Trouble in Paradise: Judy Natal and Zeng Han
Opening Reception: Friday, Oct 17th, 2014
6-9pm ​
Research House for Asian Art, whose mission is to promote exchange between Chinese and American artists.
3217 S. Morgan Street, Chicago IL 60608

Judy Natal embraces a wide range of contemporary concerns—including the relationships between landscape and ideology, human responsibility to natural environments. Her work provokes reflection on serious and ever more than pressing issues we encounter today, and poetically moves from ambiguity to clear layers of precise imaging that examines the global interconnectedness of such strong, yet ultimately fragile and threatened landscapes. Judy’s personal perspective contributes unexpected but compelling resonances suggesting both the potential and pitfalls of our future on earth.

Zeng Han’s approach to the “landscape” is both physical and psychological. It has strong voice of criticism on ongoing economical development In China; the physical under ruin existence of landscape that artist depicts is singing the sorrow of the people suffering from the environmental destruction. Han’s work also has something to do with Shanshui, the Chinese traditional manifest of landscape. Han has transformed the tradition art form of Shanshui painting into “cool” looking photography that might be viewed by Westerners as “exotic” landscape, however, his work indeed urges us to meditate on what is the true relationship between human and nature.

Both artists had numerous shows internationally, but this is the first time for them to cooperate in United States.

Show dates: Oct. 17 – Nov. 11, 2014

​TROUBLE IN PARADISE Is a two-person exhibition that focuses on cities and rural landscapes destroyed by natural and human disasters in America and China. It contains works of photography by Chicago (USA) based artist Judy Natal and Guangzhou(China) based artist Zeng Han.