Julian Opie holds first solo show in China

British artist Julian Opie is holding his first major solo show in China, with more than 50 works displayed at the Fosun Foundation in Shanghai's Bund area, overlooking the Huangpu River.

From life-size vinyl sculptures and LED monoliths of figures in motion to hand-painted portraits that bear influences of ancient Egyptian reliefs, Roman busts, pop art and manga, the exhibition shows his interests at different stages of his career.

"If you see this show, I think you see what I am doing at that moment. There is not much missing from here," says Opie.

The 59-year-old artist lives in London.

David Tung, Asia head of the Lisson Gallery, which is representing the artist in the Asia-Pacific region, said at the opening of the show that Opie rose to prominence in Britain in the 1980s.

In the past decades, he has created metal sculptures, minimalistic portraits and animated figures, presenting them on walls, postal stamps and T-shirts. He also has an acclaimed compact-disc cover for the British pop band Blur.

Opie's first solo exhibition in China is part of a project celebrating the gallery's 50th anniversary, Tung says.

The London-based gallery now has expanded to New York and Milan. Although it does not have a space in China yet, Lisson has been active in the country, working with renowned institutions and artists, such as the contemporary Chinese artist Liu Xiaodong.

It was the vision of Jenny Wang, chairwoman of the Fosun Foundation, that made the show possible, Tung says.

Recalling his first visit to Shanghai in 2015 to talk about the exhibition, Opie says, Fosun's Bund compound was still under construction then but their conversation made progress.

When he finally came to see the exhibition halls earlier this year, the artist immediately liked them.

The space looked good: a view of the city through the windows, an intimate shopping complex on one side of the building and steel-and-glass office blocks on the other.

On her first impression of Opie's work - an LED sculpture in London SOHO - Wang writes in an essay for the exhibition opening: "Perfectly at ease within the crowd. Everything was in unison, as if one had suddenly felt the pulse of London."

Through Opie's works, the audience is able to experience the liveliness of a city, its openness and its potential for growth.

"It is enough to bring a smile to a face."

Fosun Foundation is a subsidy of Fosun International Ltd, an investment company founded in Shanghai in 1992. It aims to promote the inheritance and exchanges of cultures between China and other countries. The company is located at the Bund Financial Center.

The office design was inspired by the open stage of traditional Chinese theater, according to the company's website. The multilevel space encircled with three layers of "veils" made of metal tubes will be used for art and fashion shows, cultural performances and summits.

Opie hopes his exhibition will establish a sense of connection with the Chinese audience.

If you go

10 am-6 pm, through June 10. Fosun Foundation, Bund Financial Center, 600 Zhongshan Road E2, Huangpu district, Shanghai. 021-6333-8143.

zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn