The Pearls That Were His Eyes (Dec. 9, 2017–Jan. 2, 2018)
Artist Ben Sloat and curator Julia Kirchmer explored Chinese history, old and new, by layering idealized images of both ancient and modern worlds — from sumptuous gold wallpaper depicting a life long gone, to oil paintings of the father of modern China, to the walls of Pearl River itself.
At the exhibition's center were factory-produced oil paint portraits of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, which interacted with sumptuous golden wallpaper featuring a historical scene. In this situation, Deng’s image became a commodity, through a process enabled by his own creation. Contained and presented by variously hand-altered sheets of construction materials, the wallpaper and portraits were duplicated, fragmented, and curiously disrupted.
A sea-change occurred in the 1990s, and as the country’s doors were opened, the walls in the gallery caught that rich flood.
About the artist
Born in lower Manhattan, Ben Sloat has a multi-racial Asian background. Mandarin was his first language, and he attended primary school in Chinatown. The exchange and mutations of cultural meanings are a central theme to his artwork. His work has been shown at venues such as the Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, Queens Museums, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Peabody-Essex Museum. He is represented by Steven Zevitas Gallery in Boston.
About the curator
Julia Kirchmer is a New York City native whose interests include environmental and cultural change, as well as value studies. A curator, writer, and artist, she has mounted over 50 exhibitions throughout NYC and New England. She is an alumna of LaGuardia High School, and earned her Bachelor’s degree at Lesley University in Art History, Fine Art, and Arts Management.