Yu Hong
Another One Bites the Dust
Presented by The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York
Chiesetta della Misericordia
Cannaregio

The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, presents the first major exhibition in Europe of artist Yu Hong. ‘Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust ‘will take place concurrently with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from 20 April to 24 November 2024. The presentation is curated by Dr. Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

'Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust' will feature new figurative and narrative paintings that respond to the architectural and cultural context of the Chiesetta della Misericordia, a deconsecrated Romanesque-Byzantine church founded by Augustinian friars in the tenth century. Conditioned by this architectural site, the exhibition will present Yu Hong’s work outside the bounds of art-historical conventions, examining the artist’s worlding of supernatural realism as a radically anachronistic stance that further destabilizes our notions of contemporary life.

In ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, Yu Hong borrows images of people, mostly women and children, in writhing poses expressing mental anguish or imminent physical danger, both real and fantastical, from the internet and social media. Set against a gold ground and shaped as large tondos or arched panels, the figures presented confront and upend the epic themes of sacred art while not shying away from the role of painting to portray the sorrows of the human condition.

The works in the exhibition upend the epic themes of sacred art while embracing painting’s capacity to portray the human condition—the sorrows, absurdities, and transcendence of bodily existence. The large tondo paintings Birth (2022) and Death (2022) are set against a gold ground: a newborn held by a doctor’s prophylactic gloves and connected to its mother by an umbilical cord will be paired across the nave with the bare feet of several cadavers. The exhibition’s centerpiece will be a ten-part painting, Walking through Life (2019–22), suspended as a semicircle in the choir. Progressing from left to right, each arched panel depicts a scene of different physical stages of life as conditioned and contorted by social norms, gender roles, and political realities.

Yu Hong’s work was previously presented in Venice in the exhibition section 'Passage to the East', curated by Achille Bonito Oliva with Helena Kontova, at the Giardini Di Castello in the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1997 when she was featured in the group presentation in the China Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. 

Venue: Chiesetta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice, Italy
Date: April 20–November 24, 2024

Opening hours: 
Tuesday–Sunday 
11am–7pm, April 20–September 29, 2024 
10am–6pm, October 1–November 24, 2024 

The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, presents the first major exhibition in Europe of artist Yu Hong. ‘Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust ‘will take place concurrently with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from 20 April to 24 November 2024. The presentation is curated by Dr. Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

'Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust' will feature new figurative and narrative paintings that respond to the architectural and cultural context of the Chiesetta della Misericordia, a deconsecrated Romanesque-Byzantine church founded by Augustinian friars in the tenth century. Conditioned by this architectural site, the exhibition will present Yu Hong’s work outside the bounds of art-historical conventions, examining the artist’s worlding of supernatural realism as a radically anachronistic stance that further destabilizes our notions of contemporary life.

In ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, Yu Hong borrows images of people, mostly women and children, in writhing poses expressing mental anguish or imminent physical danger, both real and fantastical, from the internet and social media. Set against a gold ground and shaped as large tondos or arched panels, the figures presented confront and upend the epic themes of sacred art while not shying away from the role of painting to portray the sorrows of the human condition.

The works in the exhibition upend the epic themes of sacred art while embracing painting’s capacity to portray the human condition—the sorrows, absurdities, and transcendence of bodily existence. The large tondo paintings Birth (2022) and Death (2022) are set against a gold ground: a newborn held by a doctor’s prophylactic gloves and connected to its mother by an umbilical cord will be paired across the nave with the bare feet of several cadavers. The exhibition’s centerpiece will be a ten-part painting, Walking through Life (2019–22), suspended as a semicircle in the choir. Progressing from left to right, each arched panel depicts a scene of different physical stages of life as conditioned and contorted by social norms, gender roles, and political realities.

Yu Hong’s work was previously presented in Venice in the exhibition section 'Passage to the East', curated by Achille Bonito Oliva with Helena Kontova, at the Giardini Di Castello in the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1997 when she was featured in the group presentation in the China Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. 

Venue: Chiesetta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice, Italy
Date: April 20–November 24, 2024

Opening hours: 
Tuesday–Sunday 
11am–7pm, April 20–September 29, 2024 
10am–6pm, October 1–November 24, 2024 

The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, presents the first major exhibition in Europe of artist Yu Hong. ‘Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust ‘will take place concurrently with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from 20 April to 24 November 2024. The presentation is curated by Dr. Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

'Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust' will feature new figurative and narrative paintings that respond to the architectural and cultural context of the Chiesetta della Misericordia, a deconsecrated Romanesque-Byzantine church founded by Augustinian friars in the tenth century. Conditioned by this architectural site, the exhibition will present Yu Hong’s work outside the bounds of art-historical conventions, examining the artist’s worlding of supernatural realism as a radically anachronistic stance that further destabilizes our notions of contemporary life.

In ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, Yu Hong borrows images of people, mostly women and children, in writhing poses expressing mental anguish or imminent physical danger, both real and fantastical, from the internet and social media. Set against a gold ground and shaped as large tondos or arched panels, the figures presented confront and upend the epic themes of sacred art while not shying away from the role of painting to portray the sorrows of the human condition.

The works in the exhibition upend the epic themes of sacred art while embracing painting’s capacity to portray the human condition—the sorrows, absurdities, and transcendence of bodily existence. The large tondo paintings Birth (2022) and Death (2022) are set against a gold ground: a newborn held by a doctor’s prophylactic gloves and connected to its mother by an umbilical cord will be paired across the nave with the bare feet of several cadavers. The exhibition’s centerpiece will be a ten-part painting, Walking through Life (2019–22), suspended as a semicircle in the choir. Progressing from left to right, each arched panel depicts a scene of different physical stages of life as conditioned and contorted by social norms, gender roles, and political realities.

Yu Hong’s work was previously presented in Venice in the exhibition section 'Passage to the East', curated by Achille Bonito Oliva with Helena Kontova, at the Giardini Di Castello in the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1997 when she was featured in the group presentation in the China Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. 

Venue: Chiesetta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice, Italy
Date: April 20–November 24, 2024

Opening hours: 
Tuesday–Sunday 
11am–7pm, April 20–September 29, 2024 
10am–6pm, October 1–November 24, 2024 

The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, presents the first major exhibition in Europe of artist Yu Hong. ‘Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust ‘will take place concurrently with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from 20 April to 24 November 2024. The presentation is curated by Dr. Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

'Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust' will feature new figurative and narrative paintings that respond to the architectural and cultural context of the Chiesetta della Misericordia, a deconsecrated Romanesque-Byzantine church founded by Augustinian friars in the tenth century. Conditioned by this architectural site, the exhibition will present Yu Hong’s work outside the bounds of art-historical conventions, examining the artist’s worlding of supernatural realism as a radically anachronistic stance that further destabilizes our notions of contemporary life.

In ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, Yu Hong borrows images of people, mostly women and children, in writhing poses expressing mental anguish or imminent physical danger, both real and fantastical, from the internet and social media. Set against a gold ground and shaped as large tondos or arched panels, the figures presented confront and upend the epic themes of sacred art while not shying away from the role of painting to portray the sorrows of the human condition.

The works in the exhibition upend the epic themes of sacred art while embracing painting’s capacity to portray the human condition—the sorrows, absurdities, and transcendence of bodily existence. The large tondo paintings Birth (2022) and Death (2022) are set against a gold ground: a newborn held by a doctor’s prophylactic gloves and connected to its mother by an umbilical cord will be paired across the nave with the bare feet of several cadavers. The exhibition’s centerpiece will be a ten-part painting, Walking through Life (2019–22), suspended as a semicircle in the choir. Progressing from left to right, each arched panel depicts a scene of different physical stages of life as conditioned and contorted by social norms, gender roles, and political realities.

Yu Hong’s work was previously presented in Venice in the exhibition section 'Passage to the East', curated by Achille Bonito Oliva with Helena Kontova, at the Giardini Di Castello in the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1997 when she was featured in the group presentation in the China Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. 

Venue: Chiesetta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice, Italy
Date: April 20–November 24, 2024

Opening hours: 
Tuesday–Sunday 
11am–7pm, April 20–September 29, 2024 
10am–6pm, October 1–November 24, 2024 

The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, presents the first major exhibition in Europe of artist Yu Hong. ‘Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust ‘will take place concurrently with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from 20 April to 24 November 2024. The presentation is curated by Dr. Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

'Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust' will feature new figurative and narrative paintings that respond to the architectural and cultural context of the Chiesetta della Misericordia, a deconsecrated Romanesque-Byzantine church founded by Augustinian friars in the tenth century. Conditioned by this architectural site, the exhibition will present Yu Hong’s work outside the bounds of art-historical conventions, examining the artist’s worlding of supernatural realism as a radically anachronistic stance that further destabilizes our notions of contemporary life.

In ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, Yu Hong borrows images of people, mostly women and children, in writhing poses expressing mental anguish or imminent physical danger, both real and fantastical, from the internet and social media. Set against a gold ground and shaped as large tondos or arched panels, the figures presented confront and upend the epic themes of sacred art while not shying away from the role of painting to portray the sorrows of the human condition.

The works in the exhibition upend the epic themes of sacred art while embracing painting’s capacity to portray the human condition—the sorrows, absurdities, and transcendence of bodily existence. The large tondo paintings Birth (2022) and Death (2022) are set against a gold ground: a newborn held by a doctor’s prophylactic gloves and connected to its mother by an umbilical cord will be paired across the nave with the bare feet of several cadavers. The exhibition’s centerpiece will be a ten-part painting, Walking through Life (2019–22), suspended as a semicircle in the choir. Progressing from left to right, each arched panel depicts a scene of different physical stages of life as conditioned and contorted by social norms, gender roles, and political realities.

Yu Hong’s work was previously presented in Venice in the exhibition section 'Passage to the East', curated by Achille Bonito Oliva with Helena Kontova, at the Giardini Di Castello in the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1997 when she was featured in the group presentation in the China Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. 

Venue: Chiesetta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice, Italy
Date: April 20–November 24, 2024

Opening hours: 
Tuesday–Sunday 
11am–7pm, April 20–September 29, 2024 
10am–6pm, October 1–November 24, 2024 

The Asian Art Initiative of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, presents the first major exhibition in Europe of artist Yu Hong. ‘Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust ‘will take place concurrently with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from 20 April to 24 November 2024. The presentation is curated by Dr. Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

'Yu Hong: Another One Bites the Dust' will feature new figurative and narrative paintings that respond to the architectural and cultural context of the Chiesetta della Misericordia, a deconsecrated Romanesque-Byzantine church founded by Augustinian friars in the tenth century. Conditioned by this architectural site, the exhibition will present Yu Hong’s work outside the bounds of art-historical conventions, examining the artist’s worlding of supernatural realism as a radically anachronistic stance that further destabilizes our notions of contemporary life.

In ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, Yu Hong borrows images of people, mostly women and children, in writhing poses expressing mental anguish or imminent physical danger, both real and fantastical, from the internet and social media. Set against a gold ground and shaped as large tondos or arched panels, the figures presented confront and upend the epic themes of sacred art while not shying away from the role of painting to portray the sorrows of the human condition.

The works in the exhibition upend the epic themes of sacred art while embracing painting’s capacity to portray the human condition—the sorrows, absurdities, and transcendence of bodily existence. The large tondo paintings Birth (2022) and Death (2022) are set against a gold ground: a newborn held by a doctor’s prophylactic gloves and connected to its mother by an umbilical cord will be paired across the nave with the bare feet of several cadavers. The exhibition’s centerpiece will be a ten-part painting, Walking through Life (2019–22), suspended as a semicircle in the choir. Progressing from left to right, each arched panel depicts a scene of different physical stages of life as conditioned and contorted by social norms, gender roles, and political realities.

Yu Hong’s work was previously presented in Venice in the exhibition section 'Passage to the East', curated by Achille Bonito Oliva with Helena Kontova, at the Giardini Di Castello in the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1997 when she was featured in the group presentation in the China Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. 

Venue: Chiesetta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice, Italy
Date: April 20–November 24, 2024

Opening hours: 
Tuesday–Sunday 
11am–7pm, April 20–September 29, 2024 
10am–6pm, October 1–November 24, 2024