Arrow to Heaven, 2022
Financial Times newspaper, archival inkjet, acrylic, and sand on linen
150 x 200 x 3 cm
59 1/2 x 78 1/2 x 1 1/2 in
59 1/2 x 78 1/2 x 1 1/2 in
Copyright The Artist
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‘Arrow to Heaven’ - the depiction of the boat is based on what was thought to be the type that was in 1856 boarded by the Chinese officials under suspicion...
‘Arrow to Heaven’ - the depiction of the boat is based on what was thought to be the type that was in 1856 boarded by the Chinese officials under suspicion that it was an Opium pirate ship. British registered meant that when allegedly the flag was lowered resulted in the British using it as an excuse to wage the 2nd Opium war with the French who used the excuse of an executed missionary illegally preaching in Guizhou province. Canton (Guangzhou) was bombarded by warships followed by heading to Tianjin to force negotiations and the signing of treaties. When they weren’t ratified the Anglo-French forces captured Beijing and took days to loot Yuanming Gardens, the emperor’s summer palace before burning it down. Using an ‘aurora’ colour palette to suggest a cosmic collision against the Earth’s protective shield there are the 2 holy mountains of Sinai and Song to symbolise the Western colonial powers and the Chinese empire; mountains being symbolic bridges between Earth and Heaven. The 2 here collide like mythical giants underneath of which there is Canton and Guizhou. In the distance is a constellation like map of the Belt and Road; the largest human project in history otherwise known as the new silk and maritime roads to connect over 149 nations and 32 international organisations (as of March 2022) with mutual trade. Tianjin city is literally translated as heaven’s boundary hence one of the reasons for the title painting of the show: Arrow to Heaven. A subversion of a direction to paradise and the afterlife, mapping out how powerful unifying narratives such as nationhood, mythologies and religion can be wielded for conquest.
Exhibitions
Art Basel Hong Kong, Almine Rech Gallery (03/23/2023 to 03/25/2023)
Arrow to Heaven, Almine Rech Gallery, Paris, France (06/28/2022 to 07/30/2022)
Provenance
Private Collection, USARelated artworks
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