Chelsea College Of Arts, London presents “(Un)social Realism” at its Cookhouse Gallery from September 15 - 20. This marks the first solo of Chinese portrait painter Chang Qing in the UK. In this exhibition, Qing (b. 1965, Chengdu) will present his version of contemporary realism through 30 works created between 2012 and 2015, demonstrating the difficult yet interesting lives with strained social conditions of the most ordinary people of the fast developing Chinese society.Qing's paintings don’t showcase any heroic character, rather unveil the current social issues of the marginalized lower classes in contemporary, urban China, featuring figures like blind masseuses, pot-bellied street food eaters, lonely gate guards, bombastic businessmen, and mischievous domestic cleaners.The series is based on the daily snapshots taken by Qing with his smartphone or camera. Qing believes that despite the mass reproduction of selfie-portraitures in contemporary times, the portrait paintings remain irreplaceable. Although known for his oil paintings, for this series Qing chose the medium of ink and rice paper, which is the media used in traditional Chinese. Through this shift, the artist shows an ambition to reinvent the field of Chinese ink painting in modern times.Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek of the exhibition.
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