Global Children

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Lucie Chang Fine Arts in Hong Kong, China, in collaboration with Galeria Cuatro in Valencia, Spain, present a group exhibition of Spanish New Wave artists ‘Global Children’ at Lucie Chang Fine Arts Hong Kong, China from 15th October until December 2022.

The group show will present over 20 works by Spanish artists David de Limón (1981), Julieta XLF (1982) and Jordi Machí (1983). It is the first time these artists will be shown in Asia, and is a turning point for the newly coined ‘Spanish New Wave’ movement in the region.

The exhibition aspires to exalt multiculturalism, credit globalisation and uncover social influences between the Spanish artists and Asian audiences. The fictional characters, and cartoons in their art are not accidental, they are an unequivocal result of Western artists being inspired by Asian expression. A sense of cultural curiosity for anime and manga subcultures comes through, making works from major cultural events like the Internet Age, ‘Kawaii’, Nintendo, and Super Mario. A fantastical sense and vibrant style create comparisons between the Spanish visual artists, meant to draw appreciation from adults and elderly, to children.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

David de Limón, urban artist, illustrator and designer was born in Valencia, Spain. He began his urban interventions doing graffiti in 1998 with the Tag or signature "LIMÓN". Since 2014, his work on the streets, as an urban artist, consisted of repeatedly capturing the illustration of a ‘ninja’ character who interacts with the environment. This show will highlight works with his signature masked characters amidst backdrops from Asian cartoons, anime and video games, from dragons in the sky to GameBoys, kawaii robots and Fuji mountain-esque environments.

Jordi Machí, born in 1983 in Algemesí, Spain. Graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with additional studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of San Carlos in Brazil. Jordi's works have recognition beyond Spain, with important exhibitions in Italy, England, Brazil, Belgium, Lebanon, and the United States. The artist's work was born from the digital age, globalisation and connection. Depicting human characters that play into social anxiety and mental health, especially with his use of vibrant colour and contrast to reflect emotion. Hidden behind the faces and bodies, as if scratched out, are influences of the 21st Century; Pokémon, Social Media icons, cartoons and 8-bit characters.

Julieta.XLF, born in Valencia, Spain, in 1982. Degree in Fine Arts from the Polytechnic of Valencia and specialist in illustration from the Academy of San Carlos in the same city. The artist works are 'post-graffiti', with influences from Japanese kawaii and psychedelic pop. She is currently one of the most recognized urban artists in Spain, with murals not only in the country but also in other locations such as Amsterdam, Chicago, Luxembourg, Mexico among others. A predominant feature of her work circles around nature and the environment, hyper colourful reds, yellows, blues and greens a motif, the subject a young girl in touch with nature from fauna to flora. Her works border on the sweet and innocent with clear influences from big, bright eyed Japanese characters.

Alongside the three artists on show, Lucie Chang Fine Arts will showcase works by renowned Spanish artist Vinz (1979). A separate series of three works by the urban artist will be on private show throughout the duration of ‘Global Children.’ The newly commissioned works were inspired by Hong Kong symbols with tigers, eagles and lions; and are in continuation with the artists most notable project ‘Feel Free’, which he started in 2011.

‘Feel Free’ researches the innate hunt for individual freedom through the power of nudity and animal characterizations. Vinz’s ‘Feel Free’ works have been widely exhibited internationally, through several thematic presentations in the US, Austria and Switzerland. In 2020, the Government of Valencia, Spain (The Generalitat Valenciana) incorporated his work into their permanent collection.