Shi Jinsong
dal 25/7/2008 al 23/8/2008
Segnalato da
25/7/2008
Shi Jinsong
Platform China, Beijing
Fire His Breath, Jade His Bones. The exhibition contains three works which emphasize the materiality of contemporary art. In addition, they all allude to violence and danger, but of different forms and cultural connotations. Curated by Wu Hung.
curated by Wu Hung
Platform China Contemporary Art Institute is pleased to present Shi Jinsong’s new
solo exhibition - Fire His Breath, Jade His Bones -- curated by Wu Hung. This show
challenges the conventional concept of an exhibition by emphasizing the
“materiality” of contemporary art. The idea of this project first emerged in the
summer of 2007 when Shi Jinsong became enchanted by the potential of two kinds of
natural materials in making art: fire and jade. This exhibition is the result of his
experimentation with both materials over the past year.
The exhibition contains three works - two are related to fire and one uses jade. One
of the “fire” works is a burning piece of charcoal made from an enormous tree trunk;
the other is an exposed car engine with a stainless steel exhaust system that turns
red following periodic explosions. Because of the shortage of appropriate
terminology we may call them installations, but both works are far from “readymade,”
resulting instead from carefully planned transformation of natural materials and
utilitarian objects. The third work in the exhibition is a tiny jade human head set
on a stainless steel base upstairs. Motorized by a mechanism it strikes the wall at
the rate of 16 times per minute. Its “cool” material and monotonous, repetitive
action contrast dramatically with the two “fire” works displayed downstairs.
These works all allude to violence and danger, but of different forms and cultural
connotations. They impress people with a penchant for danger as well as for
technological precision---a characteristic of Shi Jinsong’s art which achieves a new
level of expressiveness.
If displayed in a western museum, such installations would have most likely been
presented as flameless and “safe” objects. To be shown in Platform China
Contemporary Art Institute in Beijing’s Caochangdi, however, these works are imbued
with deep social and psychological significance: the fusion of aggressive burning
and impassionate technical calculation reflect what may be called the current “China
conditions” - the country’s impatient and explosive thrust into the modern world,
and the exhilaration and threat generated by such desire and movement.
Opening Party: July 26, 2008
Platform China
No. 319-1 East End Art (A) CaoChangDi Village, Chaoyang District - Beijing