EDUCATION PROGRAM A practical classroom aid for teachers and students with profiles of six key artists in the White Rabbit Gallery’s Smash Palace Exhibition. Artists in Focus 1. Cheng Dapeng 2. He An 3. Jin Shi 4. Miao Xiaochun 5. Shyu Ruey-Shiann 6. Zhou Jie white rabbit Education Program Fracturing China About White Rabbit China is changing at breakneck The White Rabbit Gallery was speed, and for its citizens the results founded in 2009 to share the Chinese are both energising and unsettling. contemporary art collection of Mrs Under Mao, the Communist Party Judith Neilson with the public. set out to “smash the Four Olds”: All the works in the White Rabbit customs, culture, habits and ideas. Collection were created after 2000. Now the “new China” they built is itself under assault. Having tasted freedom, many people want more than the system is prepared to allow. The immovable edifice of Party rule is starting to show cracks. SMASH PALACE, until 4 August 2013, showcases the reactions of China’s best artists to the shocks of the new century. Some question the solidity of the status quo; others lift the shining masks and find monsters beneath. Some artists find reality so absurd that mockery seems the only proper response; others seek anchors in the same Olds the hard-liners were so determined to erase. Cheng Dapeng and Zhou Jie create Together they present a cross-section of China’s most exciting and technically superb contemporary art and a portrait of China as it grapples with the changes of this new century. Education and activities in the Gallery extend beyond the artworks and artists to the broader canvas of Chinese history, language, culture and custom. As the 19th-century British art critic John Ruskin observed, “Great nations write three manuscripts: the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art. Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the two others, but of these the only trustworthy one is the last.” Through its education program, surreal cities using, respectively, White Rabbit hopes to encourage 3D printing and the ceramics to students to “read” not only China’s art which China gave its name. He An but its history and literature as well. uses neon building signs to write a pair of symbolic love letters. Jin Shi recreates in downsized detail the grimy, cluttered “mini home” of a poor urban migrant, and Miao Xiaochun views globalisation with a traditionalist’s eye. (Cover) He An, What Makes Me Understand What I Know (detail), 2009, illuminated signs and neon lights, dimensions variable White Rabbit Gallery: Meet the Artists: Cheng DAPENG For more information, visit whiterabbitcollection.org ChenG Dapeng Cheng Dapeng (born Beijing, 1968) is a successful architect as well as an artist. “To earn a living as an architect,” he says, “I have had to compromise and do what developers say. I have made money from this process of creating monster buildings. Wonderful City is my reaction to this as an artist.” Wonderful City 2011–2012 3D prints in resin on lightbox 960 x 200 x 80 cm “The people of the cities are like monsters because they don’t lead a normal life.” Cheng Dapeng’s artworks are marked by a sense ugliness of China’s rapidly growing cities, Cheng of the new and the “now”. Wonderful City (2011- Dapeng does not fear for the future. “Artists must 2012) uses the cutting-edge technology of 3D be ready to change and adapt to different environ- printing, in which micro-thin sheets of droplets or ments and situations,” he believes. And China’s granules are laid down according to a computer- younger generation, with their exposure to new generated design and finally fused into solid form. technologies and ideas from around the world, Working with a team of fellow architects, Cheng “have completely different views from the last Dapeng took two years to complete the instal- generation.” In that fact lies a glimmer of hope. lation: a year of research, six months of experi- Perhaps the cities they and their children build 50 ments and a year of design and production. They years from now will be genuinely wonderful. used Pixologic’s ZBrush 4R5 to design the models, and three 3D printers to transform their 200+ Things to think about digital drawings into objects. Cheng Dapeng worries that “China is developing in a distorted way.” Superficially, his model buildings resemble the ones architects and property developers show to their clients. But the “development” these buildings promise is monstrously distorted: they resemble not homes and workplaces but alien ghost-creatures in a cruel fairytale world. The forms are based on original paintings by Cheng Dapeng. “In China we have a unique and difficult situation,” he explains. “Private owners aim to make money, while the government aims to increase the influence of the city. These things damage the environment and affect judgment. There are many alien structures around China which are against the ethics of our architecture and culture. Landmark buildings have armed police guarding them. This is by no means normal. My artwork reflects this abnormality.” 1. Whose Wonderful City do you think this Despite his concerns about the destruction of the natural environment and the hotch-potch installation represents: the artist’s, the architect’s or the viewer’s? Give reasons for your answer. 2. The standard miniaturised white models that architects and property vendors use is supposed to give an impression of truth and reality. How are truth and reality represented in Cheng Dapeng’s Wonderful City? 3. Suggest a purely objective or a purely subjective reading of this artwork. 4. “To remain competitive, artists must adapt to a new generation of technology users and tools.” Discuss this comment with reference to Wonderful City. 5. If you could touch this artwork, what would you be seeking? White Rabbit Gallery: Meet the Artists: HE AN For more information, visit whiterabbitcollection.org HE AN “I was born in a city and in the future I might die in the city. All my thought and emotional expression come from the everyday language of the city.” He An’s artworks tend to fuse commercial expressions with per- I have friends who are policemen, and friends who are gangsters.” sonal ones. Like many emerging artists of his generation, he is He An sees his neon-light installations as a way to “make a particularly concerned by the social and psychological disloca- connection between my work and the reality of urban living”. The tions that result from relentless urban growth. But he also loves characters in What Makes Me Understand What I Know spell out the city and says he could never be happy outside it. “I want to the names of the artist’s father and of his Japanese idol. The vary- produce artworks that promote debate, dialogue and conversation ing colours, sizes and styles of the characters, and the fact that about modern life,” he has said. While his light installations have some are broken and unlit, simultaneously evoke energy and am- an abstract, even cryptic character, “My concern is with reality.” biguity and, for Chinese-reading viewers, sense and nonsense. It A central reality of He An’s recent life is the death of his father. is a discourse of opposites: male vs female, young vs old, living vs He Tao Yuan passed away on 30 June 2006. “We had a very close dead, sacred vs profane, whole vs broken. For He An, it sums up relationship,” the artist has said, “and after his death I missed him the endless discourse of life in the city. a lot. Although we now live in different worlds, I wanted to create an artwork that would strengthen our bond in some way, and so Things to think about I decided to write his name in lights.” This gesture of filial piety 1. He An believes “it is important for an artist to create works is somewhat undermined by the second name He An decided to that promote debate, dialogue and conversation about modern write in lights, that of the Japanese porn star Yoshioka Miho (Ji life.” What do you think? Gang Mei Hui in Chinese). The artist explains the bizarre juxtaposition as follows: “My father used to live near me. I could see him during spring festival every year. The Japanese actress seemed far 2. In what ways has He An’s installation expanded your understanding of modern life in China? 3. “In cities around the world, neon lights have become a major away from me and I could only see her on Internet. Now my father part of visual public space. Crossing over into the museum and has passed away and I don’t know if I’ll get to see him after I die. gallery system, however, presents a unique set of challenges.” At least Ji Gang Mei Hui and I live in the same world, and perhaps List and discuss some of these challenges. I will get to see her in Japan one day…” Having resolved to create a neon memorial to this unlikely pair, He An had trouble obtaining certain characters. “I didn’t care how I got those signs,” he has said, “but they had to come from the city. In fact, I hired people to steal them. In China, this is very easy. He An (born Wuhan, Hubei, 1971) studied at the Hubei Academy of Arts. He began in photography and also paints in oils, but he is best known for his neon-light installations, which hover between bas-relief sculptures and conceptual art. 4. “ Art has become small, superficial and self-indulgent in its emotional range: sentimental rather than truly intellectual or moving.” Discuss with reference to this work. 5. How important is background knowledge to the understanding and appreciation of an artwork? What Makes Me Understand What I Know 2009 illuminated neon signs dimensions variable White Rabbit Gallery: Meet the Artists: JIN SHI For more information, visit whiterabbitcollection.org JIN SHI “Objects can be far more persuasive than people. People can pretend, but objects can’t.” Jin Shi (born Xintai, Henan, 1976) is the son of an artist and studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. He now lives and works in Hangzhou. He says he is inspired by “current political and economic conditions” and that most of his works are “based on life at the bottom”. Mini Home 2005 mixed media 140 x 120 x 195 cm Mini Home (2005) captures the spirit of the uncounted millions of Things to think about rural dwellers who have moved to the cities in search of work and a 1. In what ways has Jin Shi’s installation expanded your under- better life. “These guys come,” the artist has said, “but city people standing of the plight of migrant workers in China? never accept them and they are treated as outcasts. Yet, after see- 2. Imagine that you are the curator of the Smash Palace Exhi- ing the dazzling temptations of the big city, no one wants to return bition at the White Rabbit Gallery. The emotive nature of Jin to the barren soil of the country.” For these urban migrants, who Shi’s installation presents a particular set of challenges. What need official permits to work in the city and often remain illegally might some of these challenges be? How would you solve them? rather than go home, “the universal desire for ‘a good job and a 3. “Art has a special relationship with society because it prompts good home’ becomes a pitiful compromise.” people to think about reality and universal issues.” Discuss. Having come to the city with big dreams, these people are 4. Examine the sensory-emotional appeal of the work in terms forced to downsize in every sense. Their lives become smaller, of its composition, perspective, and the miniaturization of its shabbier versions of the ones they had hoped to lead. Mini Home components. (2005) epitomises this shrinkage. Its tiny, roofless cubicle is filled 5. “ The world of capitalism is inhuman enough and the conditions with over 200 scaled-down items, ranging from pots and pans in which we live and work are unbearable. But art whether it is to cheap versions or imitations of luxury goods. Jin Shi’s grand- good or bad strikes a chord that vibrates in people’s hearts and mother made the blankets and clothes, while the artist made or souls. That art is important to our lives is beyond question.” purchased replicas of utensils and designer-brand items. “ ‘Mini’ is Suggest a purely Marxist reading of Jin Shi’s Mini Home. not only reflected in the material sense but also deeply engraved on the humble hearts of these people,” he has said. “It is even written on their dry, rough faces and in their soft murmurs. Dwellings, as a person’s most private space, are the best places to reveal both material life and spiritual needs. This is why I created Mini Home.” White Rabbit Gallery: Meet the Artists: miao xiaochun For more information, visit whiterabbitcollection.org miao xiaochun “What I am good at is revealing through images things that cannot be articulated well through language.” A world-famous photographer and multimedia artist, Miao Xiaochun (born Wuxi, Jiangsu, 1964) is also a professor of digital media at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. He studied art in Germany and continues to spend much of his time in Europe. Await, 2006 transparency on lightbox 136 x 323 x 8 cm Miao Xiaochun’s preferred medium is digital photography, but that appeared on Chinese streets were portraits of Chairman Mao his artworks reflect many of the principles of traditional Chinese Zedong. The phone is an emblem of the power of Western ideas painting. Like horizontal ink scrolls, his meticulously Photo- and commerce, and an ironic comment on the isolation of the in- shopped images are made up of separate panels that can be viewed dividuals waiting below. Miao Xiaochun has said he is struck by individually or as a seamless whole. Miao Xiaochun too depicts “the loneliness and alienation experienced by people ... in huge, landscapes, but instead of misty mountains, he focuses on bus- overcrowded cities ... separated by the very technology that is sup- tling city streets. And whereas the old painters often embellished posed to bring us together.” their scrolls with poetic verses, he drives his points home using advertising images and brand names. Many traditional scrolls included only one or two figures, solitary Things to think about 1. “As new possibilities emerge, old certainties are breaking travellers lost in the vastness of nature. The 3-metre-long Await down.” In what ways do Miao Xiaochun’s artworks demon- (2006) portrays a crowd waiting—in boredom or impatience— strate alienation and estrangement in modern urban contexts? at an urban bus exchange. Miao Xiaochun photographed the 2. “Posters, signs and advertisements have become the most scene in sections and digitally manipulated the images so that significant part of our environment, and are therefore valid each one remained in focus. This flattens perspective, another subjects for an artwork in themselves.” What do you think? characteristic of traditional landscape paintings. It also renders each person equally “central”—and alone. This seemingly random scene is rich with subtle messages. Above the crowd hovers—like an apparition or a guiding spirit—a giant mobile phone, part of an advertisement for the U.S. telecommunications giant Motorola. Once, the only images of this size 3. Discuss the importance of composition, perspective and dimension to both the sensory-emotional impact and the aesthetic appeal of Maio Xiaochun’s artworks. 4. D o you think Await makes a political statement? Give reasons for your answer. White Rabbit Gallery: Meet the Artists: SHYU RUEY-SHIANN For more information, visit whiterabbitcollection.org Shyu Ruey-Shiann “Through various rhythms based on precise mechanical theories, I try to tell stories from my cultural background with a poetic approach.” Art in the age of mechanical reproduction reflects experiences of rapid interconnection and changing viewpoints. Starting in the late 19th century, machines transformed every area of life and tipped the balance of population to the cities. All around the world, machine-formed urban environments now challenge traditional customs, cultures, habits and ideas. Ironically, Shyu Ruey- The world’s fascination with sculptures made Shiann’s metal “birds” evoke nostalgia for a past from everyday materials with moving parts began when Man experienced life as seasonal and cycli- in 1913 when Marcel Duchamp “had the happy cal, as opposed to the linearity of the industrial idea” to fasten a bicycle wheel to a kitchen stool. In age. He has said, “Despite the massive complexity 1997, inspired by Duchamp and driven by a search of my works … visually the work must leave an im- for metaphors to reflect a radically changing so- pression of simplicity.” ciety, Shyu Ruey-Shiann began a series of kinetic sculptures with the theme of “mechanical power”. Things to think about Traveller’s Wings (2011) is a work from that series, 1. In what ways does Traveller’s Wings (2011) which because of financial restraints took him show an intersection of art, technology, science over ten years to complete. and culture? Traveller’s Wings (2011) comprises nine pairs 2. “Machinery art ought to find its most vivid of thin copper plates, each imprinted with one expression in irony, disgust and protest. Shyu of the French National Railway tickets the artist Ruey-Shiann’s Traveller’s Wings (2011) does collected on trips around France when he was a not go far enough.” What do you think? student there. Installed on motorised bases, these 3. How effective is Shyu Ruey-Shiann’s use of a sculptures resemble a flock of migratory birds, bird motif as a sign of progress and transfor- flapping their wings but going nowhere. The artist comments: “A bird flies from one place to another. A moving train traverses time with speed, and a traveller moves from place to place in a period of mation? 4. Discuss Traveller’s Wings (2011) in terms of line, light, geometry and mechanical process. 5. “ The sound of movement is a vital aspect of time.” The artist says the sound of the wings is key: Shyu Ruey-Shiann’s signature works.” Explain “every time I listen to it,” he says, “I remember be- why, with reference to Traveller’s Wings. ing on the train.” Shyu Ruey-Shiann (born Taipei, Taiwan, 1966) is a renowned kinetic sculptor who travels between Taiwan and New York City. He studied art in France as well as Taiwan. His works can be seen in public collections around the globe. Traveller’s Wings 2011 copper plates, motors, sensors dimensions variable White Rabbit Gallery: Meet the Artists: ZHOU JIE For more information, visit whiterabbitcollection.org Zhou Jie “Art should reveal the changes in the world, so that more people can think and reflect on these things.” CBD (2010) is a three-dimensional model of Beijing’s commercial Things to think about centre in which the buildings are recreated in white porcelain and 1. A s long as the concept is set on a four-square-metre bed of white rice. The artist says she original, there is no need for chose porcelain and rice because they are emblematic of China. Al- an artist to physically handle though her miniature buildings and roads are laid out as they ap- every detail of bringing the pear in the real world, the buildings are far from realistic. Instead, work to completion.” Where they are covered with, and almost transformed into, fantastical do you stand on this issue? growths that resemble pathological organisms. The practical challenges of making the installation were immense. Working entirely alone, Zhou Jie took “two months to plan, 2. What makes Zhou Jie’s installation uniquely Chinese? two months to think about and six months to make” the buildings. 3. “Artists have an inherent To prevent the hollow structures from warping or collapsing in the responsibility to address kiln, she adjusted the thickness of the clay at points of potential environmental issues in weakness. All the pieces were once-fired at 1310 C; given three to their works.” What do you four layers of glaze, and left in the kiln for 24 hours. As Zhou Jie think? explains, “The advantage of once-firing is that making and glazing become a single process, leading to a more integrated work.” Zhou Jie’s translation of concrete-and-steel structures into 4. In what ways has each technical element of Zhou Jie’s installation contrib- evilly organic-looking growths reflects her view of the urban de- uted to the mood, meaning velopment that is transforming Chinese cities. Like rice, she ob- and aesthetic effect of her serves, “buildings come up from the ground—but buildings are artwork? not natural. The authorities are building more and more [towns 5. D escribe the artwork’s rele- and cities]. This makes people feel small, as if the way we live is vance to the art community pointless.” Her buildings convey both the insidious quality of rapid urbanisation and the vulnerability of all man-made things. “I made a miniature CBD to show people what is happening to the environment,” Zhou Jie says. But “the city is a very contradictory development ... My porcelain buildings may look hard, but in fact they are very fragile. When I showed this work in Beijing, the people understood. Some people thought my installation looked dead, like bleached coral. I’ve always thought that art should reveal the changes in the world around us, so that more people will think and reflect.” and to people as a whole. 6. Explain where you feel the artwork succeeds and where you think it falls short. Zhou Jie (born Changde, Hunan, 1986) attended the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where CBD won a prize at the graduation exhibition in 2010. She grew up in a rural area, but moved to the city at age 12. This change and her difficulties adjusting to it have had a powerful influence on her art. CBD 2010 porcelain and rice 400 x 400 x 80 cm
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