Girlfriend, 2019

Gao Hang  

Classically trained in photorealistic painting in his native China, Gao Hang's recent paintings are a striking departure from his previous work. Hang's work both representational and abstract, illustrates modern human habits with a sense of humor and absurdity while ironically commenting on, and satiating, the viewer's need for instant gratification. Hang evokes the postmodernist neo-pop movement, by using subject matter and color as a conceptual and structural armature. Deliberately, Hang uses florescent hues which he considers to be the tones of his generation. The artist taps into the zeitgeist of the age of social media, intentionally engaging the aesthetics of the internet and our glowing digital devices in an effort to compete for attention amongst the rapid viewing mechanics of the 21st century.

Gao Hang (b. 1991) in Baoding, China, currently lives in works in Houston, Texas. Hang moved to Houston, Texas in 2015, to attain an MFA in Painting from the University of Houston, after obtaining a Bachelor of Art degree in Oil Painting from Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, 2013. His work has been exhibited globally in art venues, such as: Art League Houston, Houston, Texas; Lawndale Art Center, Houston, Texas; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Tang Contemporary Art Center, Hong Kong, China; Baoli World Trade Center Expo, Guangshou, China; Taipei World Trade Center, Taiwan, China; Art Museum of Capitol Normal University, Beijing, China; CICA Museum of Art, Gimpo, Korea as well as commercial galleries in New York City, USA; Palma De Mallorca, Spain; Murnau, Germany; Eindhoven, Netherlands, and London, United Kindom. He was recently awarded the 2021 Artadia Houston Fellowship Award, Brooklyn, New York; 2020 Sunny Art Prize, London, United Kingdom; Houston Art Alliance – 2021 Artists and Creative Individuals Grant, Houston, TX. His work has been featured in publications, such as: The New York Times, New American Paintings #144, Glasstire, Artnews, Art Plugged, Neo-Cha, Maak Magazine, It's Nice That, Radi China, and Chinese Daily. Hang's work can be found in public collections, including: CICA Museum of Art, Gyeonggi-do, Korea; Art Museum of Capital Normal University, Beijing, China; Chinese Quintessence Arts Museum, Beijing, China.