Introduction
Star Gallery is pleased to announce that the solo exhibition of the Pulitzer-prize-winning photojournalist Mr. Liu Heung Shing, titled A Life in a Sea of Red, will be part of the Insights sector of Art Basel in Hong Kong 2019. The solo show includes iconic photographs of two of the most momentous stories of the 20th century, the rise of China and the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a photographer, Liu’s philosophy is to explore, unravel, and reveal the complexity of grand narratives, the flaws and frailty, the misnomers and duplicity at work within societies living under the reach of a communist ideology. From China to Russia, taking daily life as a litmus of the time, Liu’s photographs reveal the impact ideology has upon ordinary people and the social mien. For the viewer, his photographs provide a sense of presence and immediacy. As he documents the process of reform and collapse, we see the impact upon the urban and cultural landscape. Together, in juxtaposition for the first time, these two bodies of work reveal his distinctive personal aesthetic.
Works
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A giant portrait of Mao is removed from the Museum of Chinese History on the east side of Tiananmen Square, signaling an official end to the personality cult of Mao, and the start of de-Maoification of China..., 1981
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Soldiers hold flags at a ceremony. Beijing, 1982
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During a reception to welcome American industrialist Armand Hammer, in Beijing, Deng Xiaoping is seen looking askance at his guest. Hammer, the very embodiment of American capitalism, had first done business with Lenin... , 1982
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Lovers in a park. Shanghai, 1978
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Near the rice paddies of Guilin, a young peasant girl sells miniature trees and rockeries. Guangxi, 1980
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Mihail Gorbachev throws down his speech following a televised broadcast to the nation from the Kremlin in which he announced his resignation from the post of General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. Moscow, 1991
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A student skates past a statue of Chairman Mao. Dalian Institute of Technology, Liaoning Province, 1981
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Wang Keping, a former Red Guard and, here co-leader of the Stars Painting Group – the first widely-known independent group of artists to come to public attention in the post-Mao period – heads a demonstration to call for artistic freedom..., 1979
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Local people walk past streets in the aftermath of chaos in Moscow. The coup against Gorbachev had failed, leaving debris spread on streets leading to the Russian Federation building following an attempt to block government troops from attacking the..., 1991
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"Throw out the rascals!" housewives in front of the Kremlin accuse the Communist Party of corruption, 1991
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Departing for duty in the Soviet army, a newly-inducted Estonian soldier kisses his girlfriend farewell, 1991
