Feng Zhengjie was born in the countryside of Sichuan Province in 1968. In response to the explosive development of China’s entertainment industry, Feng creates works that serve as a commentary on the new glamour and fashion of today’s society. His works also reflect a personal ambivalent fascination with and an aversion to Chinese pop culture.
Education
1992-1995
• Oil Painting Dept of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, MFA
1988-1992
• Fine Arts Education Dept of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, BFA
Feng Zhengjie decided to take inspiration from the popular images he had grown up with in rural Sichuan. Critics are unanimous in placing Feng’s paintings in the realm of the critique of contemporary consumer societyMalicious and mischievous are the glances that seem to cross only in the series “Romantic Trip”; these fleeting looks reflect games played by young couples for whom the sole possible form of communication is loving attraction. Sparkles are covered by large sunglasses in the case of the “humanoids” which are the subject of the series “Coolness”: characters are portrayed with naked bodies and big heads, bald and posed in the attitude of a famous movie star, looking similar to extraterrestrials that study our behavior whilst at the same time mocking us.
In this phase of his work he is young, just graduated at the Fine Art Academy and, already, he is searching for his place in the world where he can express his ideas and show a determination that somewhere in the future will always be his distinctive outlook. Then, after the sectioning of their skin and muscles, the faces of his characters become as happy and plump as the ones to be found in typical Chinese New Year posters. These augural posters emerge in the 16th century as a popular artistic form; their gaudy colors depict historical, legendary, folkloristic and daily scenes. This form of art developed further in the following centuries, reaching its zenith under the Qing dynasty and subsequently becoming aligned to advertising and political propaganda posters. Maoist ideology becomes “pop” and, through Feng Zhengjie’s interpretation, the figures gain something of the kitsch and grotesque. Little seems enough to make these people smile; the illusion of a “romantic trip” is frozen by a photographic shot in a plastic and fake pose. Times change, historical phases go on and, with a critical look, Feng Zhengjie follows their evolution.
Find more About Feng Zhengjie paintings end Exhibitions at Saatchi-Gallery
http://www. saatchi-gallery. co. uk/artists/feng_zhengjie. htm
