Zhang Wenzhi’s work on view at a group exhibition “As She Descends” at Aranya Art Center, Qinhuangdao, China.
“Long rooted in folklore ,the legend has also served as a marker for mass culture. The exhibition title itself is drawn from a classic pop song from the turn of the century. Modern and contemporary novelists such as Zhang Henshui and Su Tong have written versions of the legend, while Gu Jiegang’s research of Lady Meng Jiang pioneered the field of Chinese folklore studies. These creative and scholarly attempts demonstrate that re-storying is not to indulge nostalgia; but to reposition and renew. Taking “restorying” as its methodology, this exhibition invites viewers to consider how “She” might encounter the contemporary after descending from symbolism.” – Aranya Art Center
Curator: Yuan Fuca, Damien Zhang
Venue: Gallery 1-5, Aranya Art Center (Aranya Art Center, Aranya Community, Beidaihe New Area, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China)
Image courtesy of Aranya Art Center.