Tang Zhigang
July 24, 2000 by TCG Nordica
Filed under artists, visual artist
Children in meeting
By Tang Zhigang
People sometimes ask me why I choose the subject Children in Meeting�, and I tell them that it was because someone picked at my previous works “Adults in Meeting”. Then I just switched to children. But it was also because I had just started teaching children in painting. Also, I was in charge of propaganda at the Political Department when I was in the army. Apart from preparing the setting for all kinds of meetings, writing slogans and taking pictures, I was also responsible for the Art Education of the children in the army. So while the adults were �in meeting�, their children were raising their hands to answer my questions. It is easy to associate the two scenes. Though it is a coincidence, to adopt children in my paintings is not really an act to help escape criticism. It is also the result of careful consideration.
Today, children are captured in a lot of works in their daily life. However, in Contemporary Art they appear as a symbol most of the time and don�t relate to real life. I might use them to symbolize a certain stage in life, where they either awaits have stopped growing or are waiting to do so. Of course, there are different points of view and explanations, but I do not wish to make any further comments on that. For example, the so-called theory of �children�s� politics� or simply a �children�s� game�, which is related to the politics of a certain period of time, just reflects some people�s attitude towards politics and our society.
Further, reflecting on the general quality of present day politicians, one can hardly relate them to the immaturity and irrationality that is typical of most children. The difference is that children�s immaturity is balanced with innocence, while in the adult�s case the game is full of deliberations and calculations. Therefore, in the analogy I hope I am not tarnishing the children�s images while eulogizing the adult�s ones.
(Published with permission by the author)
Chronology:
1959 Born in Kunming, Yunnan Province
1976 Joined the army after graduation from high school
1989 Graduated from the Department of Oil Painting at the People�s Liberation Army Art lnstitute
1996 Started teaching at the Yunnan Art Academy, where he has worked until now
Solo Exhibitions:
1994 ?The Life of Soldiers?, Yunnan Art Academy, Kunming
2000 ?Children in Meeting?, Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong
2002 �Half a Soldier�s Life? Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong
2004 �Tang Zhigang? Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris
2005 �Chinese Fairytale” Tang Zhigang Solo Exhibition 2005
�Chinese Fairytale ? Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong
“Chinese Fairytale”, TC/G Nordica, Kunming
�Chinese Fairytale? China Festival Canvas international art, Amsterdam
Group Exhibitions:
1986 National Art Exhibition Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the People�s Liberation Army� Beijing
1989 �The 7th National Art Exhibition�, Nanuing
1993 �The 2nd China Oil Painting Exhibition?, Beijing
1994 �The 8th National Art Exhibition?, Beijing
1995 “Currrent State� (organized by the Cultural Exchange Center of the University of Columbia, United States), Kunming
1996 �Life Style�, Yunnan University Science Center, Kunming
1997 �Urban Personality�, Kunming
1999 �Moment: Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition�, University of Chicago Art Center, Chicago
�Open, All Directions�, Kunming
�China 46?, Shanghai; Melbourne
�Chinese Avant-garde Exhibition�, Saint-Benin Art Centre, ltaly; Mus�e Granet d�Aix-en-Provence, France
�Three Artists from Kunming� Hanart T Z Gallery, Hong Kong
2000 �Chinese Avant-garde Exhibition�, De La Villette Museum, Paris
�Tales of Two Cities�, Asia Contemporary Art, London
2001 �VASL International Artists Workshop�, Karachi
�Boy, Girl�, Kunming, Singapore
�Baesl International Art Fair�, Basel
2002 �Paris-Pekin�, Espace Cardin, Paris
�China Art�, Germany
�The first Guangzhou Triennial�, Guangzhou
�China-Pop�, Sydney
�The 17th World Cup�, France
�The Kunming scene�, Canvas International Art Amsterdam
2003 �Collection of Lasalle-sia College of the Arts�, Singapore
�From China with Art�, National Gallery of Jakarta
�Gui Yang Biennial, Gui Yang
2004 �?�?Five artists from Kunming , �rebro Konsthall, �rebro
2005 �Dream Producers�, the Imaginary Museum of Chinese Contemporary Art, Xin Dong Cheng space for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam Art Fair� Amsterdam
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