EXHIBITED:

Tang Zhigang's Solo Exhibition, Red Bridge Gallery, Shanghai, November 6 – December 12, 2006

ILLUSTRATED:

Tang Zhigang's Solo Exhibition – Chinese Fairytale 2006, Red Bridge Gallery, Shanghai, color illustrated, 2006

Different from the "Children in Meeting" series which the artist expresses his thoughts directly, the "Chinese Fairy Tales" has refrained itself from the theme of politics-human relations and turned to another that is closer to the life itself and mankind psychos. The little children are put to arenas in a ridiculous way. They are either hanging high above the flying rings, or standing high on the springboard, looking down nervously. The fear or mental pressure those only adults may face in real life are misplaced onto children. According to Tang, people have been trying to exceed their ego and challenge their ultimate limits throughout the history; yet as they break new records one by one, they are creating more and more pressure for themselves. Therefore, seen from certain aspect, arenas are actually filled with fear that people feel when they meet their ultimate limits. Tang Zhigang criticizes the reality cynically through metaphors to reflect the pressure among us in our everyday competitive surroundings.

The present lot, "Chinese Fairytale - Diving", Tang leaves a toddler roaming in a dangerous environment - the edge of the diving board. The curious boy is naked and unattended. Although we cannot see his facial expression, yet the present of hesitation is evident. Through Chinese Fairytale the illustration between youth, courage and inner fear is substantiated. Fairytale is all together fictional and everlasting in human culture.

From the early "Children in Meetings" to the "Chinese Fairytales", the painting techniques he employs are getting increasingly simplified, well in accordance with the spirit of simplifying pictures with bold outlines and vivid expression outweighing picture designs in traditional Chinese freehand brushwork. In color arrangement, he is using brighter colors to create stronger sense of being modern and international. Tang has more and more obviously shown his unique focus of view and his broad mind of bemoaning the universe and pitying fate of humankind. He is much concerned with incidents happening around him. He has figured out the general state of mind of modern people as well as the anxiety and mental pressure overspreading in the present times. Through his traditional figures of lively and jolly children, Tang successfully eliminates such grief and sadness. This is where his wisdom lies. The so-called "Chinese Fairytales" is by no means a book for children, but an implicit reflection of mental pressure, anxiety and sense of crisis that widely exist in the adult world.