Zhao Dalu: 'Balcony' series

The painting of nudes was considered a radical statement by the early avant-garde in China, as it challenged state-determined prescriptions for art, and it is still a somewhat provocative subject. A member of the important Chinese avant-garde 'Stars' group of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Dalu completed the 'Balcony' series while living in Australia in 2007. Raw and confronting, they mark a departure from Zhao's more refined early style, and convey a mix of personal anxiety, cultural dislocation and professional frustration from which the artist was attempting to free himself using the medium of painting.