Unfolding into the Expanse: Liang Hao

10 Chancery Lane Gallery is proud to present Unfolding into the Expanse, a series of works by Beijing based artist Liang Hao. This marks Liang’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. Curated by Tang Zehui, Unfolding into the Expanse will be on display from the 16th January - 29th February 2020. The content’s of Liang’s ethereal paintings present the paradoxical of a metaphor both concrete and immaterial. The works place the viewer within a space of psychological weightlessness. The bright and even canvas creates a sterile plane while the luminescent objects seems to melt into the frame. A relationship between concrete and abstract emerges. Heavily inspired by baroque philosophy Liang delves into philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s explication of The Fold. Deleuze posits that our current reality is constantly becoming, or coming into being, therefore folds between the different expressions of the present contain unique reflections of reality. Liang believes that painting is a mirror to life, and thus he uses a mirror within his work to create another layer of perception. The mirror creates a disillusion. Liang explains, “I realized that in fact, I was attracted by another thing — the image of reflection, perhaps mostly because of its spatial attribute, or the attribute of unknown space. If the mirror is presented as a kind of reflection, I think it is a kind of replication of space or image, however the reflection of metal, is like information going from another space, like data, which has an infinite sense of distance in my imagination.” The viewer is asked to consider ones self within these folds of time, space and materiality. The human form is the subject but is never presented as a whole. The experience of the viewer in conversation with the work becomes supreme. As Liang creates his own world within each painting he is focused on transmitting this same exploration within the viewer. Faces are never seen in their totality and fragments of hands are painted with extreme detail — another reflection back at the viewer. Ultimately, Liang creates a visceral look into the self, ignited by a meditation in the constant metamorphosis of reality.

 

10 Chancery Lane Gallery director, Katie de Tilly says, “Liang Hao’s paintings have the ability to allow us to feel the essence of light through his spatial explorations of reflective surfaces and far-away gazes. Highly complex yet simple, his paintings bring us to the feeling of a daydream. He is truly one of China’s great up and coming artists.”