The Winding Path

The Winding Path
Wanda Stang (GER) and Michael Zheng (USA)

Opening: 19 September 2017, 19:00
Exhibition: 19 – 27 September 2017
Special Event
Drawing Meditation and Artist Talk by Michael Zheng: 21 September 2017, 18:00

WHITECONCEPTS gallery is delighted to present a duo show of German artist Wanda Stang and American artist Michael Zheng.

The times we live in is full of conflicts from all aspects of life. The emotional and psychological duress calls for different ways of coping. The works of the two artists in this show take on the similar issues but with opposite formal strategies. Their works rely on the singularity of a charged image, Zheng's highly pared down and minimalist, while Stang’s work is colorful and intense.

In times where speed is one of the most important factors of our existence the artists use guided visualization in form of day-dreaming, meditation or yoga practice to create their art - a medium that enables an imaginable spot for self-reflection, comprehension or contemplation.

The new body of work from Zheng depicts the anxiety and psychological state that he became aware of through his yoga and meditation practice, as well as the search for self-empowerment by being in the present.
In Stang’s work, guided imagery is a mind-body intrusion to evoke and create mental images that simulate the sensory perception, but also deeper-lying emotions or feelings.

German painter Wanda Stang completed studies in painting and pedagogy for Waldorf schools as well as studies of Fine Arts in Baden-Württemberg. In 2014 she was a Meisterschüler at the Berlin Weissensee School of Art, where she graduated from classes of painting, textile and surface design. From 2006 to 2007 she was involved in the restoration work for the re-opening of the Neues Museum in Berlin. In 2011 her path led her to London, where she worked as a designer for Alexander McQueen. Back in Berlin, she participated in solo and group exhibitions in Germany, Netherlands and Hungary, p.e. at the Berlinische Galerie, Berlin/DE and Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle, Berlin/DE.

San Francisco based Chinese artist Michael Zheng is best known for conceptual and performance works that stipulate situations that appear to be aberrations and yet enable different perspectives on the familiar. In addition to the performance-based projects, he also started a series of drawings and sculptures based on his new awareness of the psychological makeup of the physical body. This show is the first time he exhibits these works. Michael has exhibited internationally including at the Vancouver Biennale, ICA/London, Marina Abramovic Institute West, Berkeley Art Museum, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin, and Anna Klinkhammer Gallery, Düsseldorf, DE.

CONTACT:
WHITECONCEPTS Gallery . Director: Nicole Loeser . Auguststrasse 35 . 10119 Berlin
www.whiteconcepts-gallery.com . info@whiteconcepts-gallery.com 
Opening hours: Mon - Fri, 11.00 - 17.00 and by appointment