EXHIBITED:
Zhou Chunya New Painting Solo Exhibition, MyHumble House Gallery, Taipei,March 22 - April 13, 2008ILLUSTRATEDZhou Chunya New Painting Solo Exhibition,My Humble House Gallery, Taipei, 2008,color illustrated, pp. 32-33
Zhou Chunya, Timezone 8, Shanghai, 2010,color illustrated, pp. 278-279

GAZING DIRECTLY INTO HIS SOUL

Along the way, Zhou Chunya has lead the various movements of contemporary Chinese art alongside a multitude of icons. His unique aura cannot quite be categorized into any movement, and has enabled him to carve out an artistic path that cannot be ignored. He continued to show over his care about the society and his homeland, but politics and social issues were never the main focus in his creations, as his art was above all loyal to his own inner sentiment and instincts. From 1986 to 1989, Zhou Chunya traveled alone to further his studies in Germany. Baptized by European art - especially the works exhibited at Documenta 8 in Kassel - he decided to return to his home country in pursuit of an artistic path he could call his own. He practiced his mastery of colors, defined his own unique personal style, and studied the spirit of Chinese literati, drawing both contemporary and personal views from them while converting his experiences, desires and yearnings throughout his life into his breathtaking works.

“Bathroom,” painted in 1998, is one of Zhou Chunya’s most significant works. He captured an intimate instant within the intimate space of the bathroom; as the water splashes from the showerhead, a bathing woman standing in the tub lifts her gaze towards the viewer with surprise in her eyes. It’s as if we are trespassers causing a small commotion while Zhou Chunya’s most important subject of the time - the green dog, sits on the other end of the tub. Its gargantuan form, the only splash of brightness in the grayish image, serves as a surrealistic symbol that transcends the banality of everyday life. Paired with the baby flying in the background, a highly autobiographical piece with profoundly unique meaning is thus created.