The Art of Song Kun

“Song Kun, who was born in Inner Mongolia in 1977, studied oil painting at the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing until 2002. A founding member of the N12, a group of twelve ambitious young graduates of the Central Academy of Fine Arts who have been organizing their own annual exhibitions, Song Kun was educated after the Cultural Revolution and raised in an era of accelerated urban and economic development.” (Boers-Li Gallery)

Quote from LA Times review

Nowhere is it more engaged than in the triptych, where three panels show different views of a rock band playing on a club’s stage, fronted by a young female singer. In the lower left quadrant of each view, illuminated by stage lights that variously blare into your eyes, a uniformed soldier or policeman is seen from behind, intently watching the musical performance.

Song keeps shifting our point of view on the nightclub action, but it’s the official watching the free-spirited woman who seems to be the work’s true subject. Whether a performer merely being checked out by an unexpected fan, a symbol of youthful rebellion under the watchful eye of an authorized representative of government control or perhaps art being metaphorically monitored by shadowy proscriptions, the triptych mesmerizes. The show is Song’s U.S. gallery debut, and it represents a big step forward.

2005年中国艺术三年展上被称为“最值得期待的年轻女性艺术家”，宋琨的作品关注于日常现实中的生活细节。作为国内艺术团体“N12”的组建成员之一，宋琨和其他十一位毕业于中央美院的年轻而雄心勃勃的艺术家们每年都会 组织一次展示他们自己创作的展览。(Boers-Li Gallery)

引用来自洛杉矶时报：

“这组作品是这个展览中最吸引人的/引人注目的，三幅画展示了酒吧舞台上的摇滚乐队的不同角度，主唱是女歌手。每幅画的左下角，一个武警或者警察背对着灯光耀眼的舞台，专注的看着音乐演出。 宋让将焦点从夜店的演出上转移到看着演出的警官身上。不论作品想表达的是：这个警官是否是表演者的粉丝，在政府管控下的年轻人的开放还是暗中的监管，这组作品都令人着迷。这个展览是宋的美国第一次展览，这也是向前迈出的第一步。”

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