[International] Exhibit explores Chinese culture

[Jenna Graff <graff@uwosh.edu>]

Dear International Listserv Members:

Exhibit explores Chinese culture

OSHKOSH ? An exhibit of
paintings by
Li
Hu, part of this year?s university/community
Dragonboat Race and
Festival, will explore the Chinese-born artist?s fascination with the
changing face of Chinese culture, particularly in Shanghai.

It will be at the Gloria Floether Steinhilber Gallery in Reeve Memorial
Union, 748 Algoma Blvd., through Oct. 5 .

An artist reception will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, the
first day of UW-Oshkosh Fall
Fest and the day before the Dragonboat Race and Festival.

Hu?s ?Chinese Dowager Empress? paintings explore portraiture, an art form
that has fallen out of favor in more contemporary art, as they present
the transformation of modern China.
UW-Oshkosh Artist Li Hu 

?These paintings present portraits in a modern light, and they use the
background as a means to represent the transitional Chinese landscape to
represent the transitional Chinese culture,? Hu said. ?The modern
landscape shows the shift of traditional Chinese culture to modern
culture, which has been significantly influenced by Western, particularly
American, culture.?

Hu spent four weeks in China this summer and was amazed at how Shanghai
had changed in the past six years. With a population of more than 14
million, the city?s evolution made it look ?like a brand-new city,? he
said.

Hu?s family and social circle include many artists, and he marveled at
how the city?s economic growth has affected them. Artists who create more
controversial works paint in rented, suburban facilities, and private
collectors are willing to pay top dollar for their creations.

As the traditional heart of Shanghai gives way to exclusive housing
complexes, the richest of the rich have moved in and the older homes­with
the poor people who live in them­are melting away. The middle class has
moved to the suburbs, which are showing signs of Westernization and the
influence of the exploding economic growth.

Kohler bathroom fixtures and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises were
popping up everywhere, Hu noted.

In the government-controlled museums, there is little room for
controversial works, Hu said. But that does not mean there is no demand
for Chinese paintings.

?An artist friend I know had a 30 by 40-inch painting recently sell at a
New York auction for nearly $1 million,? he said.

Hu said that communist China ?closes one eye and opens another? when
dealing with works that show suffering and the oppressive
culture.

?If you are too aggressive in how you speak out, they will, most likely,
come after you,? he said. ?If you can be more subtle, the government is
likely to ignore you.?

Hu?s UW-Oshkosh exhibit, however, stays away from heavy political
themes.

?The Dragon Boat Festival is a time to celebrate Asian culture,? he
said.

Hu, who won a UW-Oshkosh Endowed Professorship this year, has been a
member of the faculty since 1994.

The gallery is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and
noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

This message was sent to this listserv by:
Jenna Graff
Director
Office of International Education
Dempsey 146
--------
http://www.uwosh.edu/oie/oie.html
Phone: (920)424-0775
Fax: (920)424-0185

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