Dawn Mist, Separation Faith
Yang Fudong's solo exhibition

at Zendai MoMA. 








Sunday May 24th, opening of Yang Fudong's solo exhibition at Zendai MoMA.

Being probably the most internationally famous Chinese contemporary artist, crowd of people attended to this opening. Artists, gallerists, museum directors, collectors and curators flying from Beijing and other places all gathered there. A big event for the Zendai MoMA which exhibitions' quality are usually quite uneven...

 

On the first floor:

A room filled with slides projections coming from the shootings of "East of Que Village"(click here) and "Blue Kylin". 

Pictures present some arid regions of China, poor conditions of people working and living there. Another aspect of China which contrast with the rest of the exhibition, where films depict glamourous scenes of Shanghai in the 30s-40s...Yang Fudong questions the value of art when confronted to these realities. 

About East of Que Village:
" 'East of Que Village' centres on a moment, or a series of moments, in the life of an untamed and untethered pack of dogs, surviving at the most basic level of existence, in an arid, desolate, and unforgiving expanse of northern landscape, flat and wide like the desert, the grasslands of Mongolia, or the loess plains of Shaanxi. The chosen location is, in fact, an isolated village in rural Hebei, which,  in the depths of winter, is as equally forbidding as any of those mentioned".  (catalogue, The Real Thing, Tate Liverpool )....more

Please click here to view pictures of the work "Blue Kylin" .

An installation composed of a long table with projections of a 'banquet' on it, as seens from the top: sophisticated dishes and invisible people (only their hands on the table are shown) eating. Above the seats, videos of young people dancing, enjoying themselve, etc. The whole scene gives a certain orgiastic feeling. On one side of the room, a general relates his memoirs, while on the other he plays the piano...













A neon light "Smile".






Series of videos featuring the general, and scenes from the past.






Video installation...

A video features the general, blind, playing the piano.

Rushes of 9 scenes from one same film are projected in the exhibition space. No editing, just the same scene endlessly repeated with small differences. Each scene becomes a film itself that lasts for 180 min.








Sequences feature young glamorous people in the 30s-40s' Shanghai:
a street scene where people resist against a strong wind (typhoon?), people fighting each other in a house with kungfu movements (played in slow motion, actors seem to float in the air) a white marble staircase with young beautiful women and man fighting each other wearing black suits, a day trip in the countryside, love scenes, etc.

More pictures...





 
Each projection was done with a film projector (each time a film ended, staff had to manually run the film back.



 
Yang Fudong dedicating a catalogue



In front of the museum




Liang Shaoji and Zhang Ding


From the left to the right: Zendai Museum's communication department staff, Yang Fudong, a young female artist (can't remember the name....), Qiu Zhijie, Li Zhenhua (curator of the show) and Shen Qibin (director of the Zenda Museum).


Zhou Tiehai and Zhang Liaoyuan


Hu Jieming (on the left)


Wearing Sun glasses, Shi Yong.