Contemporary by Angela Li is proud to present “Searching for Identity”, a solo exhibition by Chen Wenling. Chen is one of the most well known and sought after contemporary sculptors in the world and his works have been exhibited in major international exhibitions. For his debut solo exhibition in Hong Kong, Chen has especially created several new works from his “Red Memory” and “Happy Life” series.

Throughout his works, Chen explores the different mentalities of living in the contemporary society. His works, with a distinctive personal style, express the inner tension and struggle inside us, showing his experiences and careful observations of our times.

The “Red Memory” series

Chen Wenling’s “Red Memory” sculpture series is inspired by his childhood in Fujian, as well as how children extract and refine people’s general characteristics of that particular era when he was growing up.

Chen Wenling’s red boys evoke the viewers’ memories and nostalgia of childhood innocence. Chen Wenling began creating “Red Memory” series in 1999, and they were first exhibited in Pearl Beach in Xiamen at the end of 2001. The colourful backdrop of blue sky, fine sand and green grass created a strong poetic relationship between the red sculptures. This ground-breaking solo exhibition has since become a historically significant event in Chinese contemporary art history.