Nine Continents Clear and Calm (Shenzhen), 2023
Financial newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic and sand on linen
150 x 200 x 5 cm
59 x 78 1/2 x 2 in
59 x 78 1/2 x 2 in
Copyright The Artist
Further images
Gordon Cheung uses imagery drawn from the scroll paintings of the 40 views of Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Old Summer Palace in Beijing. This imperial sanctuary fell victim to...
Gordon Cheung uses imagery drawn from the scroll paintings of the 40 views of Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Old Summer Palace in Beijing. This imperial sanctuary fell victim to looting and incineration during the 2nd Opium War, an event that resonates in Cheung’s poignant canvases as a means to question the colonial narratives of the west, and the notion of a history that is written by victors. Inkjet-printed mountains in the Shanshui style float over textured, cartographic depictions of China’s modernised landscapes. A neon sun gives the paintings an otherworldly glow that shines through the mountains and onto the topographical landscape below. The blend of traditional and modern imagery and techniques creates a space within the painting to question the relationships between past and present, tradition and modernity.