languages of Paper, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou. |
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3rd Independent Exhibition, Dahewan Art Museum, Beijing. |
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Deeper Strata of Meaning，Art + Shanghai Gallery, Shanghai. |
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2018 |
China Contemporary Young Artist Nominations, Guangzhou |
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2017 |
Multi Dimension II, Riverside Art Museum, Beijing |
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Thunderbolt SURGE Art Summer POP-UP, Red Gate Gallery |
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2016 |
WHIPLASH!!! SURGE Art 10th Anniversary, Red Gate Gallery |
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Resonance of History - Dual Exhibition by Chen Linggang and Pang Yun, Art + Shanghai Gallery, Singapore |
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2015 |
SURGE Art - Out of the Box! Red Gate Gallery |
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Formosa Art Show 2015, Rhythm Gallery, Taibei |
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3rd V-age Contemporary Art, Tree Museum, Beijing |
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Poly 10th Anniversary Contemporary Art Fair, Beijing |
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2014 |
Youth·Passion – National Young Artists, Beijing |
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Between the Lines - Reading, Chen Linggang and Liang Weiyuan, Art + Shanghai Gallery, Shanghai |
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2013 |
Art Across the City, Guanxiang Art Gallery, Taipei |
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Red Hot, Red Gate Gallery |
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On Paper - Supreme, Jiuceng Art Museum, Beijing |
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2012 |
Kingroad Gallery, London, U.K |
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2011 |
Spicy Asia, HF Contemporary Art, Berlin |
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2010 |
Maria Pestana Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain |
My works are all composed within grids of tiny squares, and although their external form might appear very similar, the content of each square is unique, whether it the person, building, or city; or it represents a second, a day, or a year… the squares can be a slice of paper, a page from the book, a paragraph of history, etc. They keep repeating themselves and becoming individually co-independent. The entire entity is also composed of separated entities, where they lead and follow each other. Within those works, there is a constantly changing rhythm following from inside out. It does not only bring more meanings to the works, also making me reflect on cultures and self-identity.
In my work, I abstracted the figures of objects and fabricate a sense of vagueness and uncertainty. Meanwhile, I thought to myself, isn’t everything, in reality, all come with uncertainties? Or is this the uncertainty coming from my shallow understanding to those matters. Hence the notion spread to my doubts towards culture and heritages, do we really comprehend them fully?
With an eager of exploring culture and history, I connected my works with present and the past, as well as some notions and confusions during my exploration. The doubts baffled my belief of the truth behind all heritages. Yet, without the questions, I would not be so enthusiastic about seeking for the veracity, and what’s more, the deeper significance behind all histories. In the meantime, the journey of searching became more vivid and flexible, and it is fun.
Growing up in the generation of Chinese Reformation, we are left with umpteen amount of marks of time. I am not aware of how many of us are out there, nor do I know how much of my feelings can in line with my generation. Accompanied by the waves of reformation, while we are trying the world, we are in fact being changed by all internal and external forces of culture. What I am trying to achieve is no more than being in quest of my true self in this unpredictable reality.
Whenever I am trying to express the world in a figurative way, I realise that it is blurred. I cannot just use one number, one word, or one image to communicate. It is uncertain without a clear direction of where it is pointing. Yet, there is an invisible spirit guiding me to feel, to think.
