Lu Hao Exhibition: Jakarta, West Java

Stepping into the modern age has been painful for many societies, with the break up of traditionally solid communities exacerbated by the demolition of existing infrastructure to make way for the new — without taking into proper consideration the significance of cultural heritage.

In Indonesia, the voice of culturally aware protest groups have not had a resounding impact so far as landmarks of the past have been brought down to erect malls and other facilities considered more suitable to today’s ever-fickle lifestyles.

The same is happening in China, where the rapid transformation into an economic superpower has made itself felt in the construction of new modern roads and buildings, particularly in the capital of Beijing. This process has made a deep impression on China’s artists, inasmuch as it has had a devastating impact on the people.

This is seen in the works of photographer Wang Jinsong, who features hundreds of locations where signs bearing the Chinese character for chia — meaning demolition — alerting inhabitants of imminent destruction has become a symbol of destruction and change of the cityscape.

Others ensure that cultural relics would continue to live on in pictures or artworks exhibited all over the world.

One such artist is Lu Hao, whose painting collection of Vanishing Homes and Hutongs in Beijing are currently on view at Vanessa Art Link, South Jakarta.

A descendent of the Manchu Qing dynasty, Lu was raised in a traditional compound with walled gardens, situated in a residential area close to the palace. His fondest memories turn to the pond fish, blooming flowers, chirping birds and the soothing, serene atmosphere.

Now living in an apartment, his yearning for the home of his youth seems to be endless.

Such nostalgia emanates from his powerful black-and-white paintings, which is further marked by a sense of melancholic yearning.

The absence of even a single figure makes his images of houses lining the city’s small alleyways — called hutong — even more despondent. In one work, a single bicycle leaning against a front wall and men’s clothes hanging above a door are the only signs that the house is not abandoned, while the laundry may also signify the traditional power structure in the house.

Unlike the mood evoked by houses along the hutong, Lu’s frustration over the demolition of existing structures is seen in the angry brush strokes that fill his canvases on construction. In particular, the paintings of the Construction Process series evoke a sense of the dramatic impact this has on the lives of the people, with their images of buildings collapsing and others in the process of being torn down.

Contrasts are indeed Lu Hao’s forte.

This is again manifest in his installation of fiberglass and red roses. The fiberglass constructions are miniatures of the centers of power, such as the Great Hall of the People, and are architectural models symbolizing Beijing’s political center. To highlight its changing character, namely the loss of ideological features, Lu has filled the structures with animate and organic objects such as goldfish, crickets and plants, pointing to the absurdity with reference to Chinese modernization.

Born 1969 in Beijing, Lu Hao graduated from the capital’s Central Academy of Fine Arts. While his art include the cynical, he differs from the group of so-called Cynical Artists, such as Fang Lijun, Yue Minjun and others who gathered in Beijing before 1989.

According to art critic Jiang Ming’s essay in the catalog, Lu is a representative of the Gaudy Art movement, whose artists arrived in Beijing after 1989. The change in urban structure under the reform process was a shocking experience for Beijing natives, including Lu.

Lu’s works have been displayed in solo shows in China, Japan, Korea and the United States, and the painter has also participated widely in group exhibitions throughout Europe as well as in the 25th Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil, the 7th Istanbul Biennale in Turkey, and the 49th Venice Biennale in Italy.

Lu is expected to hold a large exhibition in 2008 in Beijing; but for now, he is reluctant to reveal more.

Vanishing Homes by Lu Hao
through June 15
Vanessa Art Link
Taman Perkantoran Graha MIK
Jl. Setiabudi Selatan 16-17
South Jakarta
Tel: (021) 57941411

Carla Bianpoen