[Obituary]
Mr. Huang Zhuan, renowned art historian, critic and curator, executive director of OCAT Shenzhen and OCAT Institute, professor of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, passed away at 8:29 pm on April 13th, 2016 in Guangzhou, at the age of 58. With his family member’s approval, OCAT is now announcing the departure and receiving consolation and condolences from friends of all fields on behalf of his family (please mail to: jnhz@ocat.org.cn). We would like to express our sincere gratitude for all the consideration and condolences. We would also respect Mr. Huang’s wish which is to hold no forms of memorial service or farewell ceremony.
Respectfully yours,
OCAT
April 14, 2016
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Huang Zhuan
Renowned art historian, critic and curator, executive director of OCAT Shenzhen and OCAT Institute (Beijing), professor of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art
Born in 1958, Huang became a graduate of the department of history at Central China Normal University in 1982 and acquired his Master’s degree in the history of Chinese art at Hubei Institute of Fine Arts (HIFA) in 1988. He was also awarded for his MA thesis by the Wu Zuoren International Art Foundation of Fine Arts.
Huang worked on the editorial team of magazine Meishu Sichao (“Trend of Art Thought”) from 1985 to 1987 and the curator team of the 1st Guangzhou Biennial in 1992. From 1994 to 1996, he worked as an editor of magazine Hualang (Art Gallery). Huang became the researcher and curator of He Xiangning Art Museum in 1997 and the director of OCT Contemporary Art Terminal as well as the member of Artistic Advisory Committee of He Xiangning Art Museum in 2005. In the year of 2012, Huang was appointed as the executive director of OCAT Shenzhen and OCAT Insititue. He was also the president of Award of Art China (AAC) Selection Committee (2016).
As an art historian, Huang was dedicated to studies of art history. He co-published three prominent books with Yan Shanchun: Dangdai Yishu Wenti (Questions of Contemporary Art) (1992), Wenren-hua de Tushi, Quwei yu Jiazhi (Pattern, Taste and Value of Literati Painting) (1993) and Pan Tianshou (1998). In 2005 Huang started the “Case Studies in Chinese Contemporary Art” series and published the collection of Exhibition and Theory. He worked as the chief editor of World 3 Journal (2014) and organized the publication of the renditions of art history and theory (He Xiangning Art Museum). Huang’s published books also included Thought and Action in the Art World (2010) and Politics and Theology in Chinese Contemporary Art: Reflections on the Work of Wang Guangyi (2013).
As a curator, Huang curated and organized prominent projects including the 1st Academic Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art 96-97 (1996), the 1st Academic Forum of He Xiangning Art Museum (1998), “Beyond the Future: the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (China)” (1999), the 2nd Shenzhen Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition (1999), “Society: the 2nd Academic Exhibition Upriver Gallery” (2000), “City Slang Chinese Contemporary Art From Zhujiang River-Delta” (2001), “Transplantation in Situ: the 4th Shenzhen Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition” (2001), “Reinterpretation : the 1st Guangzhou Triennial” (2002), “Image is Power: the Art of Wang Guangyi, Zhang Xiaogang and Fang Lijun” (2002), Shenzhen OCT Subway Murals Project (2004), the 2nd Academic Forum of He Xiangning Art Museum (2005), “Plato and His Seven Spirits” (2005), “Translating Visuality Gu Wenda: Forest of Steles, Post Tang-Dynasty Poetry” (2005), “Asian Traffic Shenzhen: Visual Tunnel” (2006), “Creating History: Commemorative Exhibition of Chinese Modern Art in the 1980s” (2006), the 3rd Academic Forum of He Xiangning Art Museum (2007), “Qi Yun: the International Round Exhibition of Eight Artists’ Chinese Abstract Art” (2007), “Symptom: A Large Stage Work by Wang Jianwei ”(2008), “Visual Polity: Another Wang Guangyi” (2008), “Mute: Zhang Peili’s Solo Exhibition” (2008), “State Legacy: Research in the Visualization of Political History” (2009, Manchester, UK and Shenzhen, China), “Possible Vocabulary Games: Xu Tan Language Workshop” (2011), “’Thing-in-Itself:’ Utopia, Pop and Personal Mythology–Wang Guangyi Retrospective Exhibition” (2012, Beijing), Shanghai Pujiang Overseas Chinese Town Public Art Project (OCT-PAP) (2007-2015) among many others.