Exhibition Name: "Illusionary Realm - Exhibition of Zhang Liang's Printmaking Works"

Exhibition period: October 23rd to October 31st, 2018

Exhibition location: Hall A and Hall B on the first floor of Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum

The development of printmaking today has entered a new era, with expanding and extending space and more diverse and diverse appearances. However, no matter how extended and enriched it is, black and white woodcut has always been the most representative in printmaking. Starting from the emerging woodcut movement, black and white woodcut has always been in an important position in the development of printmaking in China. A large number of classic works have appeared in various periods. In recent years, black and white woodcut has made new developments, and the performance of young printmakers is particularly outstanding. They are not limited to existing creative styles, but pay more attention to personal expression and their own experience, and their technical expression is also more pure, with the unique vitality and vigor of young printmakers. Zhang Liang is one of them.

Zhang Liang graduated from the Printmaking Department of China Academy of Fine Arts and received strict professional training. The creative tradition of the Printmaking Department of the Academy of Fine Arts has had a profound impact on Zhang Liang, involving various types of prints such as woodblock, copperplate, stone plate, and screen plate. After working in Shenzhen, after a period of exploration and adjustment, he gradually presented his personal style and appearance from creating the black and white woodcut work "I Seem to See Myself". From the title of the work, we can know that his creation comes from personal experience, and in his works, he expressed a self-awareness. In this series of images, a figure resembling a doll stands tall, and various fragments of local details are reorganized and arranged, intentionally striving to create an assembly environment that is extremely industrial assembly line like, as if to produce mechanized modern products. Zhang Liang is in these local details: wooden wings, tree stumps, pipes, screws, mechanical parts, and so on. Seeing myself, my wooden wings and solidified body were twisted together by screws, The metal screws give people a cold mechanical visual feeling, while the clumsy wooden wings clearly imply that the ideals they once had are no longer light, revealing the author's individual helplessness and sadness in the era of industrial informatization. We can also feel this kind of sadness in other works, such as the wooden propeller in "I Seem to Series:Riding the Wind", the body made from tree stumps in "I Seem to Series:Seeking Fish by Climbing Trees", and the entangled pipes in "I Seem to Series: Undercover". The technique emphasizes the expression of textures such as wood, metal, and plastic. Through delicate and simple knife carving techniques, a absurd, fragmented, and illusory black and white picture is presented in front of everyone. In addition, Zhang Liang has also created a number of woodcut works, which have new content in graphic expression and work connotation. Zhang Liang's black and white woodcut works are actually his reflection on his inner self in the current social environment, his concern for modern civilization and the value of life, reflecting the anxiety of young artists towards the crisis of reality in the contemporary society where ideals, spirits, and materials are imbalanced. From this, one can also experience the state of a generation of young intellectuals.

Zhang Liangqin has been creating and has gained a lot in recent years. His works have won awards at both domestic and international printmaking exhibitions. Last year, he received support from the National Art Fund and began to create new works. His state is gradually improving, and his works are maturing. As a colleague, I sincerely wish him better and farther in his future artistic career.

Professor at Shenzhen Vocational and Technical College and Dean of the School of Art and Design

Shuai Bin