Visual Arts

“Xicheng”(Which in Mandarin, translates to “The West of the city”) once was a district in Chengdou city. In 1990 this dis- trict went through tremendous re-organisation as part of the governments urban redevelopment program thus imposing a significant amount of unwanted change to the area. Growing up in Xicheng, Zhang Litao see’s his heart and soul in every corner of this part of the city, footprints left deep in in Zhang’s memory.

It was in the 70s that China’s reform began. Zhang, from the 70s generation, witnessing firsthand the leap from what would have been traditional Xicheng to the western part of the city as it’s known this present day. Actually, “Xicheng” is just a notion: the experience of Time. This series “Puzzle of Xicheng” is not about a narrative, “Xicheng”could also be “Dongcheng”(the East of the city), “Nancheng”(the South of the city) or “Beicheng”(the North of the city).

If “Xicheng” represents Time, then the architectures in the paintings represent space. As a continuation of “Memory of Xicheng” the artist’s previous exhibition with A2Z Art Gallery, held last year in Paris, Zhang Litao deepens his research in space and Time in the series of “Puzzle of Xicheng”.

He likes to construct space, some of which, real spaces, the others are virtual. For the artist, the architecture contains the living space, public environment and social relationship, thus influencing deeply people’s lifestyle and aesthetics. From the fall of an old building to the erection of a new building, from brick to reinforced concrete, decades has passed. The general populous have no time to become accustomed to this change and are forced to accept the resultant affect.

Taking this into account, it seems that people loose track of the cities culture and history. In the form of faults, fragmen- tation and dislocation, memories exist in the mind of the artist and are emerged through his artworks. A kind of obscure and misty atmosphere surrounds these paintings, reflecting on the unique emotion of Xicheng. The artist creates an absurdity between the void and flatness. Disordering and superposing different spaces, presenting spaces in two di- mensions.

“Puzzle of Xicheng” is like some missing puzzles scattered around the city. The artist searches for them by revisiting old places and following his memories, an attempt to piece together the “real” face of Xicheng.