On Stage 2019 - 2021

In this exhibition entitled "On Stage," Mingjun Luo questions not only his own identity but that of every human being. To what extent is our belief in our independence a utopia? Don’t we all partially play a role dictated by social codes? The past or current experience of home confinement as a protective measure against Covid-19 has only heightened this question. The artist addresses this in works that, through their execution and subject matter, are tinged with mystery and invite meditation.
In the painting entitled "On Stage," a soft light reveals a stage occupied by an empty chair. Echoing absence and solitude, this chair may recall the experience related to confinement due to Covid-19. Furthermore, in the exhibition room, several circles on the floor - one furnished with a seat - evoke the "social distancing" measures imposed in the same context. But these works, and especially the painting, also question the viewer: could it be them projecting onto this stage, as an actor?
According to Mingjun Luo, we all play a role on the stage of our own lives. A role embedded in us since childhood by moral and cultural principles, among others, in line with the ancient metaphor of the theatrum mundi. A role subject to the gaze and judgment of others. Conversely, we are also spectators of the performance of others.