Gao Hang: MY BAD IDEAS
September 16 to October 29, 2022
PULPO GALLERY
Obermarkt 51
82418 Murnau am Staffelsee
Germany
Gao Hang – My Bad Ideas exhibition features the most recent works by the Houston-based painter and visual artist. After numerous exhibitions across the US and Europe, Hang’s works are being shown in a solo exhibition in Germany for the first time. Hang belongs to a generation that grew up in the computer age and is naturally familiar with the internet.
For millennials, the extended use of social media is part of everyday life and can become increasingly time-consuming. With his smartly chosen snapshots, Gao documents his attitude towards the digital world and his own mind journey from the struggle of endless screentime to the fight against it. A tendency that most people can relate to very well.
72 x 60 inch | 182.9 x 152.4 cm (GH.2021.5)
Hang’s work titles are hidden references, and the viewer might recognize hints to stand-up comedy quotes or viral trends. Without knowing the titles, the works could depict specially selected objects and places or portray a particular person. On the other hand, they could also be anything or anyone. A favorite star or any person from social media; the currently most popular video game or all games of the era in one; an excerpt from the most recent invention or the influence of all the technological development surrounding us. The generalized irony only gets visible through the title provided by the artist.
Sourcing from his diverse experiences ranging from an artistic training in China in traditional oil painting to experiments with a variety of art techniques in the US, Hang developed his own pictorial language using airbrush as a medium. He refers to the smoothness of the surface altered by filters and questions the urge for technical development and the ever-improving high definition in the digital world.
His self-described ‘bad ideas’ take a deeper look at the phenomenon of social media, explore the dynamics of our era, and document the current zeitgeist, while intentionally leaving the development of ‘smart ideas’ to the viewer. The interpretation of the depicted time capsules is therefore individually different, and the works unfold through the viewer’s eyes.
Bright neon colors, blurred surfaces, and straightforward references – in the heyday of social media and internet perfection, Hang’s mesmerizing paintings hit the zeitgeist in a humorous yet brutally honest and eye-opening way.
©2022 Gao Hang, PULPO GALLERY
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