Exhibition
WEN WU - Vivien Leigh Complex
29 Jan 2011 – 20 Feb 2011
Event times
Open Saturdays & Sundays, 12-6pm
Cost of entry
Free
Address
- Unit A
- Leswin Place
- London
- N16 7NJ
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Buses: 243, 76, 67, 149, 106, 73, 476
- Dalston Kingsland
- Train: overground to Rectory Rd ( LIv.St -Enfield) or Dalston Kingsland
Solo exhibition of paintings and installations by Wen Wu
About
BHVU is delighted to present a solo exhibition by London based artist Wen Wu. Titled 'Vivien Leigh Complex', this exhibition will feature a new series of paintings and installations inspired from Wen Wu''s childhood infactuation and love for the English actress Vivien Leigh.
'Vivien Leigh, her name is pronounced in Chinese as 'Fei Wen Li'.
It started when I was 14, and up to this very day, whenever I hear those three syllables my heart is touched by love. I first saw her when I was much younger, maybe 12, I was watching a TV show which included a 5 minute scene from Gone With The Wind, I saw Scarlet throwing a vase at Red Buttler and I was shocked by her beauty and character, It was a kind of unexplainable love at first sight and I asked who is she? and what's name of the film?, but there was no information to help me to find out and I had no one to ask. Two years later, in the summer time of my 2nd year at middle school, my mother bought the Gone With The Wind novel for me. I read the novel and was surprised to find out that the scene came from this book. At the same time I found a treasure in my auntie's black wooden box, I found hundreds of movie magazines! The magazines were from 1980-1984. Then I finally found out that the actress was called Vivien Leigh so every afternoon, when everyone else was asleep, I went into the sunny yard and cut out all the information about her and stuck it in my scrap book. In China, I had no way to see the film so I had to wait two more years until the Chinese new year's eve, then I turned on a TV channel to see the full gone with the wind film. I could now finally see her in the film, I had been waiting for what seemed like an age for a young girl and I had no one to share my anxious waiting or excitement with. I continued to spend all my pocket money on movie magazines, and if I saw a page with Vivien on it I would tear it out to keep. I thought about Vivien a lot and painted her so much that I no longer needed to copy an image when painting her as her face was etched in my mind. '
Wen Wu, 2010
Wen Wu lives and works in London. She has exhibited widely, most recently in Seoul and Beijing at the end of 2010. Her work has featured in many group shows in London and internationally. More of Wens Wu's work can be seen at : www.wenwu.co.uk
