Zhang Gong: Miss Panda

Eli Klein Fine Art is proud to present Zhang Gong’s first solo exhibition in the United States. Zhang Gong’s work parodies instantly recognizable Western art, demonstrating the effect of Western popular culture on contemporary Chinese society.

In his most recent works, Zhang Gong incorporates cartoon characters with scenes from modernist Western paintings and other popular images. These juxtapositions simultaneously satirize and question ideas about what constitutes high art and originality. His own unique creation, Miss Panda, interacts with the Western characters in chaotic scenes. Miss Panda often finds her way into famous Western paintings, reminding the viewer that Western art, once banned, has now been assimilated into the collective consciousness of modern Chinese society. Through his works, Zhang Gong brings historic and contemporary art into dialogue with one another.

Zhang Gong’s paintings record the change in Chinese society and a shift toward a more global outlook. The characters from Western media are instantly familiar to their audience. The cartoon nature of the pieces implies humor, yet the subdued colors, repetition of the characters, and incongruity with their surroundings causes tension.