Exhibition Title: "Portraits: Recent Works by Baochi Zhang" Dates: Oct. 26 through Dec. 18 Location: Memorial Union Art Gallery 2nd Floor, Memorial Union University of California, Davis Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Closed during Thanksgiving holiday Reception: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5-7 p.m. Artist: Baochi Zhang The newly renovated UC Davis Memorial Union Art Gallery reopens after two years with an exhibition of recent works by UC Davis art professor Baochi Zhang. By fastening tacks or screws into canvas-covered boards, or by burning cigarette holes into silk, Zhang creates portraits of himself and others. The process results in pointillist images that, on close inspection, scatter into what Zhang terms the "yes" and "no," or "zero" and "one" of digital language, but become coherent as expressive portraits as the viewer moves away. Zhang believes contradiction is the basis for personal and even social change. The contradictions he expresses in his works stem not only from his experience as a Chinese artist living and making art in the American art world, but also from experiences that occur on a more global scale. In the fast pace of life in 20th-century America, Zhang believes, our concepts of truth, beauty and even life itself are constantly being challenged not only by cultural differences but also by the rapid development of technology. He finds these challenges exciting and is fascinated particularly by digital technology, exploring through his art how this technology relates to our past. He believes that in its purest form, a reduction to a numerical code, digital language can be traced back to roots in the ancient Chinese "Yi Jing" or "Book of Change." Zhang makes this language visible in the portraits that he creates. Born and raised in China, Zhang received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting at Xi'an College of Fine Arts in 1982, and a Master of Arts in Art History from The Academy of Arts of China in Beijing in 1985. After coming to the United States he studied sculpture at Florida State University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1990. The reception and exhibition are open to the public, and the Memorial Union Art Gallery is wheelchair accessible. Exhibition dates are made in advance and may be subject to change. Please call (530) 752-2885 to confirm exact dates.