Li Mu
dal 18/9/2015 al 9/1/2016
Segnalato da
18/9/2015
Li Mu
Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
A Man, A Village, A Museum. In the video installation and book the artist shows how he brings the inhabitants of Qiuzhuang, his hometown, in contact with famous artworks in the collection of the museum.
curated by: Charles Esche, Davide Quadrio, Christiane Berndes.
In the video installation and book A Man, A Village, A Museum, the Chinese artist Li Mu shows how he brings the inhabitants of Qiuzhuang, his hometown, in contact with famous artworks in the collection of the Van Abbemuseum. He did this by working together with the villagers to reproduce artworks by (amongst others) Sol LeWitt, Dan Flavin, Andy Warhol and John Körmeling, and placing them in the houses and streets of the village. He worked on this for more than a year; the resulting film and book document not only the history of the project, but also the history of the people in the village, their lives, and their stories.
From 19 September, A Man, A Village, A Museum is on show on the second floor of the new building of the Van Abbemuseum as part of the collection exhibition The Collection Now.
The project started in 2010, when the Van Abbemuseum received an unusual request. Li Mu wanted to organise an exhibition in his hometown of Quizhuang, with works of art from the Van Abbemuseum's collection. Qiuzhuang is a village with around 1,000 inhabitants, located about 7,500 km from Eindhoven and 800km south of Beijing. Organising an exhibition there is very expensive, simply because of the cost of insurance and transport: the access roads aren't paved; temperatures in the village can reach 35° C in the summer and below -15° C in the winter; and there is no central heating or air conditioning, let alone an air-conditioned premises for art.
During a trip to Eindhoven, Li Mu came up with the idea of reproducing the original artworks in China rather than taking them there. For a year, he worked with people in the village on reproductions of works by artists like Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Dan Flavin, Andy Warhol, Daniel Buren, Carl Andre, John Körmeling, and Ulay & Abramovic. Li Mu wanted to use this project to bring his family and acquaintances in the town into contact with European and American art. At the same time, he asked himself how the works of art would function in this new environment, and what meaning they would take on there. Life in the village, the production of the artworks, and the reactions of residents and interested visitors were all recorded on video. Li Mu turned this footage into a video installation that will be on display at the Van Abbemuseum.
Publication: A Man, A Village, A Museum
The presentation includes a 288-page book about the project, featuring entries from Li Mu's diary, conversations with residents from the village, interviews, correspondence, and dozens of photographs and drawings. The book is published by Onomatopee and designed by Studio Joost Grootens. The publication was made possible with the help of Stichting Promotors Van Abbemuseum.
Image: Li Mu, A Man, A Village, A Museum: Qiuzhuang Project, 2010–15. Reproduction of John Körmeling's HI HA, 1992.
Opening: 19 September, 3pm: Artist talk with Li Mu and Charles Esche
Van Abbemuseum
Bilderdijklaan 10, Eindhoven
Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays from 11:00 to 17:00 hours.
Thursdays from 11:00 to 21:00 hours.
Tuesdays admission is free of charge from 15:00 to 17:00 hours.