Blurred Lines
It seems unfair to think that a talented painter might also produce an impressive body of photographic work, but upon seeing Shanghai artist Liang Weizhou's latest show, it seems some people have all the luck.

A local Shanghai artist, Liang Weizhou, currently a professor at East China Normal University, is best known for his expressionist painting. He began taking photographs originally as reference points for his paintings, and the early work in this exhibition reflects this period. These images are singular-Ca naked bulb, a plug or the edge of a ceiling fan-CLiang documented inanimate objects, yet inadvertently instilled them with a crispness and an isolation that makes them work as stand-alone images. For those who are familiar with his painting, there are definite echoes in imagery.

The show follows the artist through his journey into experimentation with photography, and it is easy to discern the different phases of his exploration. The photos are all shot in medium format using a Hasselblad and the artist's obvious talent for composition is clear in the lack of cropping of the images.

Moving from the starkness of the early images, the work progresses into a much more painterly style where washed-out still life images rise out ghostly from a pale background. The work becomes more "conscious," with articles arranged into tableau.
More recent works are bucolic and nostalgic, showing images of the countryside such as haystacks. In "Small Fishing Boat," a boat which sits at the edge of a large expanse of lake seems to evoke the style of early 20th century German photographer, August Sander. The works appear old and stained as if they have been hand-coloured, resulting in paintings and photography fused to produce an array of striking and somewhat unsettling images.

Elyse Singleton

Details:

When: Through May 8
Add: 2/F, 97 Moganshan Lu 
莫干山路97号2楼
 Tel: 6266-1597