New York, NY – Li Tang Gallery is sharing new approaches to the expression of identity in their latest online art show “Portrait”, accessible for the public to view through the gallery’s website. The exhibition shares an array of international perspectives on the self and life in the wake of today’s most pressing issues.
This group show epitomizes Li Tang Gallery’s ongoing mission and commitment to providing a platform for emerging and established artists to gain exposure to audiences around the world. These artists engage their distinctive practices, from traditional painting to new media, in a digital art exhibition that questions our modern sense of complacency to challenge the way we understand our position in today’s society.
Li Tang Gallery was thrilled by the incredible and monumental number of artworks submitted to this exhibition. Of over 1965 proposed submissions from across the globe, 26 artists were selected for the final exhibition. Overwhelmed by the impressive nature of this pool of applications, the esteemed jury was posed with an incredibly challenging selection process. Leveraging their knowledge of portraiture, the jury featured the expertise of Philip A. Robinson Jr. and Jiannan Wu to make the final determination of artists.
Philip A. Robinson Jr. takes on a conceptual approach to figuration and portraiture in his career as an award-winning multimedia sculptor and artist. His work is deeply imbued with symbolism to express the narratives of both popular and marginalized cultures in relation to notions of time, place, and contemporary social discourse. Robinson is bringing his distinctive eye for representations of identity to his role as a jury member here at Li Tang Gallery. Jiannan Wu, with detailed realism, creates sculptures that share intimate moments of urban life. Known for his sculptural resin wall reliefs, he engages portraiture as a vehicle for overlooked narratives of the everyday. The Chinese-born, New York-based artist contributes his knowledge of diverse approaches to medium and subject to select an innovative collection of artists for this exhibition.
Amongst the extraordinary talent submitted for this exhibition, the final artist selection includes “Smartphone Light 30” from the ongoing series by Serbian artist Ivan Milenkovic. This oil on canvas work exposes our societal reliance on technology as the glowing screen illuminates his subject’s face in the darkness of a cityscape. Enthralled yet unamused, we are confronted by our own dissatisfactions despite our technological addictions.
Ben DeHaan, a Maine-based multimedia photography artist, shares “Daisy Chain 07” from his “Daisy on the Chain” collection. The archival pigment print reveals a series of photographic portals, with limbs extending between the seemingly disparate frames. The bodies of several subjects begin to coalesce. As they grapple towards the foreground, none manage to uncover their face, their identity.
“Portrait” additionally features the work of Jamie L. Luoto, Geoffrey Laurence, Shicheng Zhao, Natalia Sonia, Ivan Milenkovic, Lu HB Tran, Sinenkosi Msomi, Emily Mc Gardle, Judith Gresh, Ena Gilih, Jocelyn Keyi Wu, Boluwatife Biobaku, Amuri Morris, Ariadne Urania, Seona Sommer, Pesya Altman, Olivier Larivière, Negar Jahanbakhsh, Kiley Ames, Thomas Legaspi, Eleanor Olson, Lance Delao, Ben DeHaan, Andrea Sbra Perego, Iffat Almas, and Yuchae Lee.
Blending together works of photography with painting, video, and more, this virtual exhibition explores the countless ways that portraiture has transformed in the digital era. Pushing the boundaries of how we understand the notion of a portrait, the artists of the exhibition take on figurative, abstract, and expressionist approaches to depicting the self. These emotionally evocative works tackle broader collective issues in conjunction with personalized glimpses into everyday life, memory, and experience that resonate with viewers. Together, the works combine to become a portrait of our world today.
Presented as an online exhibition with an accompanying 3-D gallery, “Portrait” was curated by the artistic and creative professionals of the Li Tang Gallery team under the direction of Art Director Webson Ji, “Portrait” will be on view virtually through Li Tang Gallery’s website beginning Monday, November 7, 2022, through Sunday, January 22, 2022.
Selected Artists
Jamie L. Luoto, Geoffrey Laurence, Shicheng Zhao, Natalia Sonia, Ivan Milenkovic, Lu HB Tran, Sinenkosi Msomi, Emily Mc Gardle, Judith Gresh, Ena Gilih, Jocelyn Keyi Wu, Boluwatife Biobaku, Amuri Morris, Ariadne Urania, Seona Sommer, Pesya Altman, Olivier Larivière, Negar Jahanbakhsh, Kiley Ames, Thomas Legaspi, Eleanor Olson, Lance Delao, Ben DeHaan, Andrea Sbra Perego, Iffat Almas, Yuchae Lee
Jury Judges
Jiannan Wu, Philip A. Robinson Jr.
Art Director
Webson Ji
Curation
Li Tang Team
Dates Accessible
November 7, 2022 – January 22, 2023
Address/URL
Support Provided By
All America Chinese Youth Federation, Art America China Project
Media Support
Los Angeles Post
About Li Tang Gallery
Li Tang Gallery is a New York-based online art space presenting compelling contemporary art exhibitions with an emphasis on promoting the work of emerging artists from around the world.
