DE SARTHE is pleased to present Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, a solo exhibition by Chongqing-based artist Hou Jianan, featuring a new body of works on canvas that allude to the illusion of fulfillment that manifests in the cross-breeze of consumerist society and digital gratification.
Sweet and plump yet empty and fragile, Hou Jianan's manipulation of imagery alludes to the way in which our perception of goods is enhanced by technology, resulting in the expanded desire to consume and indulge in materialism. As we are constantly distracted, or arguably numbed, by temptations and entertainment, we fall into a false sense of security as Hou suggests through his portrayal of home environments and domestic objects. With an emphasis on artificiality, the imagery speaks to the illusion of fulfillment constructed and exacerbated by instant digital gratifications.