TRAVELING EXHIBITION: It’s About Relating – It’s About China

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Asian Art Coordinating Council
www.asianartcc.org
http://www.asianartcc.org/aacctravel-AboutRelating.htm

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It’s About Relating- It’s About China: Featuring Video Installations By Wang Gongxin

Curator’s Statement
Wang Gongxin is not only one of China’s earliest video artists; he is also considered one of the most influential avant-garde artists in China today. Although Wang began his artistic career as a realist oil painter, he switched to video art in the mid 1990s, creating the first video installation in China, Digging a Hole: The Brooklyn Sky (1995).

Since then Wang has become a master at striking a unique balance in his work by combing video-based realism with his dreamlike imagination. Wang’s work floats outside the parameter of a mainstream critical position and it is not aligned with any specific art movement. Although Wang’s work is part of an international art dialogue of video art history, for him video art is the best artistic vehicle to explore his personal visions of life.

The pieces featured in this exhibit are mid- career examples and recent examples of Wang’s work. All are intense, flawless in execution, and compelling in presentation. Each video installation has its own emotive quality, taking viewers through a wide range of emotions. Although Wang’s videos are personal statements about China today, they do in fact deal with universal issues that affect us all.

For previews of videos, please go to: www.wanggongxin.com

EXHIBIT FEATURES:
MY SUN, 2000
Three channels

One of Wang’s unique talents as an artist is his ability to create compelling presentations of profound topics. Wang’s iconic piece of art, My Sun, is a three -screen panoramic video installation which features three synchronized projected images. The piece dramatically and poignantly explores the pursuit of the unobtainable in life, as represented by the actions of an old Chinese peasant woman. Placed in a large barren field, the old woman tries, but fails to capture the illusive sun, an essential factor in securing a successful harvest. In the video, the sun rises, traces its traditional orbit in the sky, and then drops dramatically into the still desolate landscape scene. Finally the image of the old peasant woman is multiplied into an army of senior-citizen women, all grasping for the seemingly unobtainable in life. With the aid of a powerful sound track, a sense of melodrama permeates the piece, punctuated by a melancholic intensity. Indeed, the old peasant woman is a universal figure in pursuit of a dream, which seems within grasp, but never quite becomes a reality.

ALWAYS WELCOME, 2003
Four channels

In China stone lion figures were once signs of power, prestige and wealth. They were revered as protectors flanking the entrances of palaces, temples, imperial tombs, as well as the homes of both government officials and wealthy individuals. But in present-day China, the roles of these lion, like so many symbols of traditional China, has changed forever. In contemporary consumer-driven China pairs of stone lions are often seen flanking department stores, businesses, restaurants, and supermarkets, as well as the home of genuinely wealthy citizens. Indeed, guardian lions have lost their power to intimidate, and now they are used simply for decoration, or as marketing tools, devoid of any traditional meaning. Wang鈥檚 four-TV installation, Welcome, features lively, humorous, and loquacious guardian lions, which call out to, welcome, and comment upon the viewers as they enter.

FORWARD, 2008
Six channels

Placed at the entrance of the final video installation, this six-channel, silent video piece features 18 people, who represent a cross-section of Chinese life, ranging from construction workers, to farmers, to everyday housewives. The backs of these eighteen figures are featured, all walking ahead of the gallery viewer. At first the figures seem to be walking towards the next video installation. But in reality, this video is Wang’s creative comment on China’s surge as an economic power, which is benefiting average Chinese citizens. Indeed, China’s middle class now numbers over 300 million people, and the country’s economic clout has empowered these millions to move forward and better their lives. The video is an also ironic comment on other world economy. Regardless of how quickly they walk, will others be able to catch up with their Chinese video counterparts?

IT’S ABOUT YA, 2010
Nine channels

In this complex, nine-channel video installation, Wang takes the viewers on a rocky ride through the noisy, frenzied, unconscious nature of contemporary China. “Ya” is the sound signaling the beginning of a traditional Chinese opera performance; Wang employs this same sound to begin his six-minute video journey. Graphically brilliant and emotionally penetrating, Wang has employed computer technology to arrange the highly orchestrated sequence of impressions.

EXHIBIT REQUIREMENTS-Please note, that the technical video requirements are in the process of being  change due to new inexpensive equipment. These requirements should be confirm by December 2017.

My Sun
3 HD projectors
3 WDlive players (not plus)
3 screens – sized to screen shot
Ethernet cable – qty based on layout
3 HDMI cables
3 Jump drives with proper firmware
2 power strips
3 horizontal projector mounts
1 Stereo system / sound system for audio track

Always Welcome
4 same sized flat screen TVs (at least 32″)
Ethernet cable – qty based on layout
4 HDMI cables
4 Jump drives with proper firmware
2 power strips
2 Pedestals to accommodate mounting two flat screens on each stacked vertically
TV sound can be used for audio

It’s About Ya
9 Projectors
9 WDLive players
9 WDLive players
9 2-speaker stereo systems for each channel
Ethernet cable – qty based on layout
9 HDMI cables
9 Jump drives with proper firmware (at least 16GB each)
6-9 power strips
9 vertical projector mounts
9 screens to fit screen shot

* Note: Good to have projector remotes and wdlive player remotes for all works
* Gallery must be completely darkened
* Redline Gallery staff will be available to answer questions about installation requirement.
* RENTAL FEE: Upon Request

For more information, please contact the Asian Art Coordinating Council at
Tel: 303-329-6417
Email: asianartcc@yahoo.com

Categories: Traveling Exhibitions