"MADE in CHINA"
Long View Gallery
Washington, DC
August 16 - September 20, 2008
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Click here to view paintings created in China
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Full text from above Washington Post article:
A Chinese Holiday, Caught on Canvas: Two local artists, Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow, did what many of us wish we could do and took off
for a three-week jaunt through China just before the Olympics kicked off in Beijing. But it was a working holiday: Political painter Ellyn
and expressionist Sesow painted and drew what they saw there, ending up with documentary-style works that capture factory workers, daily life and even an impression left by Mao. A show of some of the resulting works opened at Long View Gallery this month. Free. Wednesday-Sunday 11am-7pm through Sept 20. Long View Gallery, 1302 Ninth Street, NW 202-23204788.
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Full text from above City Paper article:
"Made in China"
At Long View Gallery to September 20
By Maura Judkis
Posted: August 27, 2008
With the Olympic athletes gone, China is back to what it was when local artists Matt Sesow and Dana Ellyn visited for three weeks in July to create the works in "Made in China." And because the pair took a state-sponsored tour with other Westerners, their view of the country often evokes the sterilized images we saw while watching the OlympicsÑhappy acrobats, pandas, posters of a waving Chairman Mao, smiling schoolchildren. A few of the paintings hint at darker themes, though, such as Ellyn's China Trendy, which shows four girls wearing fashionable air-quality masks, or her self-explanatory Puppies in the Pantry. The show, which includes paintings and collage works, also captures the artists' reactions to their trip with humor and a critical eye. Sesow's illustrated journal has snippets from the plane ride: "The pilot said we would be traveling over the North Pole. Santa?" while Ellyn's reaction to their less-than-enthusiastic tour group is No Place Like Home, a tall portrait of a pained-looking American in a Dorothy costume, clutching a McDonald's cup and a Chinese fan, surrounded by fascinated Chinese schoolchildren. The two artists' styles contrast especially in how they, as Westerners, portray the eyes of their Chinese subjectsÑSesow's are cartoonishly round, anxious, and expressionistic, while Ellyn's are sunken and dark. Their China, while polite and stereotypical, doesn't lack for color or intrigue. "MADE IN CHINA" IS ON VIEW FROM 11 A.M. TO 7 P.M. WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY, TO Saturday, SEPT. 20, AT LONG VIEW GALLERY, 1302 9TH ST. NW. FREE. (202) 232-4788.
Aug. 29 - Sep. 4, 2008 (Vol. 28, #35)
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Press Release:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Drew Porterfield
202.232.4788
Drew_Porterfield@longviewgallery.com
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Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow
"Made in China"
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August 16 - September 20, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 16, 6 to 9pm
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Washington, D.C. - [July 29, 2008] - The Long View Gallery is pleased to announce a new exhibition of work
by D.C. artists Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow.
China is in the news a lot these days. While garnering fewer reports of its widespread human rights violations
and environmental woes, it is mostly making headlines with heartwarming stories anticipating the 2008
Olympic Games in the capital city of Beijing. With tensions high and the excitement building for the Olympics,
Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow packed up and headed to China for 3 weeks, documenting their journey on
canvas and paper.
Dana Ellyn's work demonstrates a risk-taking vision, strong content and a colorful critique of social morality -
perfect for traversing the complicated culture of China. Her paintings are often inspired by news stories and
current events which allow for an immediate connection to her work. Ellyn's "Made in China" pieces run the
gamut of Chinese figures, from street vendors to heads of state; even Mao couldn't escape her brush!
Matt Sesow, one of D.C.'s premiere outsider artists, is a master portrayer of conflict. His work demands a
reaction; his expressionist style comes across frantic, though his pieces feel resolved. Like Ellyn, Sesow's
work for the "Made in China" show focuses on figures he encountered while traveling around China, with the
occasional chicken thrown in - a regular visitor in his work.
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Postcard:
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Young Mao Strikes a Pose
acrylic on canvas
30"x40"
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Party Mime
acrylic on canvas
18"x24"
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Bouncing Baby Acrobat
acrylic on canvas
10"x30"
(conceived in China)
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One Child Policy
pen on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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5 Star Happy
acrylic on canvas
20"x20"
(conceived in China)
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There's No Place Like Home
acrylic on canvas
30"x40"
(conceived in China)
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China Trendy
acrylic on canvas
20"x20"
(conceived in China)
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Party Approved Shopping Trip
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Stinky Tofu Sonata
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Happy Luck
Kindergarten Commuter
pen on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Fetal Snake Wine Syndrome
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Anna Chan
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Retired Beauty
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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China Man
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Flip Flop Floatilla
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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River Song
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Tugai Man
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Ding Ding How
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Yangtze Lock #1
charcoal on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Preserving Life on the Yangtze
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Kung Fu
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Wu-Mart Shopper
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Follow the Leader
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Relocated
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Descent of the Dragonfly
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Catch of the Day
pen & pencil on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Floating on the Yangtze
pen & pencil on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Princess of Guilin
pen & pencil on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Bound Foot Birthday Party
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Snacks
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Drunk Monk
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Shanghai Acrobat
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Tick Tock Tourism
pen on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Yangtze Lock #2
charcoal on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Three Gorgeous
charcoal on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Pu Yi
Qing Emperor
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Shi Kefa
Ming Dynasty
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Little Chunhua
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Renyao
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Tiananmen Daydreamer
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Puppies in the Pantry
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Peddling Dumplings
pencil on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Chairman Mao Greets
Us at the North Pole
ink on paper
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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Xiaojio
acrylic on canvas
9"x12"
(created in China July 2008)
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View photos from my trip.
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