Space Station Inaugural Exhibition

Historic Residence | Wang Wei


Curator: Fu Xiaodong
2009.9.26－11.7
16:00－18：00

As an experimental space for contemporary art – Space Station is pleased to present as its inaugural exhibition, Wang Wei’s site-specific installation, Historic Residence. It is a work modeled after a section of 1960s historical architecture from Shaoshan Dishuidong, Hunan Province. Official records describe the surroundings as “Green peaks and emerald cliffs in the cave, lush and dense bamboo forest.” Well-known Communist party historian Feng Wenbin praised it as, “A spiritual and elegant place in Sanxiang, where another world is found in the caves.” Around this “historic residence” there are both ancestral graves constructed to adhere to strict local superstitions and fengshui, as well as shelters to resist the most advanced Western nuclear attacks. This historic residence exudes a sense of being on a cusp, between looking back on history and feeling the anxiety of the future encounters.

The bifurcated exhibition hall becomes two unique spaces with socialist aesthetics architecture from the 50s and 60s – a set of distinguished men and women’s restrooms that are solemn, honorable, yet simple and frugal. Political inclination, traces of time, class status, identity and personal preference are exemplified throughout. Even the tile colors were carefully chosen: Apple green became a dominating color since one of the residents had a stage name of Ping; yellow tiles in the other room symbolize the master’s revered position. These two semi-enclosed private spaces are designed to explore the unique yet ambiguous spatial status of the site.

The historic residence was used for only 11 days. Although its usage was minimal, its significance today perseveres. This most personalized private space has been transformed into a non-functioning relic through sacred legends and revered by thousands. It’s neither real, nor fake, neither internal nor external, it should not be highlighted, nor concealed. The space becomes a metaphor for a mythical era. It does not have any decorative purpose, but created to alleviate a sense of cultural guilt. It embodies an innate transcendence and imagination of reality; like a charm, every detail projects one’s imagination into another realm. Its essence is imagined, yet historical. However, the actual space exists in a real and materialistic form to present mundane and personal traces within a greater context of specific politics, history and archives. The world and history spins around it extending outwardly, building a record of historical reality that is both mythical and surreal.

Wang Wei, one of the core members of the Post Sensibility group of the late 1990s, creates works by experimenting with space. His work for this exhibition replicates and enlarges the dimensions of an actual location, using mythical disproportions to reconstruct “legendary wonder.” The spatial ambiance at the site renders a unique scenario, allowing the audience to experience certain kind of historical reality. This is the inaugural exhibition for Space Station, initiating a series of experiments in creativity and modes of exhibition.


T: +86 10 59789670
E: spacestationart@163.com

地点：空间站 北京朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区中一街
Venue: Space Station, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd, 798 Art District, Beijing 100015

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