Press Release

In 1979, Deng Xiaoping’s maiden Shenzhen speech beaconed the catch cry ‘Xian Fuqilai’ and gave the green light to Chinese entrepreneurs and a revolutionary model of socialist economic development with ‘Chinese characteristics’. The bamboo curtain was lifted and China’s miracle as we experience it today sparked.

For the past ten years the young artist Tao Hongjing has been channeling his oriental identity to create innovative and stylish art that cheekily reflects and critiques the concrete paradise of opportunity and prosperity that is China.

As a conceptual artist, Tao Hongjing applies diverse media to reinforce the messages of his experience. In the neon instalation ‘To Get Rich is Glorious‘ beams a funky billboard of Deng Xiaoping’s success. Silkscreen prints of RMB landscapes herald an era of ecotourism for those who can afford it. Scenes of urban demolition are generated from the rythmic and repetitive stamping of a traditional ink chop. Wheels of fortune sport Buddhist technicolor on mandalas of steel and auto paint. Geometric Buddhas in ceramic, coated in 10K gold, speak of ‘transformer’ states of spirituality and relevance in an affluent world.

Tao Hongjing was born in 1979. He is a graduate of the Ecole National des Beaux-Arts, France. He lives and works in Shanghai.

Studio Rouge is delighted to present Tao Hongjing and his dynamic body of work to a Hong Kong audience. Please join us in the midst of grave sweeping festivities ‘Ching Mingjie’ on Hollywood Road this Thursday evening!

Curation: George Michell Yang [GMY]