Han Yajuan Travel Alone

Han Yajuan Solo Exhibition "Travel Alone"
2007/10/3(wed) - 10/27(sat)

Han Yajuan Solo Exhibition "Travel Alone"
October 3 (Wed) - 27 (Sat) 2007

Opening reception: 2007.10.3 (Wed)
18:00-20:00 at Tokyo Gallery
Supported by: NEC Display Solutions, Ltd.

BTAP is pleased to announce the opening of Han Yajuan's solo exhibition; "Travel Alone". Han, born in Qingdao, China; 1980, has held many solo exhibitions in China, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as participating in numerous group shows worldwide. For this exhibition - which will be the artist's first solo exhibition in Japan –Han will unveil 9 new paintings, as well as a video installation.

Han Yajuan's motif is cute girls in their 20s, wearing lush eye-shadow, in a style that brings to mind anime characters. Scenes of dressed-up girls preparing their make-up before going out, playing with their outfits, or immersing themselves in work, are all vividly illustrated. This is the first generation of young Chinese brought up in a consumer society, including the artist herself, intoxicated by a life of material plenty; yet simultaneously feeling apathetic and indifferent. The small cows that reappear in her works are also, according to the artist, symbols of the pet-like existence of ‘young, feminine girls', which can also be thought of as a kind of eulogy of feminine identity.

The exhibition title; "Travel Alone'" refers to the expanding of Han's creative horizons, and fulfillment of long-held dreams by way of internet tools like Google Earth, allowing one to make round-the-world trips, alone. Alongside rapid developments in Chinese consumer society, media also experienced equally rapid growth. For the artist's generation, raised under the One Child Policy, and under the strong influence of the media, they have learned to play alone, and to dream alone. Han's work is saturated in a sense that ‘things' and ‘images' are now so easily obtainable, that perhaps people go without knowing the actual hardship that come with traveling alone.

Within these superficial changes however, Han asserts, ‘in the end, you are the one who best understands yourself; your life is what you make of it'. We would like to welcome you to take this opportunity to see Han Yajuan's works, which are thus, not only a kind of self-searching, but also a song of support to the young people of her generation, to ‘Travel Alone!'