ZHOU B Art Store

New Beginnings: Zhou Brothers

This catalogue documents the work of an evening early in the new millennium when the Zhou Brothers - Shan Zuo and Da Huang - painted a work that answered a question that is always asked when people first see their work. How is that two artists work together to produce a painting that seems to be the product of a single vision? Not knowing anything about the artists, would it ever enter the mind of a viewer seeing their painting or sculptures for the first time that they are the joint work of two minds and two pairs of hands? It is not uncommon for composers to write works for four contrapuntal effects that are difficult for soloists to achieve. But is the same true of a painting, print or sculpture? At the gala opening of the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland from January 27 to February 1, 2000, in front of a large audience, the brothers painted New Beginnings, a vast canvas 9 feet 8 inches by 25 feet 6 inches that took its name from the theme of the conference. On the stage and under the glare of footlights, Shan Zuo and Da Huand gave a live painting performance that resulted in this masterful work.