Exhibition of Fang Lijun’s Woodcuts Kicks off in the Hunan Museum

Exhibition of Fang Lijun’s Woodcuts kicks off in the first and second hall of Hunan Museum  from January 29th  to March 1st, 2021, which is open to the public for free. In view of the pandemic control, the opening ceremony of this exhibition will be held online. 

Fang Lijun together with curators will interact online with diverse media during the opening ceremony. Besides, visitors on the scene will have the chance to take pictures with artists and get a tailor-made seal of this exhibition. 

1.Introduction of the exhibition and the artist

The exhibition aims to reflect the artistic exploration of Fang at different stages through his132 pieces of woodcuts ranging from the initial one made in 1982 to the lately completed one in 2020. This exhibition is not only a review of his works over the past 38 years, but also a supreme epitome of development process of contemporary art as well as the growth stages of  artists in contemporary China. Fang’s works are divided into 4 phases: 1.vagueness (1982-1984), 2.silence (1985-1994), 3.awakening(1995-1998), 4. breakthrough(1999-today). Although woodcuts are the very beginning of his art career and the origin of  his inspiration, his relevant works are much less known to the public than his oil paintings,  which are regarded as a symbolic expression in contemporary Chinese art. This exhibition will make up for it and enable us to have an all-rounded understanding about Fang’s artistic achievements. 

Fang Lijun, born in Hebei province in 1963, was graduated from Print-making Department of China Central Academy of Fine Arts. As the most predominant representative of the post-89 art trend, Fang created a unique artistic language with other peers—Cynical Realism, which was well highlighted by the “bald hooligans” in his series of works since 1988. The images symbolized the boredom and hooligan-like humor prevalent during the end of 80s and the first half of 90s. In a broad sense, they displayed the cultural awareness  and psychological feelings of contemporary people.  

2.History and concept of woodcut 

 Woodcuts were originated from the printing technique in China over a thousand years ago, and were later spread all over the world. Lu Xun once said : “Woodcut firstly appeared in China”, a saying that has been universally accepted now. The earliest woodcut was the illustration on first page of the Diamond Sutra made in Tang Dynasty of China in the year 868. The dominant theme of the printing then was Buddhism.

The concept of woodcut  has been constantly improved as time passes by. Modern woodcut  mainly refers to the one designed and created by artists and produced through plate making and printing procedures. Specifically, it is the pattern printed out from engraving or etching on the layout of wood, stone, hemp glue, copper and zinc made by knives or chemicals.  The printing works can be classified in many ways, and the commonest are made according to the plate type and production techniques, which put them into the following: gravure, relief printing, lithographic printing, porous printing, compound printing and PS printing.  As a form of art with plate as the medium, woodcut is characterized with plurality and indirectness, where  the rich texture and special beauty can be exclusively seen. Since the reform and opening up, with the popularity of print-making major in art colleges and the market operation of relevant  workshops, this this form of art has been favored by more and more artists. A number of world-famous artists in this field have emerged in China, among which Fang Lijun is one of the most prestigious. 

3.Novel design of the exhibition 

The exhibition aims to achieve a “demuseumlized” effect and help visitors to gain something extraordinary by changing the way people view the works. Through arrangement of visual information and combination of works in non-time linear order, the exhibition emphasizes the “strong impact, visual experience, memory” during the visit, so that the  ultimate goal of exhibition can be realized: works are for the sake of spread. In this way, what people see in the exhibition will probably one day reappear in their mind and exert lasting influence on themselves. 
   
4. Introduction of key exhibits:

In order to highlight the changes of Fang Lijun's style in different periods, this exhibition displays 10 key exhibits in accordance with the curatorial concepts.

488x1098cm，woodcut, 2020

During the pandemic in 2020, Fang kept his creation and dozens of symbolized “ Fang styled prints" came into being. The above work is among them.  It  is nearly 5 meters by 10 meters, made up of nine sets of pictures. The artist ingeniously applies the theory of  complementary colors, setting off the yellow and orange heads of different sizes from the blue-purple background.  Fang made great breakthrough in this work in that it can be appreciated in four different angles rather the previous one angle. Besides, the heads of figures which were arranged in great order before are now randomly and disorderly  placed, reflecting the deep and diverse thoughts of the artist. As the first work seen by audiences stepping into the hall, this print is one of the representative works of the exhibition, conveying great significance. 

2003.2.1，400×852cm，woodcut, 2003, collected in Guangdong Museum of Art

This print is one of Fang Lijun's most frequently exhibited and published works, and is at the top of his public collection list. There are in total eight editions, almost all of which are collected by art galleries and top collectors at home and abroad. The seven-volume print is overwhelmingly huddled with yellow bald heads, some big  and some small, some in the front and some in the back. The necks and arms of the figures are barely visible.

Those heads in the warm yellow hue are just like a crowd of pleasure-seekers under the sunlight. Mere depiction of their facial expressions weakens the differences between individuals, thereby forming a symbolic “face wall” with connotation of the time.

1999.2.1，488×732cm, woodcut, 1999  collected in Tan Guobin Contemporary Art Museum 

This woodcut is a representative work of Fang Lijun's awakening stage. It is a monochromatic picture  in black, white and gray. By using close-up technique to amplify parts as well as  lines made by cutter and  chainsaw, the artist successfully presents a “nobody” struggling in the water with great efforts, metaphorically referring to current living state of individuals in our society. Fang Lijun believes that “artists should be dreamers or critics. They are supposed to hold personal views about the customs and phenomenons in our society.” Fang Lijun was keen on swimming and was once nearly drowned. These experiences deepened his understanding about water: on the one hand, water is  known for its maternal gentleness; on the other hand, however,  water daunts the world  with its terrifying, unpredictable and mysterious face .

Fang’s works cover oil paintings, woodcuts, ink and wash paintings, art installations and ceramic works etc, some of which have already become cultural symbols with connotation of certain age and have gained international influence. To some extent, his woodcuts  expand the concept and language of this artistic field, highlight the characteristics of things described, revealing an artistic tension and epochal significance through visually shocking images and unique way of thinking. Therefore, they well demonstrated  the global perspective as well as the sense of responsibility of Chinese contemporary artists in promoting cultures.