Chinese Buddhists dreamed of a Pure Land. Taiping rebels fought for a “Heavenly Kingdom”. Communist revolutionaries announced an ideal society. But visions of heaven on earth have a way of being scuppered by reality. China’s people have seen one promised paradise after another turned upside-down or smashed to pieces.
Today, prosperity is within the reach of millions. Yet the dreamed-of golden age is as remote as ever. Material comfort and a measure of freedom have come at the price of greed, corruption and spiritual emptiness. In White Rabbit’s new show, artists explore the contradictions that make China today a Paradise Bitch – a polluted utopia in which, as in Zhang Dali’s Square, seekers of a better life are attacked by their own fluttering dreams.
White Rabbit Gallery
Until 7 February, 2015
Sydney
Zhang Dali, Square No 9, 2014, resin, 10 pcs, various dimensions
Courtesy the artist and White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney
