[spectre] Pourinfos/ Today is Shanghai Time #6

[xavier cahen]

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Today is Shanghai Time #6 !
http://pourinfos.org/art-34592-tit-Today-is-Shanghai-Time-6-


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1. MOCA Shanghai
Remote Control

Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai
231, West Nanjing Road, Gate 7, People's Park, Shanghai
Date: March 4, 2007- April 18, 2007

REMOTE/CONTROL, the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai's 10th 
exhibition, is an investigation of the presence of technology in 
contemporary art today, and the fraught encounter between these art 
objects and today's 'multi-medial' spectator. The use of multi-media 
technologies is now an international art phenomenon, at once dazzling, 
seductive, subversive and above all accessible. These art works have not 
only profoundly changed the nature of aesthetic practice and display, 
but have also engendered a new means of perceiving and experiencing art. 
Interactive and video installations put into crises the distance between 
the work of art and ourselves, both interactive as well as 
interpersonal, creating an ambivalence of intimacy and alienation that 
is in itself a paradox of technological development in the global community.

Featuring the work of both international and local artists, 
REMOTE/CONTROL is an examination of various perceptual systems, 
processes, narrative structures, and aesthetic strategies that focus on 
the question of agency. As the spectator is kinesthetically and 
sensorially engaged with multimedia objects, the space of the museum is 
altered, as is the role of the artist. The artist, artwork and spectator 
are caught in a complex ambit of fantasy and control, inviting us to 
re-examine the place of art in a technological world, and our place in 
relation to it.


Curators: Wenny Teo, Ella Liao

Artists:

Allard van Hoorn (Holland)
Alterazione Video (Italy)
Sheldon Brown (US)
David Cotterrell (UK)
Danakil (France)
Du Zhenjun (China)
Alexander Brandt (Germany)
Dieter Jung (Germany)
Hu Jieming (China)
Gong Yan (China)
Jin Jiangbo (China)
Peng Huang-chih (Taiwan China)
Ku Shih-Yung (Taiwan China)
Andy Cameron & Oriol Ferrer Mesa (FABRICA Italia)
Stephane Sednaoui (France)
Song Tao & B6 (China)
Thomas Chaverait (France)
Rose Tang (China)
Frank Plant(US)
Heidi Voet(Belgium)

more information http://www.mocashanghai.org <http://www.mocashanghai.org>
more information http://www.aujourdhuilachine.com/article.asp?IdArticle=2461

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2. Duolun Museum of Modern Art
"Diversity in Form & Thought"
the Status and Prospect of Korean Contemporary Art

Opening: March 7th, 2007,19:00
Date: From March 7th to16th, 2007
Venue: 1-3 F, No.27 Duolun Road, Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art
Produced by:
Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art
Beijing Art Gallery of Imperial City

Curator: Zhao Shulin
Art Director: Zoe ZHANG Bing
Administrative Director: Zhao Song
Media: Vivi QIN Xiaoyan
Design: Wang Taocheng
Public Relations: Eva FENG Ruoyu
Project Director: Bao Zhengyuan


The "Diversity in Forms & Thoughts–the Status and Prospect of Korean 
Contemporary Art" exhibition offers a glimpse of the stream of 
contemporary Korean art since the 1980's. The tendency of Korean art in 
this era shows respect for creative individuality and multifarious 
visual perceptions, breaking away from any ideologies in cultural 
diverse, multiple world. This kind of art, due to its diversity, seems 
different from the mainstream of 60's and 70's Korean art, which 
traditional (conventional) pattern or the experimental (avant-garde) 
spirit respectively. Its angle also differs from an art from the 1980's 
which sought to establish individual identity through the reinforcement 
of reality perception and critical awareness from the glass roots' point 
of view.
Among 100 participating artists, most of them are in their late twenties 
or in their early thirties, and through the exhibition, one could sense 
the creative flow which links the group of the artists in their forties 
to the new generation artists. Moreover, as show by realistic life, 
surrealistic colors and space, optical illusion and visionary imagery, 
and inexplicably diverse themes, although most of the works on display 
are two-dimensional paintings, we see these paintings work in harmony 
with this pluralistic society through non-identical and diverse 
perspectives.
This exhibition to be held in Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art 
offers a good opportunity for Chinese artists and art lovers as well to 
appreciate the works of Korean artists full of creativity and freedom. 
As these artists clearly show the attitude we have to take in a rapidly 
growing industrial society through their works, this exchange art show 
between Korea and China, which spurs its industrial society in a 
tremendous speed, would be an invaluable cultural event.


more information http://www.duolunart.com/

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3. Zhu Qizhan Art Museum
Blind Date
Sino German Exhibition of Contemporary Art

Date: March 2, 2007 to April 1, 2007
Venue: F2,3, Zhu Qizhan Art Museum 580 Ouyang Road, Hongkou District, 
Shanghai
Presented by:
Zhu Qizhan Art Museum
Kunststiftung NRW
Supported by: Kloster Bentlage gGmbH GWK
Galerie Münsterland Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst

Special thanks to: prime minister of 
Northrhein-Westfalia(Ministerpresident NRW)
Museum hours: 10:00-17:00（Last entry 16:30）Closed on Monday
Ticket: 10 Yuan/Person
Tel: 56710741, 56710742, 56710743
Email: mary27art at yahoo.com.cn

In China, "Blind date" means "date strangers". In another word, it means 
the date between people who have never seen each other. Undoubtedly, the 
organizer will not arrange a kind of circumstance which looks like a TV 
program in China called "the romantic date", but a kind of dialogue 
between six Chinese artists and the other six from Germany who come from 
different cultures and languages. As far as the form of exhibition, all 
the artists are supposed to build a kind of in-pair communication in 
each specific space. As a result, zero-distance- interaction laboratory 
environment should be reflected from their works.
The Chinese and German artists are not familiar with each other's art 
style and professional level. In this case, the organizer definitely is 
arbitrary to put this display together. Therefore, the organizer uses a 
way of draw lots which is full of game fun. The works in this exhibition 
will be presented through media with contemporary art characteristics, 
such as installment, videos, pictures, and multimedia interactions. The 
visual effect, which is built on the form of "blind date", will probably 
be an unusual culture dialogue between Chinese and Germany artists. 
Certainly, it is not culture competition. Because it will be the first 
time to put the arts from two totally different cultures, there must be 
some cultural resistance and conflict. In this case, the artists are 
supposed to keep their personal opinions temporarily and communicate 
positively through learning from each other, understanding each other. 
As a result, an ultimate art difference which happens from different art 
attributes and society will be completely presented during this exhibition.
The "Fortress and Eggs Plan" is the works of The Chinese artist Wong 
Peijun. From the name, it seems that there isn't any relation among 
fragile eggs, tough weapon and firm building. But the artist combines 
these totally different elements well. This combination of combative and 
fragile natures is not teases, but the serious concern about whether the 
world we are living in are as strong as it presents.
But the work of German artist Carsten Gliese, which names "boxes", 
presents a dialogue among pictures, buildings, sculpture and space. The 
connection between real 3D space world and 2D space of pictures presents 
us an unreal like carpet phantom, projecting on white ground, the road 
side cornerstone an encircled lawn. The secret light shot makes the 
whole space full of mystery.
Huang Xuebin produces "thousands of feet rays" with the night vision 
technique photography. There is only a lonely girl in his former works. 
This time, he adds a spaceman to present us a dreamland in which there 
is lonely girl, spaceman, weird picture and empty avenue.
Guo shujun produces "Shopping Mall" with wide- angle photography. A 
space which seems to be busy and crowded discloses one kind of 
inexplicable loneliness and emptiness.
"Fashion Man" from Xie Xianwen. What are the most up-to-date topics: 
Super girl? Social insurance? Kids education? All these questions can be 
answered by a cartoon toy. Money, brand, and idol present the 
uncertainty of our society and Chinese culture is going nowhere under 
all these kinds of entertainments. What should we do to protect our 
culture? What should we pursue?
In the work "What happened to the planes?" of Wang Xiaofei, 2000 small 
planes line up and start the formation change in the picture. In a short 
while, a slogan comes up. But a huge plane follows up closely. Airplane 
hides the combative nature, but appears with a irrelevant slogan which 
says "what happened to the planes?" . The small planes lining up look 
like the airplane game in the earliest Red and White Game. But they 
present a kind of stressful feeling through the massive stacks. Is that 
weapon or game?
"The aviation high speed Yacht on the Pacific Ocean" of Anja Jensen is 
about a container which is checked with X light. The X light shows us 
every detail inside of the box. How about the privacy of our society? No 
privacy! Anything under the X light is no longer mysterious.
The participants constitute a dual structure during the whole display, 
which is exactly the representation of two cultures difference. The dual 
structure of "Blind Date" not only shows the real situation of the 
global communication environment, but the dedicate relation among the 
influence of the different cultures in the international art system. 
Once the exhibition occurs, an interesting, meaningful and equal 
dialogue will be performed vividly with the "blind date" of two 
countries' artists. However, can each artist find his own audience? Will 
his audience just being sitting and showing his own works in the same 
exhibition hall? Or ordinary audience? Will the communication be 
processed from watching, to appreciating, even to exchange opinions and 
thoughts? This is precisely what the exhibition for.


more information http://www.zmuseum.org/

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4.SHiNE Art Space
Mao Tongqiang - A perpetual Mirage

06th March to 08th April 2007
Venue:
SHiNE Art Space
(Block 9, No. 50 Moganshan Lu,
Shanghai)
Opening Hours:
10am-6pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
Website: http://www.shineartspace.com
Email: enquiry at shineartspace.com
Tel: +86 21 62660605
Fax: +86 21 62660607

"What is in vogue today is no more than mere history tomorrow." - Mao 
Tongqiang

Mao Tongqiang has continually shown concern for the facile nature of 
modern society, this being intertwined with an acute awareness of 
passing time and the manner in which it renders everything 
insignificant. In the Mirage series the artist depicts mountain scenes 
that would be traditional Chinese landscape paintings were it not for 
the psychedelic colours that he uses. Then, rising from the atmospheric 
mist of the foreground, the artist depicts a discordant mix of 
characters that differ greatly in
their pursuits and date of origin. They appear to belong in the 
nonsensical imagery of a dream; a concept which relates to the title of 
the series. Living in the far flung city of Yinchuan, a province of 
extreme temperatures and a hostile desert landscape, Mao Tongqiang is 
familiar with the visual trickery of the mirage and has adopted it as a 
metaphor for the idealised façade that he sees developing in 
contemporary society. To him, the visible surface of society, the image 
of order and happiness that is portrayed, does not reflect the reality 
that lies beneath. It is for this reason that Mao depicts the fashions, 
the frippery, the daring deeds, the politicians full of empty promises, 
the Christmas trees and the fire works that are all 'gloss'; the 
successful, progressive and happy image of China that people wish to 
project. Mao reflects in these works upon a society that has moved 
incredibly fast and made gargantuan efforts to attain certain levels and 
signifiers of progress. As this has been a forced and not a natural 
development however, there remains a lack of cultural substance behind 
the adopted amiable surface, fewer ties to the past and no reliable 
social infrastructure to hold it in place. Mao sees it as a mere mirage; 
a fleeting inconsequential facade which will in time be washed away and 
replaced by another prevailing ideal.

Mao Tongqiang was born in 1960 in Yinchuan where he lives today. He 
graduated in 1980 from the Fine Arts Department of Ning Xia University 
and continued his advanced training at Zhe Jiang Fine Arts Academy. The 
artist has exhibited in France, Austria and Indonesia with his most 
recent solo exhibition being Mirage in Singapore last year.


more information http://www.shineartspace.com

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5. Zendai Museum Stop 30 Seconds" Contemporary Art Exhibiton

Organised by: Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art, Artbank
Exhibition Venue: Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art
2/F Building 28, 199 Fang Dian Rd, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Opening Reception: 10th March 2007, 3.30pm
Exhibition Dates: 10th-24th March 2007, 10am-6pm (closed Mondays)
Curator: Dong Hong Tao
Participating Artists: Duan Dong Tao Du Jun Min Du Yi Yao Feng Jing Lu 
YongLei Jiang Kun Kang ShiWei Qiao ShouHui Song Zhi Qiang
Zhang Da Chuan Zhang Qi Zhang Xiao Tong

The art exhibition STOP 30 seconds will open March 7th at 7:00pm, at 
Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art, located on the Big Thumb Square in 
Pudong district. The diverse style of work exhibited covers plants, 
landscape, figures, kissing, walls, water and even short cartoons by 
interpreting painting, oil, sculpture, installation and videos etc.

All of participating young artists belong to post-1980's generation who 
just graduated or are still in school. All the problems they meet are 
more real and sensitive. Therefore, the solution they take are more 
direct and sharper. They received traditional education but attempts to 
express themselves by their own art. These young men with hesitation 
inside who lives in metropolises take art as a part of their lives in 
spite of its influence. Undoubtedly their art is an expression of their 
real thinking and present their value and confidence no matter if they 
hesitate or doubt or are confident.

The common state of city people's life is busy from which increasing 
pressure comes. Reality is not the ideal. Materiel possessions are all 
required right now. Fortunately, They own their skill to express. Ok, 
now let's have a stop without any city life but only focus on the 
creating with an ideal spirit.

Therefore, everyone is consciously or unconsciously seeking a little 
while far away from the reality to fulfill their own ideal space. Even 
if you are not working on art, watching is adequate as it's only related 
with spirit itself. Stop, 30 seconds are adequate to taste pure happiness.

30 seconds may cover a lot and it's delightful to steep you in art as 
modern art is not a selfish ego-show.

more information 
http://www.zendaiart.com/en/artbank/events/070307_30s/index.html


Selected by:
Jérémie Thircuir
for pourinfos.org


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