‘Pow Pow Pow’ is our third and last autumn 2016 screenprint edition release by London-based Chinese artist Jacky Tsai.
Jacky Tsai’s work has always been very much influenced by Pop Art. From the singular skulls to the landscapes and cityscapes, bright block colours and imagery from popular culture have almost always been present. 2014 and 2015 saw a focus on pattern and landscape for Tsai, as seen in works such as the Shanghai Tang Series (2014), and Save Empress Wu and War War War (2015). It was in the latter pair of screenprints that Tsai really began to build on the landscape idea, and started introducing recognisable characters such as Tarzan. These works can now be seen as the beginning of great things that were to come.
In 2016, Tsai’s work has become seemingly more focussed around the ideologies of Pop Art with the introduction of comic book superheroes and Lichtenstein-style onomatopoeic text to tell his chosen narratives. In March,
The Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber and
The Affair to the East screenprints treated Tsai fans to a pair of landscape works that used superman and wonder woman to represent ‘the west’ and characters from traditional Chinese literature to represent eastern culture and its followed beliefs. Each piece tells a different story, which is enjoyable to learn about, whilst at the same time providing an insight into Tsai’s own thoughts and understandings about the subjects in hand.
The superheroes have continued to appear in works that have followed, such as the screenprint edition
Puppets, launched last month, and original lacquer carving pieces such as ‘The Cliffs’ and ‘The Hangover’, which both sold during his recent New York solo exhibition.
.
The new print edition,
Pow Pow Pow, is considerably more dynamic in terms of both content and colour than seen in the previous prints. The scene depicts a fight between east and west, again represented by heroes from Chinese literature and western comics. It’s an active display, with superwoman fighting women in traditional eastern dress and Captain America about to attack Chinese Emperors on horses. Something new with this piece is the inclusion of words, which although Tsai has featured in his original works before, has never incorporated into a screenprint. Right in the centre, in large bold letters, the word ‘Pow’, complete with exclamation mark, is repeated; a reference to the comic books he takes his characters from and the recognisable work of Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein. The words are accentuated further by the fact that they have been made from 24 carat gold leaf, which has been carefully hand-applied onto each individual print. As with many of his previous works, the scene is split into two parts; the land, which tends to be a more peaceful area where onlookers reside, and the sky, where the all action is taking place.
Something that’s great about this piece is that despite the conflict going on, Tsai’s expert eye in composition has achieved an overall feeling of harmony as we strive to explore each detailed corner of the work. Every time you look there’s something new to discover, and this is a fantastic ingredient in a piece of art, especially one you intend to live with for some time.
Having made its debut in New York last month, today sees the official online launch of
Pow Pow Pow. See it in more detail, along with more work by Jacky Tsai
here.