Although Ji Wenyu has exhibited at Cologne’s Sammlung Ludwig and Portugal’s Biennale de Maya, the western world has yet to fully experience his fabulous delights. The cheeky Chinese artist has been around for over ten years, and while recognition in his homeland is obvious, things are just starting to hot up in the UK and US. However, it’s not all bad. Museum 52 has managed to pick up on his talents, and last night presented ‘Dressing Up Before Going Out’. This is Wenyu’s first solo show in the UK and offers a small but perfectly formed set of works. ‘Living Fossils Have Successfully Mated’, (above) centres on a pair of pandas getting it on, ’Strong Men and Beautiful Women Living in the City’, gives off a greenish trannie vibe, and ‘Jeff Koons is Replaced’, (below) harbours a crisp cosmetic edge. These works are all fun, funky and fresh. In fact, they’re a force to be reckoned with. 
I’m a fan of Wenyu’s work. It’s easy to appreciate, entertaining, quirky and queer. It's blatantly East Asian, which is, frankly, wonderful. But how does Wanyu pull this all off so adeptly? He takes all those colours typical of mainstream Chinese advertising of old, and pulls them together for a contemporary, tripped out scene. Bubble gum pinks, grassy greens, lurid turquoises and bright yellows are packed into one small flat space. Sounds awful, but believe me, it looks superb. Wenyu has manage to harness his brighter than bright palatte into a cool, pop art style, creating pieces that are both thought provoking and amusing – amusing for all the right reasons. You see, Wenyu is smart, sharp and sarcastic. He’s an ideal artistic commentator to China’s social and economic scene. Documenting the weird and wonderful habits of those who surround him, he notes their desires and eccentricities, and sometimes seedy traits. But best of all, he does it perfectly.Ji Wenyu’s ‘Dressing Up Before Going Out’ takes place at Museum 52, Redchurch Street, London, E2, from 30th June – 3oth July.
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