Huang Gang

Biography

Huang Gang was born in Beijing in 1961. He spent his childhood and teen years under the rage of China’s Cultural Revolution. Influenced by his father, a well known professor of Chinese art history, and his mother, an archeology analyst, he was brought up with Chinese traditional art and soon started practicing calligraphy.

Significant changes took place as China transited from communism and the Cultural Revolution to commercialism and westernization and this is reflected in many of China’s contemporary artists. Similarly, this had influenced Huang Gang and his artistic expression. The central thought of Huang Gang’s art deals with the use of symbols to express culture, social norms, and history.

Although an image can be read in various ways, it fundamentally captures a specific impression of a single moment in time. In Huang Gang’s work, his symbols have common cognitive meanings, dictated by the environment during the period of China's Cultural Revolution. The use of ‘stars’ in his work is one such example. Widely associated with many interpretations, however placed int he Chinese context, it draws to a distinct period in history. For someone who is aware and within the sphere of the shared history, it immediately calls tomind the Cultural Revolution.

Similarly, his use of the colour red or of female soldiers is also an attempt at alluding to this period of history. Furthermore, the usage of symbols allows for there to be exploration of the artist's intention. His choice of using symbols that are synonymous with the Revolution allows for an ambiguity of his ideological standings or political sentiments of that period in Chinese history, leaving the symbols open to interpretation.
 
On the Red Star Series
Huang Gang graduatedfrom Environment Art Department of Central Industry Art Academy in 1984. In1991 he graduated from Central Industry Art Academy, got the master degree and awarded “Ping Shan Yu Fu” scholarship. In 1991 he taught at Environment Art Department of Central Industry Art Academy. Meanwhile, China was in an early stage of development and it’s society was facing significant revision after the Cultural Revolution.

In 1991, he was awarded his masters degree in Art & Design and then stayed on  tutoring. After open market and economic policy changes, China was influenced by the materialistic civilization of Western lifestyle.  This had a great impact on China’s artists. In this revolutionary era, Gang kept his focus on how to hold the Chinese cultural values and still retain its uniqueness. Therefore, during the 90’s, Huang created a series of works with Chinese calligraphy and Tibetan motif.

Chinese calligraphy is the essence and representation of Chinese traditional culture. With his traditional calligraphic works, he gives it new meaning. He has omitted the recognizable writing style and strengthened more of the drawing characters. From the structure of his work, the rhythmic action of the lines, the speed, the power of the brush stroke, he creates the experience of the “Zen” atmosphere of calmness. There is harmony with logical, structural and poetic enthusiastic substance.

In the 1980’s, Gang became interested in Tibetan culture, religion and art. In many of his works he uses traditional Tibetan Buddhist scripture wood cuts, as well as handwritten scripture and Tibetan religious patterns, such as the Mandala. He uses the colors of Tibetan paintings. Black is elegant, white is pure, gold is supremacy and scarlet is life.
 
To view Huang Gang's video on Youtube, please copy and paste the following in your browser window: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGFlFM4B3sA

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