Participating Artists:Zhang Zhaoying
Exhibition Venue: New Age Gallery / 1F, No. 182, Yifeng East Street, Nantun District, Taichung City
Exhibition Period: 2022.12/10-2023.1/08

Zhang Zhaoying's work excels in using playful metaphoric symbolism to address sensitive social issues, particularly through precise expression in the application and deconstruction of imagery. This exhibition originates from his "Myth Party Series." Myths reflect the ideologies of ancient people, where gods under mythology can be seen as the idealization of primitive human cognition and desires. The artist reinterprets and reenacts these mythological images to reflect the new myths of contemporary society.

The artist believes that the environment (the setting) serves as a medium that quickly establishes a relationship with the audience. In this exhibition, Western church architecture replaces deities and holy icons as the main subjects of the paintings. Although we may feel indifferent to the faces of holy icons, the church-like setting evokes a sense of awe and ritual (even if it is completely fabricated). This series explores the issues of contemporary beliefs. The exhibited works feature prominent elements such as churches, spheres, and smudging. These elements correspond to certain concepts: the image of the church connects with faith, symbolizing what we believe in, such as values, ideologies, idols, brands, etc. The church architecture in the artworks is a fictional scene constructed by the artist using "Western church architectural styles," intended to create a form that appears to be a church (faith), metaphorically representing our contemporary "god-making movements."

The interior holy icons of the church have their faces erased by the artist, dissolving their sanctity, thus creating an absurd yet grounded visual language rich in humor. The sphere represents the true deity, knowing the past, present, and future, symbolizing another dimension that examines the relationship between us and our faith.

In this complex and diverse world, what do we truly believe in? Our beliefs are shaped by various information, viewpoints, and life experiences. What we believe in may be ideologies woven by ourselves or others. For Zhang Zhaoying, even in an era where art forms are so diverse, he still believes in painting. Through his works, he reminds himself to step out of his own position and view and reflect from different dimensions.