NEW YORK: ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE WU JUNYONG
Han Feng Art Space, New York is thrilled to be hosting Chinese artist Wu Junyong as our first artist-in-residence. Wu has been in New York since July, creating new works at our art space on West 29th Street as he explores and soaks in life in New York City.
These new works are currently being organised into a solo exhibition at the art space, and is available to view by appointment (hello@hanfeng.com). Wu Junyong will be in New York until the end of September.
WU JUNYONG: THE NORTH SEA PUNCH
Why “North Sea Punch”? Well, because of three disconnected ideas.
First, I came to know New York mostly from the book New York Drifter by the “rotten tooth of New York” Zhang Beihai, whose name literally means “north sea”. And it also ties into the theme “Corners of the Empire” that I’ve been working on, which explores the extensions of the four cardinal directions – north, east, south, west. “North sea” is the stage for one of these directions, and an apt description of New York’s geographical location.
Second, I’ve always been inspired by mythologies from both East and West. Hercules from Greek legends, Zhou Chu from the fifth century A New Account of the Tales of the World… they both stood on a stage between sea and water, they both embodied muscular strength with the fist being their greatest tool, and they both performed a life interwoven with great deeds and great tragedy. This summer has been one of complex relationships between Hong Kong, China and America, a reminder that civilisation and violence undulate like ripples.
The final and least logical reason is that the little dog here in the studio happens to be called Punch.
吴俊勇：北海之拳
为何取此名，因有三个飘渺的念想。
一是对纽约的深处认识大多源自书籍《一瓢纽约》，其作者张北海自称“纽约蛀牙”。我近年的创作主题“帝国角落”从东南西北四个方位延伸， “北海”是一个方位的舞台，也对应纽约的地理位置。
二是东西方神话的比较总能激发我的兴趣。希腊神话中海克力士和“世说新语”里的周处站在海与水的舞台，一身蛮力，拳头是他们的工具，上演生命中悲剧和功业交织。这个暑期，香港、中美的复杂关系，提醒着文明和暴力就如波段起伏。
第三个不成理由的念想，纽约工作室的小狗，正巧叫PUNCH（拳头）。
Born in 1978, Wu Junyong lives and works in Hangzhou. He grew up surrounded by folk and vernacular arts, and studied printmaking and new media at the China Academy of Fine Art respectively for his Bachelor and Master’s degrees. In recent years, he has focused on creating animations and paintings on paper, with his approach recognised as unique amongst artists of his generation.
吴俊勇，出生于1978，目前生活工作杭州。童年深受民间艺术熏陶，大学和硕士分别受训于中国美术学院版画系和新媒体专业。近年他的创作媒介以动画剧场和纸上绘画为主。他被认为是这个时代最具才华和独特气质的艺术家。
