Chinese artist 50 Francs is exhibiting his pixel art at an exhibition at La Vie Materielle in Futian District.

Pixel art is a form of digital art created through the use of software in which images are edited on the pixel level. A common characteristic in pixel art is the low overall color count in the image. Pixel art as a medium mimics a lot of traits found in older video game graphic rendered by machines which were capable of outputting only a limited number of colors at once.

Works by 50 Grancs.

50 Francs, whose real name is Lyu Xiaozheng, graduated from the sculpture department of Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. His alias comes from an experience he had in high school in 2001 when a French reporter bought 10 of his paintings for 50 Francs each.

Most of 50 Francs’ pixel drawings created through mobile phone apps are reflections of daily life portraying common objects because for him, these items carry memories of a specific period of time. He said that he was reluctant to use smart phones before 2012, and later he gradually noticed that technology and smart phones had irreversibly changed people’s lives, so he decided to use smart phone apps to record his life. For example, for Valentine’s Day in 2016, he saw many friends posting photos of chocolates and roses to their WeChat Moments, so he created a pixel drawing of a bottle of chili sauce to express his unique understanding of Valentine’s Day.

Dates: Until Jan. 31, 2020

Venue: La Vie Materielle, intersection of Baihua Road 2 and Baihua Road 5, Futian District (福田区百花二路和百花五路交汇处物质生活书吧)

Metro: Line 3 or 7 to Huaxin Station (华新站), Exit C(SD News)