P·P·O·W to Represent Owen Fu
Owen Fu My Father's Back, 2024 oil on canvas60 x 84 ins.152.4 x 213.4 cm Courtesy of Owen Fu and P·P·O·W, New York Photo: Ian Edquist
P·P·O·W is pleased to announce the co-representation of Chinese artist Owen Fu with Antenna Space, Shanghai. In his paintings, often depicting surreal domestic scenes cast in a nocturnal glow, ghostly figures and inanimate objects merge as the distinctions between reality, dreams, and memory disintegrate. Drawing from centuries-old traditions of ink wash painting, Fu’s works expose the mysterious emotional landscape residing beneath the surface of ordinary life.
From Left to Right: Owen Fu you are not the fish 子非 鱼 , 2024 oil on linen 60 x 48 ins. 152.4 x 121.9 cm Courtesy of Owen Fu and P·P·O·W, New York Photo: Ian Edquist, Owen Fu The Bird, the Shadow, and the Thorns , 2024 oil on linen 67 x 58 ins. 170.2 x 147.3 cm Courtesy of Owen Fu and P·P·O·W, New York Photo: JSP Art Photography, Owen Fu Untitled (never let me go) , 2024 oil on canvas 40 x 50 ins. 101.6 x 127 cm Courtesy of Owen Fu and P·P·O·W, New York Photo: Ian Edquist, Owen Fu Untitled (so proud) , 2024 oil on linen 60 x 46 ins. 152.4 x 116.8 cm Courtesy of Owen Fu and P·P·O·W, New York Photo: Ian Edquist
Fu constructs his scenes through thin veils of oil paint on raw linen and canvas, creating works that read like memories suspended between consciousness and subconsciousness, narration and abstraction. Through soft, yet deliberate mark making, Fu navigates feelings of loss, desire, and memory while evoking a sense of intense longing and personal exploration. Interweaving literary, philosophical, and other cultural references with his own experiences of migration from China to the United States, Fu combines Eastern and Western painting traditions with art historical tropes to reveal unseen passageways in which amorphous figures drift between places seeking connection, solace, and sanctuary. Offering viewers a glimpse into the margins of society, Fu conducts introspective investigations shaped by a queer sensibility, exploring intimacy, desire, and otherness alongside the perpetual unfolding of time.
Owen Fu Untitled (Holy Matcha) , 2024 oil on linen 60 x 48 ins. 152.4 x 121.9 cm Courtesy of Owen Fu and P·P·O·W, New York Photo: Paul Salveson
Fu presented his first solo exhibition with P·P·O·W, Own Alone , earlier this year. His work is currently included in Surface Streets , a group exhibition curated by Russell Ferguson at Marian Goodman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, through October 18, and in Owen Fu: Wang Lai , his second solo exhibition with Antenna Space, on view through October 26.
Courtesy of Owen Fu, P·P·O·W, New York, and Antenna Space, Shanghai
Owen Fu (b. 1988) was born in Guilin, China. Fu completed his MFA in 2018 at the ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, CA, preceded by a BA in Philosophy from the Stony Brook University, New York, NY, and a BA in Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL. He has presented solo exhibitions at Balice Hertling, Paris, France; Antenna Space, Shanghai, China; O-Town House, Los Angeles, CA; Gallery Platform LA, Los Angeles, CA; Mine Project, Hong Kong, China; Art Center Main Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; and New York Art Expo, New York, NY; among others. He has been featured in group exhibitions at Marian Goodman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Antenna Space, Shanghai, China; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Gagosian Hong Kong, China; and Balice Hertling, Paris, France; among others. His work was included in the 2022 Beijing Biennial, Magic Square: Art and Literature in Mirror Image at Friendship Art Community, Beijing, China. His works belong to the collections of numerous international institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Domus Collection, New York, NY; K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong, China; START Museum, Shanghai, China; George Economou Collection, Athens, Greece; Aïshti Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon; G Museum, Nanjing, China; and the Juan and Patricia Vergez Collection, Buenos Aires, Argentina; among others.
For more information about this news, other announcements, and exhibitions, please visit the P·P·O·W gallery’s website. Also, the gallery can be found on Instagram and Artsy. Srijon’s interview with the magazine can be found here.
