"Lost & Found"
November 3, 2007 - December 21, 2007
Meng Jin + Fang Er
Joint Solo Exhibitions
Artist's Reception: Saturday September 8, 5 - 7 pm
m97 Gallery is pleased to present "Lost & Found", an exhibition with works by Meng Jin and Fang Er, a powerful young artistic couple whose works are at once strikingly different in style and approach, but similar in their embrace of the mystery that enshrouds both personal emotion and larger social issues. "Lost & Found" will open on November 3, 2007, and there will be an opening reception for the artists on Saturday November 3rd from 5pm Š 7pm.
"Lost & Found" presents works from 5 different series: Meng Jin's "Every Room is Illuminated" (2006-07), "A Room With a View" (2000-02), "Will You Come? Or Shall I Go?" (2003), and Fang ErÕs "The Zoo" (2006-07) as well as "The Sweetest Thing" (2004). Fang Er's "The Hidden Depth" and Meng Jin's "14 Rooms" video work also illustrates both artists unique approach to addressing ideas of confusion, chaos, memory and consequence. Fang Er's work engages the viewer with a playful yet conscientious dialogue often blending chaotic elements of human constructs with elements in the natural world. Meng Jin's exploration of the confines of interior space and objects act as a historical reflection of the passage of time and a reminder of consequence in relation to society and human habitation with allusions to a collective psyche often resonating with political undertones. Belonging to an emerging generation of younger artists, Meng Jin and Fang Er's works embody the freedom of their generation having grown up without the confines of direct political repression or hardship.
"In China during this era of enormous change, from the clear, worldly dividing lines of East and West, to the extensive globalization of free trade today, all these changes bring about in us a deeper interest and a new understanding for topics such as growth, life, responsibility, identity, city, history, country and so on. Our works are a record of these times of various change that we witness ... To lose, to find, to gain ... just like an endless journey, bringing a sense of mystery to all that we know and feel in the world, filling us with a deep respect for all these things." - Meng Jin + Fang Er
Taipei-born Fang Er and Meng Jin, born in Chongqing, the two artists now based in Beijing will be exhibiting together for their first joint solo exhibition in Shanghai.
For additional photographs, interviews or other media queries, please contact m97 Gallery at: info@m97gallery.com or by phone: (+8621) 6266.1597. Tuesday-Sunday 10:30-18:30.
A 64-page catalog "Lost and Found" is available for purchase online or at the gallery. Published by m97 Gallery & Timezone 8, 2007.
180 rmb / $25 USD / 18 Euros + shipping
