Installation view ©KICHE

From June 9th to July 23rd, 2022, KICHE holds Jang Pa’s solo exhibition, 《The Woman without Qualities》. In her first solo exhibition with KICHE. The artist presents about 20 works, including the Lady X Series which started in 2015, Mama Series, A Common Woman Series, Man from Earth, and The Jewels. The exhibition begins with Robert Musil (1880-1942)’s unfinished novel, A Man without Qualities (1930-42), in which the protagonist of the novel, Ulrich wishes to become a “man without qualities. ”However, this absence of identifiable traits paradoxically renders him open to adopt any quality.

“Feminist identity” remains an important theme of the artist’s practice. Jang Pa brings to the fore the “feminine qualities” that are considered negative in the male-dominated hierarchical system and imbues positivity onto these qualities. While she begins with an exploration of the “Femininity,” she reflects on the sensory systems that universalize the feminine perspective and disturb the category of “woman” itself and carefully chooses the most fitting surface finishes and textures of her paintings. Since her Woman/Figure Series (2020), which borrows a classical statue as a motif, Jang Pa has actively incorporated art historical or cultural icons into the oeuvre to further materialize her artistic interests.


Jang Pa, A Common Woman series_1, 2022, oil on canvas, 162.2 x 130.0 cm ©KICHE

Triangle of Lamentation (2022), a large-scale painting about two meters tall, references Michelangelo's marble sculpture, Pieta Bandini, and A Common Woman Series, a medium- sized painting, borrows the iconography of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. In line with the aforementioned context, these allusions demonstrate that the artist's attention to “femininity” has evolved beyond the individual to the more universal. At the same time, her Mama Series, in which the illustrative texture is further heightened, amplifies the curious beauty of intestines, eyeballs, and fetuses as they merge and mix.

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