Whenever possible, Galleri Sandberg likes to acknowledge its location in Odense by making every effort to showcase the work of local artists as part of its annual programme. This exhibition – well, at least 50% of it! – reflects that endeavour, welcoming as it does the artist Poul R. Weile, a graduate of the Funen Art Academy. He is joined by the Chinese artist, Wang Lan. Both are now Berlin-based. Galleri Sanberg is delighted to present works by these two fascinating artists in what promises to be an intriguing exhibition.

The body – and particularly the female body – is a centuries-old motif in the history of art, and the depiction of the naked female body is often an expression of sensuality – at least in Western art. This exhibition is a homage to the female body. Historically, in Chinese art, the human being – and especially the human body – was a virtually non-existent theme. But things have changed. Wang Lan is part of a generation of female artists tackling the female body – perhaps in an attempt to free themselves from the traditional Chinese view of society and challenge Western cultural dominance. Her mixed-media works (Chinese watercolour, ink and embroidered silk on rice paper over canvas) are saucily provocative with an alluring touch of eroticism. They are partnered by Poul R. Weile’s collages. Also in mixed media, their strict forms and quasi-Surrealist touch (think Wilhelm

Freddie) touch on themes such as women’s power and gender identity.

POUL R. WEILE (b.1954) is a Danish multi-artist and performer. A graduate of the Funen Art Academy (1979 – 1984), he has been living and working in Berlin since 2008. He works mostly abroad. His work includes numerous decoration projects: for example, for Fredens Kirke, Odense (Paulus, bronze and granite, 1995), Odense City’s Art Fund (Adapted Surroundings No. 1, 2000) and Sail Away to the Land You know so Well. He is represented in several Danish art museums.

WANG LAN comes from Guizhou Province, China. She studied traditional, classical ink painting at the Art College of the Minority Institute of Guizhou Province and at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. While living in China, her work was featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions. She also published an illustrated book: A Collection of Artistic Works by Wang Lan. She has lived in Germany since the late 1990s, and studied textile and fashion design at Kunsthochschule Kassel, graduating in 2003. Wang Lan has exhibited extensively throughout Germany.