Gao hang
b.1991
Gao Hang, born in 1991 in Baoding, China, currently lives and works in Houston, Texas. The artist evokes the new pop movement of postmodernism through the use of subject matter and colour as conceptual and structural scaffolding.
Artist Talk:
I think to have a career that one sincerely love is the best thing that can happen. So, of course I would choose this over anything. I respect art as a subject, just like any other subjects, like math, physics, astronomy, In terms of the amount of research, experiment, consistency, repetition, exploration, and discussion etc.
My inspiration comes from people of my generation, in terms of how they behave online and offline. Also, art books often give me constant, reliable inspiration. I am sure my art process has something to do with my habits and obsessions. I mostly listen to standup comedy while making my work. I enjoy standup comedy that challenges general beliefs, and political correctness, yet at its core is negotiating between the observations, language, and laughter of a given performance. Then you realize that it’s no paradox, but a good conversation between the performer and the audience. At some point, my paintings are like standup comedy, they can only do so much about solving real problems. But brutal honesty, absurdity, and humor are very powerful qualities in any type of conversation.
My recent paintings are concerned with image “definition” in digital graphics, especially those from the last 20 years. I understand digital graphics as 21st century “found objects”. I am interested in objects that are bathing in modern technology’s greatness, while exposing a certain rawness, oddity, or awkwardness. When I first encountered 3D modeling and graphic rendering in computer games in the late 20th century, I was totally shocked. From the last 20 years, I was inspired by the fact that how graphical spectaculars could end up being rawness and ridicule in the digital image evolution. However, it is that rawness and ridicule that triggers the same creative impulse with what the painting process can offer. The effect is an actual physical feedback during process: could be a surprise, a shifting attitude, a more extreme emotion. I want my practice to simulate a modern production method, but with a high fault tolerance
ARTWORKS
