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Email PageMajestic Journeys
November 29, 2007- January 5, 2008
Reception: November 29, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Z.Z. Wei
Jenkins Johnson Gallery
521 W 26th StJenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Z.Z. Wei, entitled Majestic Journeys. The exhibition opens on November 29 and will be on view through January 5, 2007 with a reception for the artist on Thursday, November 29 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. This will be the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York. A brochure of the exhibition will be available for $20 ppd from the gallery. Please note the gallery will be closed December 25 through January 1 for the holidays.
Pacific Northwest painter Z.Z. Wei originally hails from Beijing. He grew up in a time when great landscape artists’ images were banned by Mao’s Communist regime, who viewed the genre as residual of the imperial system. Yet in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, Wei’s father, who was also an artist, took a risk for his love of art. He joined an underground culture that kept art alive by circulating it in secret and allowed his son to share in this adventure; thus, enabling the beginnings of a brilliant painter. Wei’s persistence and passion for painting proved far stronger than the obstacles of the Cultural Revolution and he has emerged as a significant talent in contemporary landscape painting. In his work, Wei unites his life experience growing up as a child in China with his adult perspectives, which are inspired by his country home in Washington state, creating a rich and poetic oeuvre. His style and imagery are heavy with references to Americana, but when delved into they are not simply what meets the eye. A sense of melancholy is evoked that contrasts with the initial impression and the psychology of the painting surfaces.
In his new series, Majestic Journeys, Z.Z. Wei creates unique worlds of the American west infused with warm golden light, sweeping landscapes, and symbols of American culture that are inspired. He captures the world in a dreamy, yet realistic, expressionist manner that emulates iconic scenes. Utilizing an autumnal palette, his lush golden fields, red barns, and deep blue skies are painted in a pervasive, thick manner that evokes a sense of momentum and possibility as well as an appreciation of simple beauty that most viewers pass by without second glance.
Wei entered the United States at this geographical point in America in 1989 and has never lost enthusiasm and awe of a landscape so different from his native land. The American landscape, for Wei, represents the beginning of a fresh lifestyle and work and the end to another. In the midst of his bright and glowing scenes, there is often a curvaceous vintage pick-up truck moving down a road that leads simultaneously to nowhere and anywhere. Roads unfold and ribbon through infinite hills on endless journeys which are a solid parallel to the life of Wei as well as the overall human condition.
Moreover, Wei’s landscapes are abstractions of his view that the Pacific Northwest is a place forgotten by time; reminders that pre-modern days are not by-gone for everyone. However, they are not sentimental meditations; instead, the impact of Wei’s images lies in the fact that they could be anytime or any place. The lingering sadness may be attributed to the bittersweet dichotomy of the thrill of discovering art as a child while also living in fear of doing so. Wei’s landscape painting continues the expansion of one of the greatest and longest-lasting artistic traditions in Chinese history as well as expands its definition because of the addition of his found American sensibilities.
Z.Z. Wei graduated from the Central Institute of Arts & Design, Beijing, China before moving to Seattle, Washington to serve as an artist in residence at various universities. His work is part of the permanent collections of the Westin Hotel, Seattle, WA; Weyerhaeuser Corporation, Seattle, WA; Pro Foods, Vancouver, WA; Omnivore Inc., Bellevue, WA; Vulcan Northwest, Bellevue, WA; Tri Holding Ltd., Vancouver, BC, Canada; Ii Architecture, Seoul, South Korea; Frohwitter, Munich, Germany among others. Critical attention for his work has been received from Architectural Digest, Artweek, ARTnews, Gallery Guide, and Southwest Art. Wei has mounted solo shows across the country since 1991 and has been included in group shows in both China and America.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show
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