Industrial Mark

What is most admirable of Wang Jiazeng is the fact he has never abandoned his roots as a member of the working class. Wang’s youthful years were worn away in factories and in mines, and left with a deep mark on his life. Yet, those years gave his life a significant depth. As a contemporary artist, his hardships as a young man serve as the definite source of inspiration to him, and were perhaps, in hindsight, heaven-sent.

Of course, what is most important is his nostalgia. As he looks back, he contemplates and reflects on his own experiences. In reflecting on the speed of industrial development in contemporary China, with all of its setbacks and blind spots, questions of our time arises: for construction, must there also be destruction? Does embracing the new implicate disliking the old? By eradicating all the is old and outdated, will that pave the way to a secure new world? When a society cuts off its roots, the people cannot help but feel insecure. Wang’s Industrial Mark exhibition depicts the overwhelming sense of helplessness and sorrow that comes from this.

August 9 – 30, 2014
Reception: Saturday, August 9, 2014, 3:00 pm
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 2:00 – 6:00 pm