Kobe Earthquake , 1995

Chinese artist Huang Rui has always been a provocateur. He was in the middle of his studies when he was forced to live in inner-Mongolia under Mao’s repressive reeducation program. His paintings employed a language which incited the anger of the strict communist regime. He subsequently moved to Japan from 1984 to 2002, where he made a series of photographs that were part of an exhibition at the Saitama Museum of Art, Japan in 1996. Transposing these photos into suites of collages framed by a steel panel and presented on the floor, each suite of photos creates a pathway. They are transformed from documentary images into an aesthetic object and evoke the sentiment of social engagement. Also on display is a series of three works called ‘Kobe Earthquake’ (1995), as well as a selection of hand-printed silver gelatin prints. Together, the works comment on transition, destruction, and renewal.

Huang Rui's (born 1952 in Beijing) work crosses the boundaries of painting, installation, sculpture, photography, and performance art. He is well known for his influential role as one of the main leaders of the Stars Group (Xing Xing) at the end of the Cultural Revolution and post-Mao era, 1979–1983. He was also a founder of the 798 Art District in 2002, a factory space that has come to represent the dissident contemporary art scene in China. Rui lives and works in Beijing.