Guo Wei

Sitting down at Starbucks in Chengdu with Guo Wei one day in late summer, I spoke with him of his work, its stylistic comparisons and intellectual foundations.

I had few preconceptions about his work. The only American painters with whom I felt he had an affinity were Alex Katz and Robert Longo. Of course I found his work uniquely Chinese, but offered these thoughts about the nature of that uniqueness which he happily confirmed.

Guo Wei’s imagery, which has now been realized in silkscreen print editions with Exhibit A, relies upon powerful compositions that draw the eye to adolescent protagonists who shout, flirt, threaten and generally act up. His stark monochromatic backgrounds serve to heighten the viewer’s focus on these brats and a visual dialogue ensues where they brashly speak their minds and we try to interpret just exactly what it is they have toe say, not unlike a typical conversation between a parent and a teenager who seem to come at every subject from different worlds. But these adolescents charming, petulant, adorable and frightening-stand for much more than just who they are and the theatrics of their expression. They stand for China itself; A China that is finding itself in a new century young, powerful and full of life, ideas, opinions and energy, finding his way to adulthood. This quality of Guo Wei’s work would, by itself ensure his place in art history. But his nuanced compositions, post-modern flat technique and chromatic mastery ensure that his place within that history is an elevated one. To simply look at the manner in which other painters already deriving their images from his original creations is to appreciate the certainty of this fact.