Zhang Jian Long

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About the artwork

Engaged in an almost primordial game of hoop trundling, the boy in ‘Trundle Hoop’ is not only an embodiment of the imagination and simplicity of childhood, but the simplicity of culture as a whole which is now lost amongst the convoluted pursuits of happiness in the modern world. Through this image, the artist touches upon the two most important aspects of his series. First, the joys of childhood versus that of adult life and the societal constraints it brings to light. Society has complicated its own concepts of happiness, leading to an age of dissatisfied adults who are limited in their freedom of thought and behaviour. The second, is that of the loss of culture as a whole - with much of what defines people, now lost in an increasingly homogeneous atmosphere bereft of individuality. Thus, the works of Zhang Jian Long do not remain just images, but important commentaries close to the artist’s heart.

About the artist

In 1982, Zhang Jian Long was born in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Nanyang Normal University, Henan Province, in 2004. His graduation art piece was published in the 2003 Annual Works of China Fine Arts Academies and he has since exhibited extensively in China. Zhang's paintings attempt to look through a child’s eyes, depicting an ideal world of innocence and joy. Free from the confines of modern society, Zhang's works show us the human spirit's full, unbridled potential while also shedding light on the constraints of modern society and 'adult' life.