Take a closer look: Introducing Chen Hongzhu
Most people pop outside their place of work to purchase a sandwich or a cup of coffee during their lunch hour, I popped out this afternoon to visit the charming Sesame gallery on Upper Street in Angel, Islington.
The painting in the window caught my attention and I decided to call in to find out more about the Chinese artist Chen Hongzhu.
The owner, James Freeman, certainly has a keen eye for new talent as Chen’s work is already causing a stir with the good people from the Tate also knocking at his door.
Chen was born in Chongqing, China in 1982 and graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Academy, B.A. in Oil Painting in 2009. This is what James had to say about her:
‘Influenced by American painters such as Mark Ryden and John Currin, her zoomorphic self-portraits meld surrealism with self-examination. They depict seemingly perfect porcelain dolls that are nevertheless damaged & fragile, the cuts and dripping blood on the otherwise pristine bunnies hinting at traumas faced and survived. Her paintings suggest a tragedy in beauty, a disappointed innocence, but also a steely determination – disillusionment, yes, but also a persistence to carry on’.
The show is on for another two weeks and is well worth a visit.
From the end of October, Sesame will be changing its name to the James Freeman Gallery to reflect how the gallery has grown over the past seven years, and where they are heading in the future.
James Freeman Gallery
354 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 OPD
T: 44 (0)20 7226 3300
WWW.jamesfreemangallery.com/info@jamesfreemangallery.com
