Mandy Zhang to open new art space in London with debut solo exhibition for artist Can Sun.

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*Can Sun, Twins Flower, 2021, Photography Giclee Print on Bainbridge Paper Edition, 11AP Image 60 x 75-cm, Frame 75-x 90 cm*

Mandy Zhang is expanding to London opening a new gallery space at 16 Seymour Place, Marylebone. The inaugural exhibition titled Bruises will be the UK solo debut of emerging artist Can Sun.

This April, the Chinese-born curator and gallery director Mandy Zhang takes her successful art gallery in an exciting new expansion by opening a permanent exhibition space in Marylebone. Since the end of 2022, Mandy has spearheaded a constant exchange between artistic and curatorial practices, special events and projects in the international art market.

The new chapter of Mandy Zhang Art will retain its expertise in exhibition programmes by young and ambitious artists from Asia and its diaspora, supporting them to launch their careers in the contemporary art community, and focusing on dismantling cultural barriers and nurturing cross-cultural dialogues. The establishment of this new space also highlights Mandy Zhang Art’s commitment to broadening and diversifying its audiences beyond the professional circles, transitioning from her private apartment to the street-front public gallery.

Running my gallery in the past year-and-a-half has underscored the critical need for visibility
for these artists

I have witnessed firsthand the obstacles young Asian artists encounter, often hindering their artistic careers. Can Sun and I met each other a year ago, soon after we both graduated from The Royal College of Art. Since then we have been working very closely and it has been a rewarding journey to represent him. I am grateful for his trust and for his choosing to grow his career with me and my gallery. I am thrilled to introduce his thought-provoking work and the gallery mission to a broader audience through
this new public space and this opening show.

Mandy Zhang

*Can Sun Bra, 2021, Photography Giclee Print on Bainbridge Paper, Edition 41 AP Image 16 x 20 cm Frame 40 x 50cm*

The inaugural exhibition Bruises will feature an exciting range of Sun’s new and recent series of still-life photography, sculpture, and video work, making a remarkable debut for both the recent Royal College of Art graduate and the establishment of the new gallery space. His work explores humour in the reality of absurdity and the relationship between people and objects by challenging traditional notions of sculpture and photography.

Drawing inspirations from Mauricio Alejo and Erwin Wurm, Sun’s well-collected photography work delves into the mundane to provoke reflection on the complex interactions between individuals and the complexities of human desire. Through photographing sculptured objects and scenes that are characterised by a blend of fragility and contradiction, he invites viewers into a world of nuanced absurdity. The controlled ridiculousness in his work resembles a tentative and slightly romantic approach to provocation, challenge, and disruption. His work carries the intention to revolt, but no harm is intended, hence leaving bruises.

His popular video art, meanwhile, introduces time as a critical element. The seamless combination of installation, sculpture and performance in video format enriches his artistic exploration of change and contradiction, thereby sparkling viewers’ imagination. Notably, this exhibition also marks the first time Sun exhibits his new sculpture objects beyond photography and video. In his latest sculptures Life Error I and Life Error II (2024), Sun developed a new artistic idea of using blue synthetic crystals as a double metaphor for advanced technology and proto-human traditions, asking pertinent questions about the emotional states of human civilisation in the information-saturated contemporary world. In another new work Floating Candles (2024), Sun carries on the provoking inquiry by presenting four fragile flames on a scale as reflections of the fluctuations of human life.

*Can Sun, Floating Candles I, 2024, Candles mechanical balance scales electric motor, 26 x 26 x 52 cm*

While the candles gradually consume themselves, they strive to maintain balance in an ever-uneven movement.

I am thrilled to be exhibiting my work at the opening show of Mandy Zhang Art’s new space, and Mandy has been a constant support since we first met. I am excited for this journey and growth, and grateful for this opportunity.

Can Sun

Can Sun, Bruises, 12th April – 24th May 2024, Mandy Zhang

About the artist

Can Sun (b.1992) is a Chinese contemporary artist who works on instant sculptures of daily objects and currently lives in London and Taipei. He received a master’s degree in political science from Shanghai Normal University in 2019 and a master’s degree in photography from the Royal College of Art in 2022. Can’s works are mainly concerned with the absurdity of the world and the relationship between people. His works have been exhibited in China and the UK and published by magazines in the UK, China, Spain, Mexico and other countries.

Can Sun’s works mainly focus on the absurdity of the world and the relationship between people by taking daily objects that people tend to ignore as the subject of creation. Through a process of recontextualisation, Sun transforms daily objects into playful and self-mocking sculptures. This kind of humour is not only an acknowledgement of the absurdity of the world but also a revolt against it.