​Guo Sun solo exhibition Will Open on 15th March

Ginkgo Space is delighted to announce that from March 15 to May 18, 2024, it will present a solo exhibition by Guo Sun titled “Guo Sun”. This exhibition is his first solo exhibition in Shanghai and will closely relate to the concurrently running exhibition "Guo Sun" at Simple One, a non-profit art institution in Beijing, establishing a significant contextual relationship. The exhibition in Shanghai will present Guo Sun's significant advancements achieved over the years in expressionism painting, showcasing larger-scale works, profound narrative connections, and enhanced mastery of visual composition.Guo Sun’s paintings exist at the intersection of various stylistic elements, blending emotional richness with a high degree of rationality. The artist’s personalized exploration continues the tradition of European expressionism. Additionally, his works reveal a familiarity with the spirit of Chinese freehand brushwork, incorporating principles such as “keeping simplicity” “leaving blank spaces” “creating mood” and “balancing void and substance”.

The works in this exhibition primarily employ acrylic, with the water-soluble nature of the material pushed to the extreme. After discarding traditional brushstrokes, the artist engages in repeated techniques involving smearing, spraying, scraping, outlining, leaving blank spaces, flowing, and covering. The layers interact spontaneously and subtly, forming irregular blocks and shapes that retain breathable transparency even after multiple layers. The traces of the artist’s contemplation and experimentation are clearly visible on the canvas. The powerful strokes and graffiti of oil pastels assertively intertwine between visual dimensions, intentionally exposed or covered. The independence of lines from form adds dynamism, enhancing the conflict and flatness of the composition. Guo Sun's heightened sensitivity to materials, textures, and the art of painting is evident in every detail, including visual impact, rawness, and a sense of incompleteness in the composition. The bold strokes and graffiti of oil pastels assertively intersperse between visual dimensions, intentionally exposed or covered. The independence of lines adds dynamism to the passage of time while enhancing the conflict and flatness of the composition. Guo Sun’s heightened sensitivity to materials, textures, and the art of painting is evident in every detail, including the visual impact, the rawness, and the sense of incompleteness in the composition.

The artist achieves a description of diverse identities by blurring facial features or symbolizing images, allowing these images to transcend age, gender, class, and even ethnicity, escaping habitual logic andevaluation systems. Identities or personas constructed through visual elements are complex, ambiguous, and transformable in different contexts, and the scenes viewers can see and understand are always limited and relative. In the amalgamation of desires and conflicts, Guo Sun visually contemplates the alienation and loss experienced by people. His paintings reflect a sensitive insight into human vulnerability, as Susan Sollins says, “We reflect on our relationship with ourselves and the surrounding world and examine those seemingly inexplicable experiences.”

Born in Shandong in 1975, Guo Sun graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Shandong Academy of Arts in 1998 under the guidance of Professors Yan Ping and Gu Liming. In 2000, he pursued further studies in Frankfurt, Germany, and graduated in 2008 from the Free Art Department of the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg, Germany, under the mentorship of Professor Norbert Schwontkowski, obtaining a master’s degree. Currently, he teaches at Shandong University.

Special thanks

Article written by: Xi Meng

Translated by: Yi Hanqi

---