anusman solo exhibition opens on March 16th 4pm

MARKET STREET

Opening: 2019.03.16 4pm 

Date: 2019.03.16 - 05.04

Tue. – Sun. 10:30am – 6:00pm

Tabula Rasa Gallery is pleased to announce Market Street, the second solo exhibition by independent comic artist anusman (Wang Shuo). The exhibition will open on March 16, 2019 and run until May 4. Market Street will feature recent artworks by anusman that are largely rooted in narratives inspired by everyday life and personal experience. Several mock-scenes, including a market, a cardroom and a street corner, will take up the exhibition space. Everything used and sold at the exhibition will be from the artist’s own creation, providing the audience with a uniquely situated viewing experience. 

Fighting for Vege, 2019, Ink on rice paper, 69x46cm

anusman’s first solo exhibition Ignoramus (held at Tabula Rasa Gallery in 2017) illustrated his exploration of the form and language of comics. Over the past two years, more and more readers have come to know this down-to-earth artist with a great sense of humor through the publication of his bestseller Mr. Men and his regular contributions to magazine columns and public talks. On one hand, anusman is a professionally trained artist: after studying abroad for 5 years and receiving his doctoral degree, he now teaches at a prestigious university in China and is regarded as one of the few experts and researchers on comics in the country. On the other hand, he is just an ordinary man living in a big city. Like his popular character “Mr. Men”, anusman is caught up in the triviality of everyday life as well as its highs and lows. His work unites these two identities and sheds light on the most commonplace and microscopic details of personal experience with the highest form of simplicity and artistry. In the artist’s own words, his paintings depict nothing more than “obscure trivialities”, but it is precisely the seamless integration of form and substance that gives his work its distinctive, unassuming flavor. 

Click the image to know more about anusman’s book, Mr. Men

Readers of anusman’s bestseller Mr. Men frequently mention how the book has helped them reduce anxiety. This is exactly what’s fascinating about anusman’s work: in a society where people are often “too busy to let their feet touch the ground”, his comics give readers a sense of reassurance by offering them a chance to descend and feel what it’s like to have both feet on the ground again. Constrained by larger-than-life narratives, deceived by the grand illusion of capitalist lifestyles, dragged into the never-ending competition to find self-worth between inspirational and anti-inspirational articles, we see the reflection of our own foolishness, vanity and vulgarity in anusman’s raw expression of unfiltered truths and unadorned hearts. His honest, good-natured portrayal of everyday life reminds one of Wang Zengqi’s prose and the documentary Four Springs, which came out earlier this year. People will always be moved by the power of genuineness, in which they can find a sense of relief as they gradually remove their masks, shed their identities, and face life not as performers but as themselves. 

Quest the Mountain, 2019, Ink on rice paper, 68x35.5cm

Although anusman frequently paints scenes like grocery shopping, daily meals, tea, discussions on the quality of tofu and art supplies, etc., his work is not about the ordinary bliss of everyday life. He hikes and visits public gardens, but it’s not to seek spiritual refuge like hermits in the olden days. Another artist known for his portrayal of everyday life in the style of traditional Chinese ink painting is Feng Zikai (1898-1975). The biggest difference between Feng and anusman lies not so much in the time period as the core of their work. Anusman is not just concerned with depicting the “beauty of life”. He also paints the ugly, the despicable, the depressed, and the unfair. Nothing is censored as long as it comes from the heart. In Mr. Men, there’s a story called Summer Outing: Mr. Men is sitting on a bench under the tree by the lake in Beijing’s Olympic Park. He lights a cigarette, and suddenly finds that he has not only lit the cigarette but the scenery in front of him as well. It’s like he has burned a hole in the canvas. He crawls into the hole and looks around, and sees nothing but darkness. So he returns, tapes over the hole hurriedly, and mutters to himself, “I won’t be fined for this, will I?.....I’d better get going.” Then he bikes home, enters the apartment building, gets in the elevator, goes into his home and shuts the door behind him. The story ends with the word “the end” appearing on the closed door. The weight of stories like this linger long after the laughter has faded. 

Obtuse, 2017, Ink on rice paper, 34x22cm

So where exactly is China’s “market street” today? Is it in the malls packed with exhausted parents on weekends, or the creative flea markets frequented by fashionable youngsters? Is it in the suburban settlements on the outskirts of big cities, or in the crowds outside metro stations during rush hours? Is it in the county towns, or near the border? Perhaps the “market street” we are talking about is not an urban structure, but a way of being. It only grows where the dignity of life is struggling to survive. In anusman’s paintings, one can feel the warmth of a city like Beijing: Madian Park, Wudaokou, Tiantongyuan, nameless underground tunnels, farmers’ markets, small restaurants, public restrooms…people fighting over cheap vegetables, hanging their blankets out to dry, playing chess, working out, or engaging in “maidan'er” (a word in northeaster dialects that means “just looking”). Collectivism and discipline are not compatible with the spirit of the market street. When reality seems to fold like parallel universes, anusman creates a sanctuary for himself and kindred spirits to live peacefully and unambitiously—in a world that exists neither in the past nor far away. 

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关于 Tabula Rasa 画廊 | About Tabula Rasa Gallery

Tabula Rasa 画廊致力于推广中国本土和国际的当代艺术家，2015 年5月成立于北京 798 艺术区，是一个展览和推广当代艺术的空间，定期举办艺术家讲座、讨论会，并支持出版和研究项目。 我们的名字 Tabula Rasa 源于拉丁语，指被书写的石板在擦拭磨白后重新开始的状态。今天 tabula rasa 同时被广泛地运用在西方哲学领域，特指理论上人在没有接受感官和经验影响之前最朴质的空白状态。我们希望画廊呈现的展览能颠覆观众之前的观看经验，为新的艺术实验提供可能性。

Tabula Rasa Gallery is based in Beijing's 798 art district. Established in 2015, it aims to promote both Chinese and international contemporary artists through exhibitions, talks, research and publication. The gallery's name refers to the philosophical idea that when we are born, our minds are like a blank slate. We hope the exhibition Tabula Rasa presents can subvert viewer's preconceptions, creating conditions for fresh artistic experiments.