Artist Mei Le poses in front of his artwork Campbell Soup Special for China series. Photo: Courtesy of Moproo

 

Moproo's latest show, entitled Summer in the City, spans the globe with works by Argentinean artist Arturo Prins, African artist Trésor Malaya, and some well-known Chinese artists.

The group exhibition presents new video and photography work from New York-based artist Shen Wei, Beijing-based photographer Liu Tao, Hangzhou artist Zhou Ming and Beijing multimedia artist Mei Le.

Artworks on show at the Summer in the City exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Moproo

 

"Probably the most well-known artist at this exhibition is the photographer Shen Wei," said the gallery's manager Colin Xu. "Born in Shanghai, he now lives and works in New York City."

Shen's work has been exhibited internationally and his photographs have been featured in publications including The New Yorker and GQ.

Shen is mostly known for his intimate photographs of himself and others, and his photographs of contemporary China. His first major project, titled Almost Naked, was a series of intimate portraits exploring sexuality and identity, and differences between expressions of nudity in the US and China.

His other major project, Chinese Sentiment, is a series of photographs, landscapes and portraits, taken from 2008 to 2010 in China.

"Chinese Sentiment is a personal journey for me to reconnect with authentic Chinese life, both in a private and public space. My goal is to appreciate the real China without its political and economic influence, to reveal China from an internal and intimate perspective," the artist said.

Shen's brand-new video work and photography are exhibited in the small room of the Moproo gallery.

The second, big room of the gallery displays works of the other artists. "The Argentinean multidisciplinary artist Arturo Prins is mostly famous for his colorful paintings, staged photography and video projects," said Xu.

Artworks on show at the Summer in the City exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Moproo

 

Beijing-based Mei Le began to work as a professional photographer in 2008, collaborating with Time Out Beijing, Robb Report and The Bundpic, among many publications.

He is mostly recognized for his distinctive portraits. His photographic career went through both commercial and artistic explorations while he looked for his personal style.

"From 2010, he began to create fine art in various different mediums, such as painting, silk-screen painting and mixed media sets," said Xu. "His most representative works are Pop Portrait, Building Block and One Jesus Dollar."

One Jesus Dollar is one of Mei's works currently on view at Moproo. "Apart from not being a legal currency, the Jesus Dollar is conceptually no different from a real American dollar," Mei said.

Artworks on show at the Summer in the City exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Moproo

 

He explained that it was inspired by his father who taught him that people should not single-mindedly pursue money and not be afraid to pursue their dreams.

"I imagine that if people could go directly to church and receive money, how wonderful that would be," the artist said. "Then those who dream could do so without worry or struggle; then those who dream would have a father who could afford to give them a keyboard and a bicycle."

Mei said one of the most interesting pieces he created that can be seen at the exhibition is the Campbell Soup Special for China series, which features 32 photos of Campbell Soup cans with flavors of Chinese dishes, such as duck intestines with chili, scrambled eggs with pig brain, and stewed dog meat.

"My creative process looks like a multiple-choice questionnaire," Mei said. "Is the idea okay or not? Is the expression okay or not? Is the material okay or not? Is the work finished or not? When all the choices are done, the work is done," he said.

"Shanghai's art scene is avant-garde and pragmatic," Mei said. "I think it is good for young artists; it calms you down and just makes you do your art."

Artworks on show at the Summer in the City exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Moproo

Date: Until August 17, 11 am to 6 pm, (Wednesday to Sunday)

Venue: Moproo Gallery

Address: Suite 303, Bldg 7B, 50 Moganshan Road 莫干山路50号7B幢303室

Admission: Free

Call 6277-3623 for details