Born in Hangzhou in 1961, Song Ling graduated from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art) in 1984 and joined the Zhejiang Academy of Painting as a professional painter. In 1985, he participated in the “85 New Tide”, in which he predicted the contradictions of human nature in the era of industrialization with the cold and grim technique of surrealism. In 1986, together with Zhang Peiqiong, Geng Jianyi, and Wang Qiang, he founded one of the most important art groups in the early period of Chinese contemporary art, the “Pool Society”, and created the series of “Meaningless Choice,” which was representative and influential at the time, and became one of the most important artists of the 85 New Wave art movement. In 1988, Song Ling moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he participated in the earliest exhibitions of contemporary Chinese art, held seventeen solo exhibitions across the country, and was selected as one of the most noteworthy Australian contemporary young artists. Although he has lived in Australia for a long time, Song Ling has also been paying close attention with the contemporary art ecology in China. He returned to China in 2013 and established a studio in Hangzhou.
Between 1986 and 1987, Song Ling created a series of group paintings entitled “Unintentional Choice?” in a unique ink and watercolor format. between 1986 and 1987. In this series of paintings, he absorbed and integrated expressive forms and linguistic features such as photography, intentionally reproducing the same object (usually a domestic animal) over and over again in a manner reminiscent of Benjamin's critique of the age of mechanical reproduction and his works of art. The artist's depictions of domestic animals can also be seen as depictions of human beings: in the age of industrial technology of mechanized breeding, human beings and domestic animals shared the same fate. At the time, Song Ling's creations were featured on the cover and front page of Fine Arts magazine and China Art Newspaper. After moving to Australia, Song Ling became closer to Western modern and contemporary art. He has also experimented with different mediums such as mixed collage and acrylic on canvas, but ink remains Song Ling's first choice. In recent years Song Ling has used ink exclusively for contemporary art expression. “Especially after coming into contact with more Western art, I also have some renewed understanding of ink painting and feel that there are still a lot of things in Chinese ink painting that can be excavated and explored.” Using Chinese ink wash blending as the creative tone, the artist does not stop drilling in thinking about the language. From the concrete animal-based images, the artist gradually develops two directions, one is to re-invent the traditional Chinese painting, and the other is to put the subtle alienation of the ready-made products. In his view, what is important is not the ink itself, but what kind of concepts are exported with ink and what kind of visual logic is used to narrate them, and what is important is the presence of knowledge. In the age of consumption, the virtual space of materialism is filled with noise and coldness, and only the instinct of ink narration precipitates some warmth for it, and all this shapes a subtle imbalance, as in this worst and best of times.
Song Ling's major solo exhibitions in recent years include: Mirror of Reproduction - Song Ling (1985-2013) (Today Art Museum, Beijing, 2014); Face (Eva Breuer Gallery, Sydney, 2013); Beauty and the Beast (Niagara Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 2012); Song Ling's ink and wash works (Zhejiang Academy of Painting, Hangzhou, China); and Song Ling's work (Zhejiang Academy of Painting, Hangzhou, China). Works (Zhejiang Painting Academy, Hangzhou, 2001). His works are in the collections of various public institutions and galleries, including the Art Bank of Australia, Australia and New Zealand Bank, White Rabbit Gallery, Deakin University, Asia-Pacific Museum, Long Museum of Art, and the Edward YuzFoundation.
Solo Exhibitions
2024.“Borrowed Scenery”, Ginkgo Space, Shanghai, China
2023.“I’m also starting to have desires.”, HAO Art Museum, Shanghai, China
2020.“Model House”, Riverside, Hangzhou, China
2019.“Catch the Muddle”, New Century Art Foundation “Pond Society”, Shanghai, China
2018.“Magritte’s Room”, Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Shenzhen, China
2016.“Wildlife” , Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2015.“Face”, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
2015.“Ghosts in the Mirror – Song Ling 1985-2015”, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
2014.“Ghosts in the Mirror – Song Ling 1985-2013”, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
2013.“The Face”, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Australia
2012.“Beatty and the Beast”, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
2011.“A Day in the Life”, Michael Reid, Sydney, Australia
2010.“Kaleidoscope”, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
2009. Paintings by Song Ling, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Australia
2008.“When We Were Young”, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
2007. Song Ling, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Australia
2006. Song Ling, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
1997. Song Ling, Caulfield Arts Complex, Melbourne, Australia
1996. Paintings by Song Ling, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia
1994. Paintings by Song Ling, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia
1992. Paintings by Song Ling, Pinacotheca, Melbourne, Australia
1991. “Mystical East”, Chinese Museum, Melbourne, Australia
1989. “Impounded Visions”, Frank Hardy Fine Art, Brisbane, Australia
Group Exhibitions
2023.“Start”, Start Museum, Shanghai
2022.“Citing Geng as the reason”, Ooeli, Hangzhou
2021.“Futurism of the Past - Contemplating the Past and Future in Chinese Contemporary Art”, Beijing Exhibition Center, Beijing
2020.“Waves and Echoes - A Process of Re-contemporarization in Chinese Art Circa 1987 Revisited”, Beijing Inside - Out Art Museum, Beijing, China
2020.“Duration – Chinese Art In Transfor Mation”, Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China
2020.“Being of Evils”, Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2018.“HERE/ELSEWHERE - The Sample of Overseas Chinese Art”, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
2018.“Animamix Biennale - Ballade”, MOCA Shanghai, Shanghai, China
2017.“Crisscrossing East and West”, MOCA Yinchuan, Yinchuan, China
2016.“The 9th International Ink Art Biennale of Shenzhen”, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen
2016.“scene”, Mid-Levels Buildings, Wenzhou
2016.“Unrealities In The Reality”, Boxes Art Space, Shenzhen
2014.“VARIATION-Contemporary Chinese Ink Art Series Il”, Hive Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing
2014.“Crossing Boundaries”, Contemporary Asian Australian Artists, Sydney Town Hall, Sydney, Australia
2013. “Arts Can Do”, Australia China Art Foundation, Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong
2013. The Sulman Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2012.“Art Event”, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
2012.“Chinese Australia”, Ausin Tung Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2009.“Art for Science”, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2009.“Now2.0“, ACGA Gallery, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia
2009. “Salon des Refuses Exhibition”, The National Trust S.H.Ervin Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2009. Sulman Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2008. Australian Contemporary Art, the Rotunda Exchange Square Central, Hong Kong
2007. ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia
2007. The City of Darebin and La Trobe University Art Prize, Bundoora Homestead Art Center, Melbourne, Australia
2007.“Art for Science”, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2007.“Crossroads”, Toyota Community Spirit Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2006. Melbourne Art Fair, Niagara Galleries, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia
1997. Chinese Painting, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
1994.“A Place of Refuge”, Ballarat Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia
1992.“Transitional Chinese Art in Australia”, East and West Art, Melbourne, Australia
1989.“The Light of Asia”, The Arts Center Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
1988.“Australia in the Mirror of the East”, Galleria Di Tonetto E Salla, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
1988. Mayoon Fine Asian Art, Los Angeles, USA
1986.“Chishe”, a series of art events, happenings and environmental installations, Hangzhou, China
1986.“Beyond the Open Door”, Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles, USA
1985.“85 New Space”, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou, China
1985. Sport in Chinese Art, China Art Gallery, Beijing, China
1985. Exhibition of Youth Art in a Progressing China, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
Collections
White Rabbit Gallery，Australia
Yuz Foundation, Djakarta, Indonesia, Shanghai, China
Long Museum, Shanghai, China
ANZ Bank, Melbourne, Australia
Sydney Art Bank, Sydney, Australia
Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Hawkesbury Art Collection, Australia
Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles, USA
