In the afternoon on November 8, “Out of Place: He Gong Artworks (2009-2019)” opened at Shanghai Himalayas Museum. It was organized by Shanghai Himalayas Museum, supported by Usunhome Group Co., Ltd. and curated by Feng Boyi. Attendees who spoke at the opening ceremony included Shen Qibin, Chairman of the Board & Founding Curator of Shanghai Himalayas Museum, Qiu Wei, Chairman of Usunhome Group and of Usunhome Cultural Tourism, and Feng Boyi, independent curator and fine arts critic.

From November 9 to December 8, the exhibition will display artworks by He Gong over the past decade. With an area of 1500 square meters, the exhibition space houses a repertoire of mixed art forms such as paintings, installations, videos, etc. These large-scale works feature metaphor and imposing symbolism. They are curated in the four parts: “Redemption Prompted by Deep Concerns”, “Hidden Images”, “Cultural Nomadism” and “Extra Dimension”. Getting back to basics, his works strive to delve into the relationships between man and society, man and the spiritual realm, man and visual language, and the origins of art in being itself. The exhibition was named after Out of Place: A Memoir by Edward Wadie Said to indicate He Gong’s stance on artistic creation as a result of his “voluntary exile” and being “out of place”. 

“The essence of my artworks has remained unchanged. Freeing myself from the identity dilemma and the shackles of others’ recognition, I generate my artistic ideas by looking into the present from a historical perspective and express my thoughts (not just on art) by applying techniques like the ‘archaeological method’, deconstruction and metaphor.”, said He Gong. Compared with his previous works on exhibition, this time the exhibits are larger in size and more imposing. They are aimed more precisely at China’s reality against the backdrop of globalization, and are more metaphorical. Apart from the primary forms of paintings and installations, videos are introduced this time. 

Qiu Wei, Chairman of Usunhome Group and of Usunhome Cultural Tourism, said, “‘Out of Place: He Gong Artworks (2009-2019)’ is the artist’s second solo exhibition patronized by Usunhome. The previous one is ‘The Return of a Sojourner’ hosted in 2015 at Usunhome Art Museum in East Lake Park in Chengdu. We strive to make the fruits of He Gong’s creation more known. As a cultural enterprise, Usunhome Group is resolved to shoulder its social responsibility and support the development of cultural charity events and Chinese art.”