Zeng Fanzhi, Untitled (2022), via Hauser & Wirth
This month in Los Angeles, Hauser and Wirth makes history with the first solo exhibition in the city for Zeng Fanzhi, the renowned Chinese painter whose expansive and intricate body of work has made him a singular both in both his home country and internationally.  A pioneer of contemporary Chinese art, Zeng is celebrated globally for his constantly evolving style and subject matter, and the works on view herald his latest artistic breakthroughs that contemplate the intersection of Western art and style with traditional Chinese subject matter and philosophy.
Zeng Fanzhi, D Series 2021 No.3 (2021), via Hauser & Wirth
Consisting of ten works on canvas executed over the past few years – some of which are over ten feet tall – the exhibition documents Zeng’s latest advances in brushwork and color, celebrating his intuitive approach to painting. Vivid yellow, cyan blue and vermillion are set as the dominant colors that define each painting, while tonal variations remain nuanced as Zeng’s signature inky black brushstroke creates a vibrant network of patterning. Adding further complexity to his brushwork, the artist uses broad sweeping strokes that are impressed, layer by layer, upon thick coats of paint, forming a compact and rhythmic wave-like texture. This body of work represents a turn to introspection and deeper contemplation, in which the artist deploys a more diverse pattern of brushwork to explore human consciousness and convey different elements of the human experience.
Zeng Fanzhi, E Series 2022 No.11 (2022), via Hauser & Wirth
Zeng’s work is vivid in its understanding of the brush as a tool to build complex and expressive worlds, with multiple tracings over of the same line to create whorls and brambles of paint, delicate lines giving way to a heaving mass of color. The artist uses broad sweeping strokes that are impressed, layer by layer, upon thick coats of paint, forming a compact and rhythmic wave-like texture. This body of work represents a turn to introspection and deeper contemplation, in which the artist deploys a more diverse pattern of brushwork to explore human consciousness and convey different elements of the human experience. Embellishment and repetition are used here to masterful, alternating effect, arriving at a selection of pieces that see the artist create towering, almost dizzying compositions.
The show closes April 30th.
Zeng Fanzhi, Untitled (2021), via Hauser & Wirth
– D. Creahan
Read more:
Zeng Fanzhi at Hauser & Wirth [Exhibition Site]
