Huang Rui: Stars, Fire and Water

Born in 1952, key artist Huang Rui was a pioneer in Chinese contemporary art that emerged in the 1980s. Founding member of the Chinese avant-garde art group the “Stars”, he is now one of China’s most highly regarded artists. This master’s work has been widely exhibited both in China and abroad, and is present in many private collections and museums around the world. From 1979, Huang Rui was one of the first Chinese painters to explore the paths of abstraction. Early on, he mostly created paintings that referenced various Western artistic styles such as Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Fauvism and Cubism. In the present days, through his vast array of installations or his very clever conceptual oil paintings, he represents the path Chinese contemporary art went through and is historically its most important artist.   For this ambitious exhibition, Huang Rui designed two exceptional museum-like installations, inviting the visitors to a journey through stars, fire and water. “Stars” is an installation made up of large textile artworks suspended from the ceiling, related to Hang Rui's first exhibitions of 1979 and 1980, which have now become historical cornerstones in the art history, these short texts written by poets, artists or visitors are now turned into a stand-alone piece of art. This installation represents Art history in the making.   “Fire in Water” is a beautiful installation made of black and white photographs paired with black titanium plates. These marvelous photographs have been shot by Huang Rui in Japan between 1998 and 2001, show “Japanese women in creation” and constitute a tribute to women. For each of these women artists, Huang Rui shot a portrait and captured in addition a creative moment. Combining the photographs with metal plates, “Fire in Water” unifies the initial photographic series into a wide installation alluding to Yin and Yang and the Book of Changes.   About the artist   Born in 1952, key artist Huang Rui was a pioneer in Chinese contemporary art that emerged in the 1980s. Founding member of the Chinese avant-garde art group the “Stars”, he is now one of China’s most highly regarded artists. His work has been widely exhibited both in China (Beijing, Shenzhen) and abroad (Netherlands, USA, France, Italy), and is present in many private collections and museums around the world (among others the Guggenheim Museum in New York), reflecting the importance of Chinese contemporary art today.