Zhang Huan Spring Poppy Fields

PRESS RELEASE ZhangPRESS RELEASE Huan SpringRobert IrwinPoppy Fields 6 Burlington Gardens, London, W1S 3ET 256 Burlington April – 31 Gardens, May 2014 London, W1S 3ET 21 June - 24 August 2013 Opening: Thursday 24 April 2014, 6.30 – 8.30 p.m. Pace London is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by the American artist Robert Irwin at 6 Burlington Gardens from 21 June to 17 August 2013. This is the first exhibition by the artist at Pace London. In the early 1960s, while much of America and Eu- rope was fascinated with the new wave of Pop Art- ists, Southern California quietly gave rise to a very different aesthetic revolution known as the Light and Space movement. Spearheading this movement, Robert Irwin began to take ideas from philosoph- ical inquiries into the nature of human experience and radical advances in perceptual psychology and combine them with the immersive abstraction that had been pioneered by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. The result was an original approach to art that replaced the object with a phenomenon. Finding traditional painting and sculpture too restrictive and self-con- tained, Irwin was the first to make objects and installations that were purely designed to manipulate the light in front of or around the viewer. The exhibition features two new site-specific installations displayed on the gallery’s ground and first floors. Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow & Blue³ III, occupies the entire space of the ground floor of the gallery and features three aluminium black and coloured panels suspended from the ceiling that mirror three identical panels hovering over the floor, suspending the viewer in a real time-space experience. Pace London is proud to present Spring Poppy Fields, an exhibition of new works by the Chinese art- This installation is a reiteration of the ideas explored by Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue? present- ist Zhang Huan from 25 April to 31 May 2014 at 6 Burlington Gardens. Zhang Huan is one of the most ed at Primaries and Secondaries, a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, vital, influential and provocative contemporary artists working today. Having explored the full spectrum San Diego (2007–2008). expands upon a dialogue with perception that has pervaded Irwin’s practice of media, from performance to photography, installation, sculpture and painting, Zhang Huan’s Spring for nearly half a century and continues references to the mid-century abstraction of the painted can- Poppy Fields oil paintings is the subject of his first exhibition at Pace London. vases of Josef Albers and Barnet Newman. The effort to focus these investigations from the two-dimensional canvas into our three-dimensional space is evident in this work and ultimately presents Spring Poppy Fields features fourteen vividly coloured, oil on linen paintings that have occupied the 4-dimensional space-time as the viewer enters the installation and experiences it through time. artist’s practice between 2011 and 2014. Alluding to Buddhist masks and iconography, the series is inspiredPiccadilly, by installed Zhang Huan’s on the extensive first floor travelof the to gallery, Tibet, Nepal,experiments Bhutan with and the India. perceptual qualities of light, playing with rhythm, texture, densities, temperature, and chromatic relationships. The piece is made Employingof forty-seven an almostgreen andpointillist white technique, fluorescent Zhang tubes Huan’smounted application in vertical of groupings the thick pigmenton the wall performs and is anan opticalobvious illusion. reference From to aLondon’s distance, illuminated the canvas road metamorphosises junction at Piccadilly into a field Circus. of psychedelic Different to colours;some of thehis pink,other teal,works lilac that and use cornflower fluorescent blue lights palette and featureappears changes to pulsate of colourwith energy. and rhythm, Upon thecloser light inspection, source of thethese colours sculptures separate will keepand the the individualsame state faces for the of durationthe skulls of emerge the exhibition. from their abstraction. Seemingly uncontrolled and haphazard, the placement of the skulls on the canvas is misleading. As usual in Irwin’s oeuvre, the works respond to the specific circumstances and conditions of each 6 Burlington Gardens London W1S 3ET +44 (0)20 3206 7600 pacegallery.com Zhang Huan’s recurring use of skulls stems from the artist’s early exploration of performance inspired by the body and human form. Drawing inspiration from the hallucinatory effects of the poppy’s opiate properties, the use of the skull motif reflects the Tibetan beliefs of endless deaths. In her essay, The Art of Impermanence: Zhang Huan and Tibetan Skulls, Kathryn H. Selig Brown discusses the Tibetan BuddhistPRESS RELEASE beliefs, from which Zhang Huan draws, maintaining that skulls are reflective of the Buddhist cycle of birth, death, rebirth and journey to nirvana. Robert Irwin Becoming a lay Buddhist* near to nine years ago, Zhang Huan has since frequently adopted Buddhist icons6 Burlington and death Gardens, rituals in London, his work. W1S In accordance 3ET to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, greed, anger, igno- 21 June - 24 August 2013 rance, pride and lust are all destructive emotions that will thwart one’s prospects at attaining nirvana. The skull plays an integral role in the destruction of the ego, preventing the temptation of worldly plea- sures; in the words of Kathryn H. Selig Brown, “thePace enemy London is the isego pleased and the to skull,present a tool an toexhibition smash it of.” new work by the American artist Robert Irwin at 6 Despite Zhang Huan’s heavy reliance upon TibetanBurlington Buddhism, Gardens his choice from 21 of June palette to 17 is August non-Tibetan 2013. and paradoxical in its symbolism. The various colours,This is the representative first exhibition of by “garish the artist consumerism” at Pace London. in these paintings enhance the sinister and dark humoured qualities of the skull. The abrasive tones of In the early 1960s, while much of America and Eu- the maniacal faces taunt at the darker effects of opium, reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat’s rope was fascinated with the new wave of Pop Art- opium-infused inane smile. ists, Southern California quietly gave rise to a very different aesthetic revolution known as the Light and In addition, the Spring Poppy Fields paintings will feature ribs overlaying the original skulls. The ribs Space movement. Spearheading this movement, subtly blend into the canvas as a visual accompaniment to the composition and reference themes of Robert Irwin began to take ideas from philosoph- “injuries, accidents, war and violence and disasters” according to Zhang Huan. ical inquiries into the nature of human experience and radical advances in perceptual psychology An exhibition catalogue is forthcoming with an essay by the curator and writer Elena Geuna. and combine them with the immersive abstraction * “Kulapati” or “lay Buddhist” are monks who live at home whilethat obeying had beenthe doctrines pioneered of the Buddhistby artists religion, such asas opposed Jackson to monksPollock, who Mark leave Rothko,their families and and Barnett serve their Newman. religious beliefsThe result all lifelong was and an liveoriginal in temples. approach to art that replaced the object with a phenomenon. Finding traditional painting and sculpture too restrictive and self-con- NOTES TO EDITORS tained, Irwin was the first to make objects and installations that were purely designed to manipulate the light in front of or around the viewer. Zhang Huan (b. 1965, China) is one of the most vital, influential, and provocative contemporary artists workingThe exhibition today. featuresThe layers two of new ideas site-specific the artist exploredinstallations in hisdisplayed early performance on the gallery’s art, conceivedground and of first as existentialfloors. Who’s explorations Afraid of Red, and Yellowsocial &commentaries, Blue³ III, occupies have thecarried entire through space ofto the groundmore traditional floor of the studio gal- practicelery and featureshe embraced three uponaluminium returning black to and China, coloured after havingpanels livedsuspended and worked from the in Newceiling York that City mirror for eightthree years.identical panels hovering over the floor, suspending the viewer in a real time-space experience. ZhangThis installation Huan attended is a reiteration Henan of University, the ideas exploredKaifeng (1984-88)by Who’s Afraidand received of Red, Yellowan MA and from Blue? the presentCentral- Academyed at Primaries of Fine and Arts Secondaries in Beijing in, a1993. major Zhang retrospective Huan gained exhibition international at the Museum recognition of Contemporary for performance Art, piecesSan Diego such (2007–2008). as 12 Square expands Meters upon(1994) a dialogueand To Add with One perception Meter to that an hasAnonymous pervaded Mountain Irwin’s practice (1995) thatfor nearly he developed half a century while andliving continues in the artistic references community to the known mid-century as the abstraction“Beijing East of Village.” the painted In 1998, can- thevases artist of wasJosef included Albers andin Inside Barnet Out: Newman. New Chinese The effort Art, organizedto focus these by Asia investigations Society and from P.S.1 the Contem two-di-- porarymensional Art Center.canvas Duringinto our this three-dimensional exhibition he relocated space tois Newevident York in City, this andwork over and

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