translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
220908: Kunstraum Innsbruck, Stadtgalerie Schwaz: Facing China
Kunstraum Innsbruck, Stadtgalerie Schwaz: Facing China
The true face of dictatorship?
Confronting China, dealing with China, looking China into the face, giving China a face? “Facing China,” allows for a variety of interpretations. The dual exhibit in Innsbruck and Schwaz is part of the tour of the Dutch collector Fu Ruide, which was shown in Iceland prior to Austria and will move on to Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Just in time for the Olympic-year, the show offers a closer look at the future world power. China is a synonym for economic strength, exploiting workers, communist dictatorship, censorship and perfect staging.
At first the visitors to the Kunstraum Innsbruck are confronted with Christoph Fein’s portrait photos of nine artists. But just a few moments later it already becomes difficult to remember and pronounce the names of these artists, and to associate them with their works. Chen QingQing, the only female artist in the group, shows a vest made of metal wire, interwoven with her childhood portrait photos. Zhao Nengzhi depicts his contorted self with soft brush strokes. Fang Lijun travels through his phantasy world with a bald red head or positions his crumpled gold-plated head on metal poles. Yue Minjun presents himself as a stylized Chinese with a perverted mega smile. Admittedly, the non-stop smiling hostesses and the ever-smiling party heads can be frightening. Just don’t lose face! But that is exactly what Yang Shaobin does – in the style of Francis Bacon. His faces are robbed of their protective skin layer and characterized by brutality. An accusation against the regime? Like all artists, Shaobin works in Beijing – could he really be a critical artist? Maybe – because he, like all the other artists, focus on depicting individual faces without a direct reference to the regime or concentration on excessive allegories. Like the works of Liu Ye, who satirizes western art history to the absolute limit of Kitsch. Chinese angels flying with Madonna into the sky and rigid toy-sailors on a painting by Mondrian. At one time the European Avant-garde found abstract inspiration in China - this is what comes back now. In the remarkably well-hung exhibits in Innsbruck and Schwaz , visitors are offered an intimate introduction to contemporary Chinese art. The works are technically very well done and always include an unmistakable element of style. Like Zhang Xiaogang’s enlarged black and white family, which invariably include a small coloured “mistake”. This kind of work is greatly sought after by international and Chinese collectors. Typically Chinese, but at the same time modern, and not openly critical. With one exception: Wei Dong and his half naked political party girls from the days of the Cultural Revolution – prurient and disobedient. No wonder that Wei Dong lives in the USA.
Kunstraum Innsbruck
6020 Innsbruck, Maria-Theresien Strasse 34, until 11. 10. 2008
www.kunstraum-innsbruck.at
Stadtgalerie Schwaz
6130 Schwaz Palais Enzensberg, Franz-Josef-Strasse, until 11. 10. 2008
www.galeriestadtschwaz.at
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
220908
Kunstraum Schwaz
6130 Schwaz, Palais Enzenberg, Franz-Josef-Straße 27
Tel: 0043 52 42 73 98 3, Fax: 0043 52 42 66 89 6
Email: office@kunstraum-schwaz.at
http://www.kunstraum-schwaz.at
Öffnungszeiten: Mi-Fr 12-18, Sa 10-15 h
Kunstraum Innsbruck
6020 Innsbruck, Maria-Theresien Strasse 34
Tel: +43 512 58 4000, Fax: +43 512 58 4000-15
Email: office@kunstraum-innsbruck.at
http://www.kunstraum-innsbruck.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Mi, Fr 13-18, Do 13-20, Sa 10-15 h
Feiertage geschlossen
Kunstraum Schwaz
6130 Schwaz, Palais Enzenberg, Franz-Josef-Straße 27
Tel: 0043 52 42 73 98 3, Fax: 0043 52 42 66 89 6
Email: office@kunstraum-schwaz.at
http://www.kunstraum-schwaz.at
Öffnungszeiten: Mi-Fr 12-18, Sa 10-15 h
Kunstraum Innsbruck
6020 Innsbruck, Maria-Theresien Strasse 34
Tel: +43 512 58 4000, Fax: +43 512 58 4000-15
Email: office@kunstraum-innsbruck.at
http://www.kunstraum-innsbruck.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Mi, Fr 13-18, Do 13-20, Sa 10-15 h
Feiertage geschlossen