My favorite exhibition was the Poppy Fields one by Zhang Huan at Pace Gallery. It was his first solo exhibition in New York since 2010. The exhibit featured a series of large and vividly colored oil paintings. Against the white walls, the colors really popped out which made each painting stand out even more.
From afar, each work displays a mixture of colors ranging from black to candy-colored pink. Walking around the gallery gives the viewer a dizzying feeling. As one approaches each painting to find that upon further inspection, the big abstract painting is actually made up of tiny faces with big eyes and wild Cheshire grins.
As seen in the picture above, the whole linen canvas is covered in smiling faces and skulls. This one was my favorite of all of them because from a distance it just looked black and gloomy. However, when I looked at it from a closer point of view I saw a bunch of grinning faces staring at me. This made the whole gloomy feeling away even with the “boring” colors it was painted with.
Another interesting thing about these paintings is the impasto technique that Zhang Huan employs. The impasto technique is when the painter puts on the paint really thick on a canvas, and to the point where the strokes are visible. Along with an already visible Cheshire grinning face, there is a pop up effect that comes with it. It makes it look like all the faces are coming out at the viewer. 
The Arts in NYC
Baruch College, Fall 2013
Hey Wendy!
Looking back to this gallery visit, I really enjoyed examining the Poppy Fields by Zhang Huan! I really liked looking into the paintings rather than at them, which I initially did because I was so confused and a bit disturbed by all the grins. I immediately thought of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and thought about the almost supernatural-looking aspects of each painting, consisting of unusual ghostly chuckles. After spending a couple of minutes idly looking at them, I appreciated the artist’s work with his thick brushstrokes and making sure the faces don’t always blend together, differentiating each one with fine ridges and other techniques. The whole exhibition at Pace Gallery really felt like we were tripping on opium as we walked and gazed at each one, as that was a significant part of creating each one. Additionally, I enjoyed the fact that each painting was spaced out immensely, so that you can focus only on the painting due to the white walls.