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"I crave movement in my new work. Movement that provokes a conflict of opposing forces, movement that is the outcome of strangely contained and compressed energy."

About the Artist

 

Zhang Mingyang has been in selected solo and group exhibitions over the last 10 years as he relentlessly sought his signature artistic voice. Self-taught, he paints with acrylic, oil and charcoal as he observes and subverts personal, historical and global issues through his paintings, which unravel feelings of fragility or desire, and often they draw on human experiences.

 

His passion for old classic films also lets him explore the relationship between painting and films, to create cinematic screenshots of life’s more visceral, poignant moments. His work seeks the chasm between abstract expressionism and figurative. Zhang often paints in a flurry of hurried gestural strokes to the midpoint almost at first, then it is gradually coaxed, urged and seduced to a glorious finish.

In Progress

for 'CITY OF TWO TALES' solo exhibition

NUMBER ONE

2018

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic, charcoal

and graphite on canvas

NUMBER TWO

2018

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic, charcoal

and graphite on canvas

NUMBER THREE

2018

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic, charcoal

and graphite on canvas

Artist Statement

Every week, dripping with desperation, snaking lines of people form at the neighbourhood betting outlets to check 6 boxes for a winning TOTO combination that may land them the first prize of $1 million or more. 

For some of them, this lottery win is a long vacation, for others, it pays off their debts while for migrant workers, it’s a ticket home to provide for their families. 

 

Juxtaposed against this observation, the artist is also inspired by German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt who famously coined the Banality of Evil in her controversial analysis of the Jerusalem trial of Adolf Eichmann after World War Two. In the human condition, Arendt argues for a tripartite division between the human activities (animal laboran) of labor, work, and action. 

 

The artist is also intrigued by the concept of Homo faber, articulated by Hannah Arendt and Max Scheler, which refers to humans as controlling the environment through tools.

This are ‘Number One’, ‘Number Two' and ‘Number Three’ of 49 boxes.

Previous Work

I, THE CITIZEN

2018

48" BY 36"

Acrylic on canvas

PIGS BEFORE PEARLS

2023

32" BY 24"

Acrylic on canvas

HETEROSEXUALS VS HOMOSEXUALS VS HAPPINESS

2023

31.5" BY 23.5"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

FAMILY OF FIVE

2023

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

UNTITLED

 

2023

36" BY 24"

Oil on canvas

RELAXED WOMEN IN BLUE INTERIORS

2023

20" BY 20"

Oil and acrylic on canvas

AFTERMATH 1

2023

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

WE BUILT IT, THEY REALLY CAME

2023

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

SELF DEFENSE VS VENGEANCE VS HUMAN RIGHTS

2023

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

MAN JUMPS OVER TABLE TO ATTACK 

DAUGHTER'S KILLER IN COURT

2023

35.5" BY 23.5"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

MAN LOSES FATHER, BROTHERS,

COUSINS, RELATIVES, PREGNANT WIFE

2023

32" BY 24"

Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas

JOURNEY

2022

20" BY 20"

Oil and acrylic on canvas

Connect with Zhang Mingyang 

 

Zhang is open to exhibiting, sharing his artwork and collaborations.

Please email any enquiries to zhangmingyang.art@gmail.com

Join our mailing list for exhibition and new work updates

© 2023 by Zhang Ming Yang

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