LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery

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LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
LI TIANBING
 Urban Scene

  JD M A L A T
       G A L L E R Y

      LONDON
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
‘One of the most critically acclaimed Chinese-born
     artists of his generation’ ~ The Guardian

LI TIANBING
    Urban Scene

         JD M A L A T G A L L E R Y
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
3   4
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Li Tianbing, ‘Urban Scene’
         Since the late 1970s, the impact of political events on the narrative of Chinese artists has remained a constant               For Li Tianbing there is a danger for contemporary artists to pass the Maoist ideology on to a younger
source of inspiration. The ‘Opening-up’ of China in December 1978, implemented by the political leader Deng Xiaoping,          generation. The writer and Oriental academic Jeanne Boden, whose 2014 publication, Contemporary Chinese Art.
established a narrative with the West both economically and artistically. Contemporary Chinese art responded to the            Post Socialist, Post-Traditional, Post-Colonial, says that ‘political Pop artists have used the Maoist discourse as a source
new social and political atmosphere by attempting to reflect the new landscape of China. Chinese artists moved away            for the construction of a new identity in the face of growing globalisation and international influences. In spite of their
from official art towards capturing an alternative narrative deviating from the strict canon of Socialist Realism. Socialist   satirising and criticism of Mao Zedong and the political indoctrination of his time, artists continued to worship and
Realism in China was held as the official style from the 1950s until the 1980s, under Mao Zedong. The ‘New Wave’               desire the Maoist discourse.’ In Li Tianbing’s work there is a clear distancing from this idea. By depicting the results
of avant-garde artists in China brought with it a challenging response to the demand for art as a cultural as well as a        of these tensions; a freer society in China and the nostalgia of Maoist ideology, Li Tianbing is engaging with the
political commodity. Li Tianbing represents this ‘New Wave’ of Chinese artists who are capturing the political events          complex issues of contemporary Chinese social politics, framing his works as part of a universal discourse of political
for a new generation.                                                                                                          and ideological tensions.

         The climate for artistic experimentation emerged in China in February 1979, at the Twelve Artists of Shanghai
exhibition which opened in Shanghai at the Children’s Palace in Huangpu district. The ‘participating artists, showed                   Li Tianbing’s first hand experience of the ‘Occupy Central with Love and Peace’ (OCLP) protests, which were
works inspired by Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and Expressionism. It was the first modern art exhibition and the             established in March 2013 in Hong Kong, saw clashes between social activists and the civil authorities. Li Tianbing
first exhibition organised by individual artists since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.’ As        explains, “I travel back to China several times a year and like to observe. I was in Hong Kong during the ‘Occupy
such, The Twelve Artists of Shanghai exhibition demonstrated the shift of cultural narrative between China and the             Central’ protests. I even saw a parade by retired soldiers and some street violence in my home town of Guilin. In Paris,
West, reflecting the socio-economic shift of expanding geographical trade boundaries, and the willingness to hold a            where I work, my studio is located near the suburbs which saw the demonstrations of the ‘Mouvement des Gilets
dialogue with the West, particularly in terms of artistic experimentation.                                                     jaunes’ (Yellow Vest Movement), and I have witnessed how US society has changed after the election of President
                                                                                                                               Trump. All of these instances across the world has given me inspiration for this exhibition.”

         In the exhibition ‘Urban Scene’, Li Tianbing focuses on the state of conflict between contrasting groups in                    Although there is a clear focus on representing Chinese social and political tensions in ‘Urban Scene,’ Li
society and attempts to capture the transient moments of conflict. Li Tianbing’s work is framed by the complexity of the       Tianbing engages with a more generalised view of social politics. For Li Tianbing, “this series called ‘Urban Scene’
post-socialist issues in China which have led to a number of protests and ideological confrontations. In ‘Urban Scene’,        talks about the conflict in today’s society and the dilemma of human life: the street violence, family drama, campus
Li Tianbing’s engagement with the discourse of bottom-up dynamics presents a shift away and rejection from the top-            bullying, parade conflict, refugee crisis etc. The collision between limbs is the main interest of my work.” The city for
down policies of Socialist Realism. ‘Urban Scene’ becomes a signifier of the political and ideological tensions which          Li Tianbing simultaneously becomes a space of order and disorder. The political right of way clashing with societies’
clash in the main spaces of the world’s urban centres. Li Tianbing’s work is a spectacle, not only for those involved, but     right to the city. This constant flux, fuelled by the occupations, street protests, strikes and ideological confrontations
for the viewer who becomes a witness to these social tensions.                                                                 are all captured in Li Tianbing’s work. In China, the urban space which had been given over to propaganda under Mao
                                                                                                                               Zedong, is now a space for protest, undermining the functional and political value of the city. The urban space in this
        There is an obvious departure from the isolation felt in Li Tianbing’s earlier work. The psychological effects of      context becomes dysfunctional.
the ‘one-child policy,’ which came into effect in China on 18th September 1980 has been replaced in ‘Urban Scene’
by a series of works dealing with the effects of mass confrontation. As Li Tianbing explains, “in China the growing                      The growing participation in protests fuelled by the renewed interest in the populist discourse becomes an
polarisation between the rich and poor coexist with the return of the communist Ideology Maoism, and the huge                  important narrative within the urban space. The attempt to question political and authoritarian control through mass
imbalance is repressed by the strong force of the ‘stability maintenance’ of the police, the situation is like a volcano       rallies and protests is counteracted by more severe methods of control. Li Tianbing’s work captures the transient nature
ready to erupt at anytime. People become anxious and hysterical. In the US and Europe, the conflict mostly comes from          of these important socio-political moments. The individuals who become the by-products of political structures are
the immigration issue, the confrontation between the local culture and the foreign culture.” The ‘stability maintenance        grouped together in ‘Urban Scene’, making for an engaging and important exhibition.
system’ has been implemented in China as a way of repressing free speech. This has given rise to outbreaks of conflict
between the fight for free expression and the authoritarian challenge to maintain control over its citizens.
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Stick, 2018
      Oil on Canvas
    157 x 198 + 8 cm
7                       8
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Confrontation #1, 2018
             Oil on Canvas
              213 x 244 cm
9                            10
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Green Confrontation, 2019
     Oil on Canvas
     198 x 244 cm
11                               12
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Green Fight, 2019
         Oil on Canvas
          122 x 152 cm
13                       14
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Looting Empty, 2018
            Oil on Canvas
             157 x 198 cm
15                          16
LI TIANBING Urban Scene - JD Malat Gallery
Occupation on the Car, 2018
                   Oil on Canvas
                    178 x 244 cm
17                                 18
On the Ground, 2018
            Oil on Canvas
                91 x 61 cm
19                           20
Orange Rivalry, 2019
           Oil on Canvas
             61 x 122 cm
21                          22
Parade, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     198 x 244 cm
23                   24
Pose for Photo, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     198 x 244 cm
25                          26
Purple Accumulation, 2019
                 Oil on Canvas
                  198 x 244 cm
27                               28
Purple Fight, 2018
         Oil on Canvas
            91 x 122 cm
29                        30
Purple Mess, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     91 x 122 cm
31                       32
Red Accumulation, 2019
              Oil on Canvas
               198 x 244 cm
33                            34
Red Mess, 2018
       Oil on Canvas
           61 x 91 cm
35                      36
Red Small Scene, 2018
            Oil on Canvas
                 41 x 51 cm
37                            38
School #1, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     61 x 122 cm
39                     40
School #2, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     61 x 122 cm
41                     42
Argument, 2018
       Oil on Canvas
         76 x 102 cm
43                     44
The Leg in the Scene, 2018
                  Oil on Canvas
                     122 x 91 cm
45                                 46
The Survival, 2019
         Oil on Canvas
          122 x 152 cm
47                        48
Urban Petit #1, 2017
     Oil on Canvas
     41 x 51 cm
49                          50
Urban Petit #3, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     41 x 51 cm
51                          52
Urban Petit #4, 2018
     Oil on Canvas
     41 x 51 cm
53                          54
Urban Petit #6, 2017
     Oil on Canvas
     51 x 41 cm
55                          56
Urban Petit, 2007
     Oil on Canvas
     41 x 51 cm
57                       58
Urban Scene #1, 2017
     Oil on Canvas
     178 x 244 cm
59                          60
Woman Fight #3, 2018
            Oil on Canvas
                91 x 61 cm
61                           62
Confrontation #2, 2018
              Oil on Canvas
               198 x 244 cm
63                            64
Jouer avec les
     branches, 2017
      Oil on Canvas
       173 x 229 cm
65                     66
Jouer avec les
     branches #2, 2017
         Oil on Canvas
          173 x 229 cm
67                        68
Lift Up the Tree Bar, 2017
                  Oil on Canvas
                   244 x 183 cm
69                                70
Li Tianbing CV
B. 1974 - Guilin, China.
Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA

Selected Solo Exhibitions                       Brand New Works, Kashya Hildebrand        2013   Art Plural Gallery at Sydney                 2008   Art Basel Miami – L&M Arts
                                                Gallery, New York, USA                           Contemporary Art Fair, Sydney, Australia            Galleries, Miami, USA
2015   Journey of the Lone Monkey,       2005   Musée de Gajac, Villeneuve,                      Art Plural Gallery at Art Stage Singapore,          Art Basel - L&M Arts, Basel, Switzerland
       Pearl Lam Galleries, Singapore           France                                           Singapore
2012   Stephen Friedman Gallery,                                                                                                                     Du vent dans les branches, ArtSénat 2008,
                                                Galerie Loft, Barcelona, Spain                   The 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy             Paris, FranceSport in Art, Today Art
       London, UK
                                                Galerie Loft, Paris, France               2012   Pearl Lam Galleries at                              Museum, Beijing, China
       Layers of Time, Galerie Kashya                                                            SH Contemporary 2012 Shanghai Art Fair       2007   Museum of Contemporary Art,
       Hildebrand, Zürich, Switzerland   2004   Galerie Albert Benamou, Paris,
                                                France                                           International Contemporary Art                      Shanghai, China National Museum of Fine
2011   A Game as a Pretense of Being,                                                            Exhibition, Shanghai Exhibition Center,             Arts, Beijing, China
                                                Kashya Hildebrand Gallery, New York,
       Curated by Demetrio Paparoni,            USA                                              Shanghai, China                              2006   Mickey dans tous ses états,
       Hong Kong Arts Center, Hong                                                                                                                   Artcurial, Hotel Dassault, Paris, France
       Kong, China                       2002   Galerie Donzévansaanen,                          Pearl Lam Galleries at Art HK 2012, Hong
                                                Lausanne, France                                 Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,       2005   Nature Détournée – Institute of
2010   Childhood Fantasy, Contrasts      2000   Musée Marzelles, Marmande,                       Hong Kong, China                                    France, Munich, Germany
       Gallery, Shanghai, China                 France                                                                                        2004   Galerie Guislain Etat d’Art, Paris, France
                                                                                                 Art Stage Singapore 2012 at Pearl Lam
2009   ADAA Armory Art Fair – L&M        Selected Group Exhibitions                              Fine Art, Marina Bay Sands Convention        2002   Kashya Hildebrand Gallery,
       Arts Gallery, New York, USA                                                               and Exhibition Center, Singapore                    Geneva, Switzerland, France
                                         2019   Zona Maco México, Arte                    2011   SH Contemporary 2011 at Pearl                       Biennale de la Jeune Création de Houilles,
2008   Me and My Brother, L&M Arts
                                                Contemporáneo - JD Malat Gallery,                Lam Fine Art, Shanghai, China                       Ville de Houilles, France
       Gallery, New York, USA
                                                Mexico City, Mexico
                                                                                                 Surreal versus Surrealism in Contemporary
2007   Galerie Albert Benamou, France                                                            Art, Valencia, Spain                                Salon de la Jeune Création, Paris, France
                                         2018   ‘Absorption as a Way of Seeing’,
                                                                                                                                              1999   Académie des Beaux-Arts, Institut
       Galerie Loft, France                     Pearl Lam gallery , Hong Kong                    Art Stage Singapore 2011 at Pearl Lam               de France, Paris, France
                                                                                                 Fine Art, Marina Bay Sands Expo and
       Espace 1789, Saint-Ouen, France   2014   Art International, Istanbul, Turkey                                                                  Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik, Croatia
                                                                                                 Convention Center, SRiengarpdosr Ce
                                                Flux: Collective Exhibition, Art Plural          roisés, Art Plural Gallery, Singapore
2006   Beitou, Kashya Hildebrand
                                                Gallery, Singapore
       Gallery, Zurich                                                                    2010   Chinese Contemporary Art,
                                                20th Anniversary Show, Opera                                                                  1998   Galerie Progres, Belgrade, Serbia
                                                Gallery Singapore, Singapore                     Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai, China
       Galerie Deborah Zafman, Paris,
       France                                   Kashya Hildebrand Gallery at Art14               Art Dubai, Dubai, UAE
                                                London, London, UK
Special Thanks:
     Victoria Aboucaya
     Jean-David Malat
     Li Tianbing
     Lara Ustunberk

     Text: Richard Morrissey

     info@jdmalat.com

     30 Davies Street, London W1K 4NB
     + 44 203 746 68 30
     www.jdmalat.com

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