On February 22, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., artist Junzhong Zhao will host a salon debate in tribute to Gerhard Richter at his studio in Lane 408, Xiangnan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai. Dr. Di Wang, associate professor and master's supervisor at East China Normal University, Canadian curator Natasha Lee, contemporary artist Junzhong Zhao, contemporary curator Wang Xi, and media reporters and art guests were welcomed to the salon event. In the Time and Space Dialogue Salon, everyone met at the artist Junzhong Zhao's workshop to discuss Junzhong Zhao and the renowned German artist Gerhard Richter.
Photo from left to right: Xi Wang, Di Wang, Junzhong Zhao, Natasha Lee
In Junzhong Zhao's tribute to Gerhard Richter's Salon Dialogue live discussion focuses on the following four art guests' explanations of the Salon event.
Dr. Di Wang, associate professor and master's adviser at East China Normal University, stated that Gerhard Riesch is a highly regarded and living master of German Pop Art who has inspired both the East and West in modern art. From photorealism to representational painting and abstraction, Gerhard Riesch has experimented and been successful in making amazing paintings and sculptures for the entire art world. As a representative of Chinese modern artists with typical ingenuity, Junzhong Zhao received from the artistic philosophy of German master Gerhard Riesch the artistic spirit. In his twenty years as an artist, Junzhong Zhao has created his own style of line art, ranging from realistic to expressionistic to abstract painting. The "Hidden Series" and "Dome Series" oil and acrylic works done in the past three years by contemporary artist Junzhong Zhao are exemplary of abstraction, as is the 1971 "Psalms of Dieter Kroets" by master artist Gerhard Richter. Obviously, as a master artist, Gerhard Richter has affected the entire modern art world with his style and techniques. As a modern artist of the new generation, Junzhong Zhao has impacted many Chinese and international artists in recent years. In recent years, Junzhong Zhao has been known for his more rigorous and fruitful art contacts with Europe and North America. In addition, Junzhong Zhao is currently at the pinnacle of his artistic brilliance. The artistic ability and ambition of Junzhong Zhao will propel him further down the artistic road.
Ms. Natasha Lee, a Canadian art curator, remarked that Mr. Zhao is one of the few Chinese artists she has encountered that had the mindset of a modern international artist. She traveled specifically to the Kutz Art Centre in October 2022 to view Mr. Zhao's solo exhibition. The entire exhibition left her quite pleased. The exhibition's director, Natasha Lee, stated that she and the artist Lei Hu viewed Mr. Zhao's paintings at the Kutz Art Center. At the time, Mr. Zhao owned a number of enormous oil and acrylic paintings. Natasha Lee's favorite paintings on display were "Hidden Series 10" and "Hidden Series 7." Natasha Lee and the artist Hu Lei, who accompanied her to the exhibition, viewed these two Mr. Zhao pieces for two hours. In addition, she pondered what aesthetic concepts Mr. Zhao communicated to the audience through these two works. How are style and technique included into the works? ... Natasha Lee predicts that Mr. Zhao's personal style of abstraction with frigid lines and symbols will explode in the next five years across the entire contemporary art landscape, encompassing Europe and North America. Natasha Lee also asserts that Gerhard Richter is not only a master of the Eastern art world, but also one of the most prominent personalities in Western contemporary art. In the same way that Gerhard Richter's artistic accomplishments have contributed to the global growth of contemporary art, Mr. Zhao is likewise a distinguished international contemporary artist.
Junzhong Zhao, an artist, said: "I am quite appreciative that so many art guests and friends attended the Art Salon Conversation in my studio. The German painter Gerhard Richter is Junzhong Zhao's favorite Western artist in the art world, he stated. Today is a crucial occasion for him to pay honor to Gerhard Richter. Junzhong Zhao stated that from the time he attended the Central Academy of Fine Arts until he graduated and became an independent artist, Master Gerhard Richter was the spiritual pillar that inspired him to persevere in his creativity and attain some artistic success. He is a huge fan of the works of Gerhard Richter. From the picture book, to the art show, to the art fair, etc., numerous outlets will display Gerhard Richter's artwork. In 2008, he attended Gerhard Richter's solo show at the National Art Museum of China in China, and from that point on he began to research Gerhard Richter's works exhaustively and obsessively in terms of style and genre, background of the production period, topics and features. Among others, the oil paintings "Twenty-five Colors" and "Yellow Green" by Hart Richter on display at the National Art Museum of China use a figurative approach to abstract painting, interpreting the master's philosophy of questioning the division between abstract and figurative art and exploring how to find non-objective elements in phenomena that have been recognized as objective. Master Gerhardt-spirit, Rich's according to Junzhong Zhao, was an illuminating mentor and guide in the construction of his own distinctive creative style." It is quite evident that today is a significant occasion for Junzhong Zhao to honor Gerhard Richter .
Xi Wang, curator of contemporary art, states, "From 2017 to 2023, I curated over fifty exhibits in Paris, London, Beijing, and Shanghai, and cooperated with numerous Western and Chinese contemporary artists." In 2022, he staged a solo exhibition of the artist Junzhong Zhao, which he considers to be an honor. The stylistic language of Mr. Zhao's work is extremely familiar to him. In the first place, Mr. Zhao is a creative artist whose artistic energy is extremely plentiful. Mr. Zhao has discussed the investigation of his creation materials, the source of his inspiration, the development of manuscripts, and, lastly, the painting of his own artistic style on canvas. Each set of paintings has a unique backstory and expressive approach. "Run Series", "Alteration Series", "Hidden Series", and "Dome Series" works, a total of more than one hundred oil painting acrylic abstraction-style works, were on display as part of my curation of Junzhong Zhao's solo exhibition. He is in a strong position to have a say in Mr. Zhao's works' evaluation. Mr. Zhao has been a very active contemporary artist for the past eight years. Some of his pieces have been auctioned off successfully by prestigious auction houses such as Guardian and Poly. He is also represented by Beijing Common Art Center and Shanghai Yuhong Gallery, and his pieces have sold far faster than those of other contemporary artists. Curator Xi Wang notes that German maestro Gerhard Richter has also enjoyed considerable success on the art market. Gerhard Richter's "Abstract Painting" from 1990 began at HK$140 million at the "Contemporary Art Late Auction" held by Sotheby's Hong Kong on October 7, 2022. It was eventually sold for HK$172 million after more than 30 bids. Junzhong Zhao holds Gerhard Richter in the highest regard among artists. In addition, he is quite confident that with Junzhong Zhao's current artistic peak, he will continue to erupt in the modern art business for at least the next 5 to 10 years, reflecting Zhao's artistic accomplishments. Many collectors have already lined up to purchase Mr. Zhao's artwork from the galleries he has signed with.
At the conclusion of the salon, the artist Junzhong Zhao guided the art visitors around the studio's original works of art. The guests inquired extensively about Mr. Zhao's creation and technique experience. It was evident that everyone was eager to see the artist in person and engage in a cordial conversation at the studio.
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