Opening of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao" at TAG Art Museum!
Forty Years, A Journey of Return
On 3 April 2025, TAG Art Museum officially presents artist Zhao Gang's new solo exhibition “Qingdao, Qingdao”, curated by renowned curator Zhang Zikang. As the opening chapter of the 2025 exhibition season, “Qingdao, Qingdao”, commences with a deeply personal resonance between the artist and the city.
Opening of “Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao”
The exhibition features over 100 new works created by Zhao Gang in Qingdao, displayed across the museum’s seventh and eighth galleries. It begins with Qingdao Railway Station, a sketch made by Zhao Gang in 1978, which serves as a prologue in dialogue with his latest works, weaving a narrative across time and space.
Opening of “Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao”
Based on the spatial characteristics of TAG Art Museum, “Qingdao, Qingdao,” adopts a salon-style display for the first time. Groups of four paintings are arranged within the gallery space like montage fragments of memory—overlapping shadows of the past and present. Each group transcends a single technique or narrative, reflecting the artist’s versatile approach. As Zhao Gang explained during the opening tour:
“These are accidental combinations, but they evoke different stories and emotions. Collage is storytelling; you can imagine the logical connections yourself. For me, contemporary painting is merely a medium—or a joke.”
Exhibition view of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao"
This fragmented composition echoes the aesthetics of social media grids. In his artist statement, Zhao Gang acknowledged the influence of platforms like RedNote:
“Two years ago, I visited TAG Art Museum and was captivated by the architecture, so I proposed an exhibition here. Initially, I planned to paint sketches again. But while preparing, I stumbled upon images of Qingdao on RedNote.
Exhibition view of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao"
The platform offered instant, raw emotions—no need to think or feel deeply. History, sentiment, and process were reduced to simplistic interpretations. I tried to channel my own emotions into the works, eventually overcoming RedNote’s impact on me.”
Exhibition view of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao"
Through this process, Zhao Gang’s creations dissolve the fragmented nature of social media while salvaging his unique voice from the swamp of ready-made imagery. Yet, as the exhibition suggests, no algorithm can overshadow genuine memory or authentic creation.
Exhibition view of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao"
Hall 7 features a work created three days before the opening by Zhao Gang, which appears to form an intertextual relationship with the architectural space behind it, which can either mirror or deconstruct the syntax. Zhao's explanation of the work is: "Actually the architect has already left his art behind, and every window in this museum is a painting, which is a kind of 'invasion' for me, and I can't conquer it. So I painted a miniature of the space, as a kind of joke".
Opening of “Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao”
This subversive humor reflects the artist’s critical introspection and unvarnished pursuit of truth.
“ Don't go there 那地方太美，最好别去。 ”
Exhibition view of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao"
Travelling along to Hall 8, the works confront Zhao Gang’s lifelong struggle with identity:
“My greatest pain is the question of identity. A contemporary artist’s mission is to share their pain. Contemporary art isn’t about beauty, philosophy, or technique—it’s about expressing personal emotions and confusion.”
Opening of “Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao”
At the opening ceremony, Zhang Zikang, the curator of this exhibition, mentioned the connection between the exhibition and the city:
“Qingdao captivated Zhao Gang during his first visit in 1978. Years abroad led him to mentally return here repeatedly, mirroring the city’s rapid growth and cultural hybridity. Forty years later, his works reveal both Qingdao’s allure and its future.”
Opening of “Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao”
The tite of this exhibition, “Qingdao, Qingdao”, encapsulates a core theme: over four decades, some essences remain unchanged. This is both the artist’s response to the city and a self-dialogue between 1978 and 2025. Qingdao and Zhao Gang intersect in their shared fluidity—neither can be rigidly defined. Through multiple returns, the artist’s life journey and the city’s character converge, forging a “journey of return” that maps his coordinates in time.
Exhibition view of "Zhao Gang: Qingdao, Qingdao"
For now, Zhao Gang’s reflections on Qingdao and his identity remain partially unresolved. Yet beyond the haze, “Qingdao, Qingdao” offers an answer for this moment.
The exhibition will run until 27 July 2025.
Edit: Du Songhua
Layout: Betty Xu
Photo: Huang Shaoli, Chao Qixuan
©TAG Art Museum