Fake Beard, Genuine Article

"Beard No. 3" is a sample of a promising new direction for Lu Zhang. (Randall Scott Gallery)

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By Jessica Dawson

Friday, April 25, 2008

· Lu Zhang, a 2004 grad of Maryland Institute College of Art, makes obsessive drawings where hair-thin ink lines squirm on white paper like protozoa in a petri dish. This style, which looks like hangover from high school bio, is an all too familiar conceit in today's art world. Zhang should stick to works with more conceptual heft, such as her five drawings here based on Chinese opera costumes. Each picture depicts a single object -- three of them are beards and two are hairpieces -- in fine lines mimicking delicate strands. Though Zhang presents them in a lonely background, she injects their fibers with a charge of anticipation.

Lu Zhang at Randall Scott Gallery, 1326 14th St. NW, Wednesday- Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 202-332-0806, to May 24;http://www.randallscottgallery.com.