GROUP SHOW WITH LEIKO IKEMURA
THE IMAGE OF MEMORY
BEING ART MUSEUM, SHANGHAI, CHINA
10 NOVEMBER 2023 – 24 DECEMBER 2023
Shanghai Being Art Museum presents the dialogue exhibition THE IMAGE OF MEMORY LEIKO IKEMURA AND SHEN YUAN. The exhibition presents significant artworks from two women artists – Leiko Ikemura and Shen Yuan. The exhibition attempts to open a dialogue across cultural and geographical boundaries through their artworks, raising questions about memory, immigration, and female identity. The exhibition is curated by Guo Xiaohui.
Both of them are non-Western artists living in the West. Leiko Ikemura left Japan at the age of 21 to study in Spain, she then lived and worked in Switzerland, and settled in Germany in 1986. Shen Yuan left China in 1990 and moved to Paris, where she joined her husband, the artist Huang Yong Ping. This cross-cultural background has provided them with a unique perspective and has also profoundly influenced their art practice.
Leiko Ikemura's work spans the genres of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and poetry. At the center of her work is an exploration of nature, femininity, and the cyclical rhythm of life and death. Many of her works feature elements of mythological narratives, involving the creation of magical universes blending elements of animals, human figures, and plants.
Shen Yuan expresses her feelings about immigration, language, and the relationship between the body and politics. After moving to Paris, her immigrant status led her to explore the feelings about identity and language and became an important part of her work. Her works create places for poetical encounters between cultures. The artist invites the public to reflect without imposing value judgments.