Nathan Zhou - 2021 — Tabula Rasa Gallery

Henri Chinaski's Short Stories Collection 2
Nathan Zhou
Dec 29, 2021 - Feb 19, 202
Beijing

The Boring Publishing is honoured to announce that we will publish “Henri Chinaski’s Short Stories Collection 2—William · Marlowe · The Boring Balls” on 29 December, 2021 at Tabula Rasa Gallery, Beijing, China.

"Henri Chinaski’s Short Stories Collection" was first published on 18 December, 2016 by Nathan Zhou at AIKE, Shanghai, China. 5 years after the first appearance on the stage, Henri Chinaski has changed quite a lot both in his career and life. He though still drinks much coffee and tea, eats little, sleeps long hours, and dreams every night.

The collection 2 marks the development and doubts during the past years, for better or for worse, it will be a remarkable step closer to what Henri Chinaski would love to achieve in his life, hopefully.

- Henri Chinaski

For this new body of works, Nathan Zhou departs from his usual acrylic and spray-paint based site-specific graffiti, and expands his choice of medium to oil paint on canvas. As inspired by his previous academic pursuance in western literature, the self-referencing “Henri Chinaski” pays tribute to the Dirty Realism poet Charles Bukowski, while the fictional character of the show, “William Marlowe” is a tongue-in-cheek remembrance of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Through his titles of works (e.g. the Boring Typewriter), or the absurd, childish rendition of the figures, “Henri Chinaski’s Short Stories Collection 2” showcases the unease, belly-side aspect of contemporary life. As William Marlowe’s poet goes:

“In a dizzy dizzy world,
there will be light,
there will be night.”
--William · Marlowe · The Boring Balls

Human History
Oil on canvas, 2021
231 x 531 cm

Retired William Marlowe
Oil on canvas, 2021
231 x 460 cm

The Boring Typewriter
Oil on canvas, 2021
140 x 180 cm

Tracing in the Air
Oil on canvas, 2021
90 x 120 cm

Good Soul Hunting
Oil on canvas, 2021
140 x 180 cm

Nathan Zhou was born in 1980 in Dongguan, Guangzhou. He graduated from Guizhou University in English Language and Literature in 2004. He currently lives and works in Shanghai. The artistic practice of Nathan Zhou is based on the depiction of an individual world, where the reality interweaves with illusion, through an intuitive and brimming painting language. The use of graffiti and collage as his primary means of creation endows his works with a strong diary-looking style. Image, calendar and text recombines in a playful way under a deciduous topic, creating an improvisional tension analogous to repeated syncopation in jazz music that echoes in different works by the artist.

Nathan Zhou’s work has been exhibited at Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing; chi K11 Art Space, Guangzhou; chi K11 Art Museum, Shanghai; Power Station of Art, Shanghai; Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing; MoCA Shanghai; Shanghai Himalayas Museum and SNAP. His selected solo exhibitions include “Henri Chinaski’s Short Stories Collection 2—— William · Marlowe · The Boring Balls”, Tabula Rasa Gallery, Beijng, China; “Give The Time Some Time”, POP-UP GALLERY, Hangzhou, China, 2021; “Purity, Is The Most Beautiful”, LA VIE, G&G Creative Community, Shenzhen, China, 2021; “Nathan Zhou: Just Hang Out, Breathe, Till I Die”, chi K11 art space, Guangzhou, China, 2019; “STREET DOG”, AIKE, Shanghai, 2018; “Star Fires, Players Win—The Beautiful New World 1984”, Paper Wonder, Xiamen, 2018; “Ghost Dog: The Way of The Lofi King”, Tabula Rasa Gallery, Beijing, 2017; “Henri Chinaski’s Short Stories Collection”, AIKE, Shanghai, 2016; “Jericho”, Shanghai V Space, Shanghai, 2016.