Maleonn Part of U.S. Museum Exhibition of the Pantheon of Contemporary Chinese Photographers

The work of Maleonn has been curated into a major museum exhibition taking place from at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville from June 22 to October 7, 2007. The show is called Whispering Wind: Recent Chinese Photography and curator Mark Scala describes the 21 artists in the show as “internationally celebrated for images that examine contrasts between traditionalism and globalism, the real and unreal, nature and urban life, and the personal and social that have come into sharp focus since the end of the Cultural Revolution.” Maleonn’s “Chinese Story No. 8” (print 2/15 in the unique size of 24 x 20 inches) has been selected; it is reproduced above and to the left. Click at the end of this sentence to see the Frist Center June 2007 Press Release about the exhibition, including a list of the photographers showing alongside Maleonn who, collectively, make up the Pantheon of Chinese contemporary photography: WHISPERING WIND: RECENT CHINESE PHOTOGRAPHY. Frist Chief Curator Marc Scala comments on Chinese Story No 8 in the show catalogue: 'Chinese Story #8 shows a person wrapped in a cloak of plastic and holding a longbow. The figure appears to have been shot by arrows, but is either unhurt or has died and returned to the world in spirit form. The scene’s dreamlike narrative is enhanced by the figure’s translucency, made all the more ghostly by the mist and rain that dematerialize both the body and the surrounding setting. The arrows, says the artist, “represent missives of history and tradition,” their penetration of the plastic reflecting his wish to attack the superficiality of contemporary Chinese culture.'

The other image reproduced above is from the same series. Maleonn’s Chinese Story No 2 is now sold out. A large-sized print in the series was auctioned at Sothebys Hong Kong in September 2006 for over $20,000 U.S., a reflection of the state of the Chinese art market no doubt but also a stunning endorsement of an artist who moved from film-making to still photography only three years ago.

Craig Scott Gallery has a number of the images in the Chinese Story series in stock as print #2/15 in the unique size of 20 x 24 inches; prints from 3/15 in this edition of 15, at 30 x 36 inches, can also be ordered through the gallery. There is a large-scale edition for 6 as well for each image, although the edition of 6 is sold out (as is 2/15) for both Chinese No 8 and Chinese Story No 2. Craig Scott Gallery is Maleonn’s exclusive representative in North America.