qi peng, conceptual artist

"the case of salander" series of paintings analyzes the hoopla of the recent Larry Salander fraud case that paralleled the collapse of the world markets in late 2009. These daringly traditional works are all oil, possibly fraudulent history paintings caused by and dealing with the themes of deception, greed, and the media's attraction to problematic celebrities. I ask the questions, "Should art have morality, even with the artist who can become a magician of deceit and a wizard of image as desired?" This and other ethical questions I pose as a conceptual artist exploring the "fake" academic base of figurative art itself using the techniques of the mirror image to symbolize the reversal of fortune and art world laws as well as gray tones to reflect the not-so-black and white situation of shady characters here.