Born in 1979 in Liaoning Dandong, China, Jia Aili resides and works in Beijing. He has been part of a group of Chinese artists who have wanted to explore the ultimate meaning of painting. Jia has had solo exhibitions in London, Hong Kong, USA and Beijing in 2010.‘Old Painter I’ tries to sound an alarm to what Jia fears is the decline or marginalization of painting in contemporary art. The painting is reminiscent of the early monumental ‘apocalyptic wasteland’ paintings by Jia, but here, an elderly figure stands in what looks like a used car junkyard. The artist seems to suggest that the figure could represent the ancient tradition of painting that has managed to survive despite being cast aside into the junkyard of history for newer artistic trends.
