DE SARTHE is pleased to present Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, a solo exhibition by Chongqing-based artist Hou Jianan, featuring a new body of works on canvas that allude to the illusion of fulfilment that manifests in the cross-breeze of consumerist society and digital gratification. Sweet and plump yet empty and fragile, Hou’s imagery reflects upon the changes in perception induced by the falsehoods of artificiality and elucidates the ephemeral environments in which we currently exist. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow opens November 30th and runs through January 25th.
Central to Hou Jianan’s practice is the idea that hedonistic tendencies are amplified in and by the age of accelerationist technology. The desire for material and consumption is exponentially expanded as perceivable reality is made brighter, fuller, and more colorful through digital means. Hou’s manipulation of imagery reflects upon this phenomenon; combining digitally saturated compositions with the dimensionality of layered acrylics, the artist inflates certain objects while flattening others, crafting overtones of artificiality evocative of contemporary visual experiences.
Gallery address: 26/F, M Place, 54 Wong Chuk Hang Road