Tuesday, September 17th 6:00pm – 8:00 pm
Eli Klein Fine Art
462 West Broadway New York, NY 10012

An unbelievably realistic and fanciful expression of the artist’s memory of her own studio and home, the exhibit showcases stunning sculptures that are carefully embroidered to ensnare the viewer in an illusion of reality. By recreating familiar objects and environments such as a leaking and rusted shower room, used shipping crates and cardboard boxes, as well as a full-scale, well-used motor-tricycle through the use of cloth, sponge, wire, steel frames and skillful embroidery, Gao Rong pulls each viewer into her world to witness the subtle details that affect and define her life.

Instead of utilizing embroidery to “paint” traditional themes like flowers, dragons, and birds, Gao Rong uses the traditional art form to detail cracking paint, grime, dust, and the effects of time. Her work provides each viewer with more than just an aesthetically beautiful object–it immerses the individual in an experience.

In I Live in Beijing!, Gao Rong reconstructs and shares emotions held within her own home. Sofa No. 1 and Sofa No. 2, which first appear as simple white sofas, are in fact painstakingly embroidered with thousands of stiches to simulate the wear of years of use. In addition, the artist has reconstructed her dilapidated bathroom wall and floor. By meticulously stitching descending grime from the shower handle to the floor, the artist shares in vivid detail a previously private and a wonderfully moving life experience. The patience and detail behind these works allow the viewer access into the artists’ memory and to witness some of her most personal spaces.

The artist’s everyday life occurs not just in the home however, but at work as well. Gao Rong pays tribute to work and her studio by crafting cardboard boxes, a large shipping crate, and even a grimy wall utilizing only her extraordinary talents with embroidery. The details of the wear on the crate, cardboard boxes, and the wall thrust each viewer into the world of the artist’s mind as they bare witness to familiar objects that have been whimsically assembled utilizing a traditional art form. Additionally, replicas of construction panels stand as testimony to the outside environment Gao Rong lives in. As tools used to facilitate China’s rapid growth, the objects are encrusted with dirt through her embroidery and thus are transformed from familiar objects into works of wonder and awe.

The highlight of the show is a masterful reproduction of a motor-tricycle, or as locals call it, a “Beng Beng.” From the treads on the wheels to the speedometer on the handles, every detail of the vehicle has been captured with extraordinary specificity and care. As one gazes at the stunning beauty of the work, one stands as a witness to a typical, but exceptionally personal aspect of the artist’s life that has been meticulously reconstructed by her incredible mind.

Gao Rong was born in Hang Jin Hou Qi, Inner Mongolia, China in 1986 and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. She lives and works in Beijing, China. Her work has been exhibited in museum shows around the world, including “I Call the Shots of My Youth,” Today Art Museum, Beijing, China (2010); “Super-Organism,” Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Beijing, China (2011); “All our relations,” 18th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2012); “Transformation: A View on Chinese Contemporary Art,” Istanbul Modern, Turkey (2012); and “More Light,” The 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Russia (forthcoming, 2013).

I Live in Beijing! will be on view at Eli Klein Fine Art from September 17th to October 20th, 2013. The artist will be present for the opening reception on Tuesday, September 17th from 6-8pm.

For more information, please go:
http://www.ekfineart.com/artist/Gao_Rong/works/