28 Chinese: Contemporary Art in China
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, one of the largest Western-located museums solely dedicated to Asian Art, implements its focus on contemporary Asian art with its new exhibition 28 Chinese. We offer you an insight into the premiere exhibit of the two-part Summer of Contemporary series.
Featuring 28 artists the exhibition explores different perspectives of contemporary art in China. Artists range from the prominent Ai Weiwei to newcomers such as Liu Wei. The exhibition was formed in a collaborative effort between guest curator, Allison Harding, and art collectors Don and Mera Rubell who acquired the artwork through six research trips to China and over a decade’s worth of study. The artwork featured spans a range of mediums including photography, video, installation, painting, and new media. Each piece varies in its inspiration, narrative and technicalities, highlighting the individualistic nature of China’s contemporary art scene.
The exhibition begins on the ground floor of the museum with a bright orange wall displaying each of the artists’ names. The variation of contemporary art is eminent with Xie Molin’s digitally controlled machine-drawn painting Gradation No. 3 (2012) on display near the more traditional, hand-painted 13905 (2013) by Wang Guangle. The works offer a variety beyond a technical level. Molin’s work is a response to China’s machine age today, whereas 13905 mimics an abstract view of a Chinese burial tradition.
Illuminating this connection between China’s past and traditions with its contemporary art scene, pieces of art in 28 Chinese are placed in spaces dedicated to traditional art throughout the second and third levels of the museum. One such works on the 2nd floor South Asian gallery is The Death of Marat (2011) by He Xiangyu. Xiangyu’s sculpture, made from fibreglass and human hair, depicts Weiwei and is representative of his political persecution in China. The sculpture proves to have a strong impact on viewers who, initially shocked by the life-like sculpture, stops to take photos of the piece as they walk around it.
Weiwei’s own work is also displayed in the midst of the museum’s collection of traditional art. Both objects Table with Two Legs (2008) and Ton of Tea (2005) remark upon China’s history. The former is associated with the Qing dynasty while the latter refers to China’s trade history through American minimalism.
With its substantial 40-foot length, Zhu Jinshi’s Boat (2012) is boasted as the largest artwork installed in the museum. Boat is comprised of 8,000 sheets of calligraphy paper layered on top of each other on bamboo rods that are hung from cotton threads. The installation embodies a symbolic journey that can take any direction similar to time and experience, as the artist puts it. Other prominent installations include Cola Project (2009—2011) by He Xiangyu. The installation takes up an entire room showcasing the process and aftermath of boiling 127 tons of Coca-Cola, which extracted over 40 cubic feet of residuum.
The exhibition is accompanied by a public program, which ranges from lectures to screenings. Co-presented by the Asia Society of Northern California, the next event features a panel discussion about Urbanisation and Globalisation in China and will relate to global trends and Chinese traditions. Following 28 Chinese, the contemporary series will continue with First Look: Collecting Contemporary at the Asian from Friday 4 September – Sunday 11 October 2015.
28 Chinese will be on display until Sunday 16 August 2015 at The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, in San Francisco, United States.
Words by Perwana Nazif.
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