Melati Suryodarmo and Chinese Artists at Galleria Il Ponte Contemporanea in Rome

Galleria Il Ponte Contemporanea in Rome presents 'Melati Suryodarmo / Visions from (of) China', a group exhibition curated by Giuliano Matricardi, running until November 20, 2016. The show features Indonesian artist Melati Suryodarmo (b. 1969, Surakarta; lives in Germany) alongside four Chinese artists from Hubei Academy of Fine Arts: Liu Lei (b. 1987, Wuhan), Ma Lin (b. 1961, Wuhan), Li Zi (b. Beijing), and Duan Shunjie (b. 1983, Wuhan). Suryodarmo explores femininity through video and photography, challenging intercultural paradigms and the political construction of gender. The Chinese artists present a contradictory yet contemporary China; notably, Duan Shunjie reinterprets traditional Chinese landscape painting using slips and bras, continuing the feminine discourse initiated by Suryodarmo. The exhibition highlights the fragile balance between reclaiming ancient traditions and adopting current research methods in contemporary Eastern art.