Zhang Eli at Hauser & Wirth, London.
This was my first encounter with this artist’s work. The large-format pieces by Zhang Eli (most of them around 2x3m approx.) greet the visitor with force. I wanted to know more about this artist from Jilin, China, born in 1965 and less well known than other artists of his generation.
Hauser & Wirth present him as the “champion of forgotten spaces and objects,” portrayed in melancholy renderings of everyday objects and places that spring from his own imagination.
With a soft, loose brush he draws us into his world of ordinary objects such as ropes, hoses or balls, in relation to aspects of contemporary life. The paintings shared in common a grid in the background, evoking an attempt to organize the chaos of contemporary life.
His empty spaces invite the viewer to let imagination roam and create his own narrative. The longer I spent in the gallery, the more I came to like his work…
Hauser & Wirth Gallery. 23 Savile Row, London. Until 1 March 2014.
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