Ou Zhihang
Ou Zhihang's practice incorporates a mixture of performance and photography. He does "Ou-style push-ups" in front of many national monuments, on city streets, and at natural sites. He has extended this gesture through two photographic series, "Seen and Be Seen" and "The Moment," which won an Honorable Mention at the World Press Photo Awards in 2009. His nudity represents the vulnerability of the lone individual; his nakedness is surprising, and it is his way of calling attention to places and events of social importance, landscapes that seem innocuous unless you know the reason for the artist's presence.
Seen and Be Seen
Medium: Inkjet print
Dimensions: (1) 130 × 194 cm (2) 90 × 134 cm (3) 50 × 74 cm
Edition: (1) 5 (2) 10 (3) 15
The Moment
Medium: Inkjet print
Dimensions: (1) 130 × 194 cm (2) 90 × 134 cm (3) 50 × 74 cm
Edition: (1) 5 (2) 10 (3) 15
Artist's Bio
Ou Zhihang (b. 1958, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China)
Ou currently lives and works in Guangzhou, China.
Solo Exhibitions:
2007 "Portraits," Fengyi Gallery, Guangzhou, China
2008 "Choice," Underground 798, 798 Art Zone, Beijing, China
2008 "See and Be Seen," Inter Art Center / Gallery, Beijing, China
2008 "See and Be Seen," Lianzhou Foto 2008, Lianzhou, China
2009 "Here, Understand China: Southern Weekly and Ou-Style Push-Ups," Lianzhou Foto 2009, Lianzhou, China
2013 "Ou Zhihang: Push-Ups of Memory," You You Contemporary Art Center, Guangzhou, China
2013 "Ou Zhihang: Push-Ups of Memory," Trollhattan Konsthall, Trollhattan, Sweden
Group Exhibitions:
2006 "Art and Society," Jiangfeng Art Space, Guangzhou, China
2006 "Soft Violence", Sapphire Art Space, Guangzhou, China
2007 "Body Media," Jiangfeng Art Space, Guangzhou, China
2008 "Welcome: A Chinese Contemporary Artist Exhibition," Sengen Gallery, Beijing, China
2008 "Conversation 2008: Images in China," Inter Art Center / Gallery, Beijing, China
2008 "Oh, Us: Thirty Years of Chinese Contemporary Art," National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing, China
2009 "Relics," Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China
2010 "Another Landscape," Inter Art Center / Gallery, Beijing, China
2011 "Measure of Humanity: The Second Guangzhou Live International Action Art Festival," You You Contemporary Art Center, Guangzhou, China
2013 "In the News," Beijing Photo Biennale, Beijing, China
2013 "DigitaLive Experimental Art Exhibition," You You Contemporary Art Center, Guangzhou, China
2014 "New Chinese Photography Since 2009," Wuhan Art Museum, Wuhan, China
Publications and Awards:
2009 Selected for Tencent's Artist Almanac
2009 Won Artist of the Year at Lianzhou Foto 2009, Lianzhou, China
2010 Won the Honorable Mention for Contemporary Issues Stories at the World Press Photo Awards
2010 Won the Xitek Chinese Photographer of the Year Award
2010 Nominated for the Most Influential Artist of the Year Award at the Fourth Art Awards China