Exhibition Review: Shanghai Show at Asian Art Museum

http://www.asianart.org/shanghai.htm

The Shanghai Show at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco opens February 12, 2010 in conjunction with the Shanghai Celebration, the year-long Bay Area collaboration honoring SF's sister city and coinciding with the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

The overall mission of the exhibition is to portray the history and culture of Shanghai, however the division of the Shanghai exhibition into four sections: Beginnings (1850-1912), High Times (1912-1937), Revolution (1920-1976), and Shanghai Today (1980-present) provides a very limited view of Shanghai. The wall text for novice viewer of Chinese art provides little to no explanation of the work and therefore the viewer is left confused on the inclusion of each work in the exhibition. It requires background knowledge of the history ofart in China to find the works interesting.

Britta Erickson is the curator of Shanghai Today (1980-Present), which is a section of the Shanghai exhibition. At a lecture on February 5, 2010, Britta explained that each piece of the show was chosen in order to portray the range of styles, media, and references that are present in contemporary art of Shanghai. Britta accomplished her goal of showcasing the range of the artistic practice of artists working in Shanghai. The show reflects the importance of photography, video, and installation as important modes of production in Shanghai.

After the lecture by Britta Erickson, we were able to hear directly from three of the artists in the show: Zheng Chongbin, Li Huayi, Jian-Jun Zhang.

Zheng Chongbin, The Dimension of Ink No.1, 2008 (Courtesy of AAM)

The artist talked about the relation of contemporary Chinese ink painting to traditional chiense ink painting. Contemporary Chinese ink painting extends the traditional vocabulary of ink painting. Contemporary Chinese ink painting refers to various forms of traditional ink painting yet, Chongbing creates a depth to the piece. Traditional Chinese ink painting is very linear, however this piece has a sense of space and depth achieved through the use of acrylic paint mixed with ink applied with a Western brush. Chongbing uses acrylic white paint vs. “white space” typical in Chinese ink painting creating a sense of physicality of the work. Carravaggio and his of the use of dark space also influence his work. Chongbin’s work, The Dimension of Ink No. 1, references traditional ink painting as well as Western influences.

Li Huayi, Forest, 2004 (Courtesy of AAM)

Li Huayi described his work as semi-abstract. His method of working is very similar to Zheng Chongbin’s. He discussed how if he stopped halfway then his work would look exactly like Zheng Chongbin’s. The artist draws on the traditional notion of “Chi” which is the energy and body movement expressed through the brush, however Li Huayi uses a western brush. His work reflects a personal approach to both the past and the present of Chinese landscape painting.

Jian-Jun Zhang, Shanghai Garden, 2010 (Courtesy of AAM)

Jian-Jun Zhang refers to his installation as a “societal landscape”. In this installation the artist draws upon the traditional rock garden form with contemporary elements in order to signify the squeezing together of old and new, east and west. Jian-Jun made molds of Taihu rocks and cast them in silicone. Jian-Jun also made a mold of a antique Han Dynasty vase also cast in peach silicone. The color of the rocks and the Han dynasty vase were chosen by going into fashion schools to see what the latest color trends are thus choosing rose, peach, and burgundy. Each of the rocks and the vase were placed on piled bricks that were taken from houses that were constructed in Shanghai in the 1920’s that were demolished. Referencing the destruction of the architecture of Shanghai. Scattered throughout the bricks are little “trees” which are solar powered and add a touch of fantasy to the rock garden.

This piece is partially visible upon entering into the museum on the left hand side thus drawing you into the exhibit. The placement of this piece is perfect as it combines East and West thus inviting both audiences into the space. The piece is accessible to both a traditional audience as it clearly references the rock garden but also ties in modern issues of globalization.

Liu Jianhua, Can You Tell Me?, 2006 (Courtesy of ArtZineChina.com)

The placement of works within the exhibition detracts from the works themselves. In particular, the placement of Liu Jianhua’s Can You Tell Me? on the west end of North Court greatly from the work as the engravings on the books are barely legible as light streams down on the stainless steel books from the windows above. Can You Tell Me?, 2006, is an installation piece in which Liu Jianhua engraved two questions about the future of Shanghai in English, Mandarin, French, German, and Japanese onto stainless steel books suspended vertically from the wall. The questions range from humorous such as “Can Shanghai make the magic of David Copperfield come true, and move the Bund 100 meters backward to widen the Avenue?” to serious “Can Shanghai build the first welfare bank in the world to allow poor people to get money whenever they need?” The inclusion of Can You Tell Me? asks the viewer to contemplate the future of Shanghai and its global impact, however the message of the piece is lost as the placement of the piece underneath large windows hinders the viewers ability to read the engraved questions.