John Young, The Studio No.2, 2007, Digital print and oil on linen, 143 x 134 cm
MAY 2007 (HONG KONG)—John Young is not new to Hong Kong, his works are on display at a permanent installation, over five levels, at North Point Interchange, Mass Transit Railway. He returns for a solo-show at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery from May 30 until the 14th of July 2007.
John Young (Zerunge) is one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists. Born in Hong Kong in 1956, he moved to Australia at the age of 11 to complete his studies. In the mid seventies he read philosophy of science and aesthetics at the university of Sydney where he became interested in conceptualism and minimalism and worked collaboratively with prominent Australian artists and avant-garde musicians a generation above him.
Having shown his works in Hong Kong since the mid eighties, he has taken part in conferences and symposia and worked on permanent public art projects with the city. Young ventured to the mainland where he has just completed a prestigious tapestry commission, Open World, for the Nanjing Library whilst simultaneously holding a major show, Walden in China, in the Nanjing Library Gallery.
This first exhibition of Young’s work at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery is thematically divided into two groups of works. The first group of figurative works pay homage to the great but tragic life of the Modernist Shanghai artist Ni Yide (1901-1970).
The second group entitled Naive and Sentimental Paintings are a new departure from the artist’s oeuvre, utilizing computer technology to create ground breaking abstractions of landscapes and figures - the flavour of which are reminiscent of the origins of abstract painting in the 1920’s.
John Young’s intellectual rigour combined with a fundamental commitment to painting, make him one of the most fascinating and respected artists in Australia today. He has held more than 50 solo exhibitions and over 150 group shows. Recently he held solo exhibitions at Alexander Ochs Gallery, Berlin, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, Sherman Galleries, Sydney, and Noga Gallery, Tel Aviv. A large survey exhibition covering 27 years of works was held at the new TarraWarra Museum of Art in Melbourne and an award-wining monograph of his works was published to co-incide with the show. Young has exhibited extensively, with his works being shown in major exhibitions around the world, at institutions including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and major galleries and institutions throughout the world. His works are included in all major public galleries and museums in Australia and in many prominent private and corporate collections worldwide.
