Thursday, March 6, 2008
Cai Guoqiang's exhibition at Guggenheim
蔡国强作品展
March 2nd, 2008 (Crowded, and long queues...)
It seems to me that Cai's artistic inspiration is deeply rooted in post-1949 Chinese culture(s). The "Rent Collection Courtyard" is so powerful in presenting social tensions, human sufferings, and all the unfairness in human conditions that I was virtually moved to tears. Although the artistic creation of these clay statues did not originate from Cai, I am grateful that he stroke such positive note in introducing the so-called "propaganda art." In using his Chinese-ness to market himself to Western donors and audience, Cai seems to have managed to retain some integrity in terms of what he wanted to communicate. (Maybe I'm wrong on this. Maybe the selling point of this piece simply lies in a historical exoticism not commonly present in modern art in the West.)
It's also truly amazing to see so many utterly familiar, everyday idioms such as 草船借箭 (and perhaps 虎死不倒威) presented in very Guggenheimlische ways. To me, what this exhibition brings out are the explosive power, the propensity to extravaganza, and the contrast between expansive and restrictive forces that are innate in the Chinese culture, or perhaps in human nature in general.
My favorite picks are the "Rent Collection Courtyard," the 99 galloping wolves crashing against the wall, and the fire-works (videotaped). I'm not a huge fan of the paintings created with gun-power explosions, though the idea of the artistic taming/use of gun-power, which is now commonly associated with destructive force, quite appeals to me. I'm sold on this symbolic aspect, rather than the products.
Although the exhibition is rallied under Cai Guoqiang's name, all the exhibited pieces are apparently results of huge collective endeavors. On of the boats on exhibit was excavated by villagers of a Japanese village, who were persuaded by Cai to take up the project. Cai impresses me as a lobbyist, an entrepreneur, a man of idea, and an international trader who successfully banked on both his Chinese "debt" and baggage since he started flying the friendly and unfriendly skies worldwide in 1986.
Amy had fun floating on a yak raft on a man-made curvy stream.
No photography is allowed. So we didn't take any pictures:)
The website:
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/cai.html
March 2nd, 2008 (Crowded, and long queues...)
It seems to me that Cai's artistic inspiration is deeply rooted in post-1949 Chinese culture(s). The "Rent Collection Courtyard" is so powerful in presenting social tensions, human sufferings, and all the unfairness in human conditions that I was virtually moved to tears. Although the artistic creation of these clay statues did not originate from Cai, I am grateful that he stroke such positive note in introducing the so-called "propaganda art." In using his Chinese-ness to market himself to Western donors and audience, Cai seems to have managed to retain some integrity in terms of what he wanted to communicate. (Maybe I'm wrong on this. Maybe the selling point of this piece simply lies in a historical exoticism not commonly present in modern art in the West.)
It's also truly amazing to see so many utterly familiar, everyday idioms such as 草船借箭 (and perhaps 虎死不倒威) presented in very Guggenheimlische ways. To me, what this exhibition brings out are the explosive power, the propensity to extravaganza, and the contrast between expansive and restrictive forces that are innate in the Chinese culture, or perhaps in human nature in general.
My favorite picks are the "Rent Collection Courtyard," the 99 galloping wolves crashing against the wall, and the fire-works (videotaped). I'm not a huge fan of the paintings created with gun-power explosions, though the idea of the artistic taming/use of gun-power, which is now commonly associated with destructive force, quite appeals to me. I'm sold on this symbolic aspect, rather than the products.
Although the exhibition is rallied under Cai Guoqiang's name, all the exhibited pieces are apparently results of huge collective endeavors. On of the boats on exhibit was excavated by villagers of a Japanese village, who were persuaded by Cai to take up the project. Cai impresses me as a lobbyist, an entrepreneur, a man of idea, and an international trader who successfully banked on both his Chinese "debt" and baggage since he started flying the friendly and unfriendly skies worldwide in 1986.
Amy had fun floating on a yak raft on a man-made curvy stream.
No photography is allowed. So we didn't take any pictures:)
The website:
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/cai.html
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