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NO 13 23/25

1996

Chinese, born 1963

The clean-shaven head, a ubiquitous motif in Fang's works, represents the anonymous collective identity of youth in China. Whether grinning or staring blankly, the figures appear cynical and challenging. This roguish humor-simultaneously embracing joking, unruly behavior, indifference, and the ability to see through everything-expresses the trend of counterculture in contemporary China. The medium of woodblock prints produces a feeling of elemental simplicity and heightens the counterpoint between visual satire and the impression of a bleak reality.

Ink on paper

46 x 31 in. (116.8 x 78.7 cm)

Gift of Robert M. Arnold

2009.66

Provenance: The artist; Robert Arnold, 1996

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Conceal/Reveal," December 20, 2014 - June 21, 2015

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "New Old and New New: Recent Acquisitions of Asian Art", December 2009 - November 2010

Published ReferencesUpchurch, Michael. "'Conceal/Reveal' at Seattle Asian Art Museum," in The Seattle Times, January 2, 2015, online (http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025353004_saamconcealrevealxml.html)

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