奇遇--第25界维也纳美术馆录象放映
Strange Encounters
Video of the month # 25: China Kompilation
奇遇--第25界维也纳美术馆录象放映
Curated by Carol (Yinghua) Lu
KUNSTHALLE Wien ursula blickle videolounge,
June 01st - June 30th, 2007
[url]http://www.kunsthallewien.at/en/events/
Artist: Dong Wensheng
Title: Jingzhe
Year: 2003
Artist: Dong Wensheng
Title: Meiyu
Year: 2003
The titles of Dong Wensheng’s two video works “Jingzhe” and “Meiyu” are two of the 24 markers of seasons in Chinese astronomy. Jingzhe, meaning "the awakening of insects”, is the time of year when thunderstorm will wake up the hibernated insects and the weather will get warmer. “Jingzhe” begins almost comically as the protagonist awkwardly walks into the picture and dresses up a tree with plastic flowers from a carry-on bag but the story takes an abrupt and unexpected ending that leaves the viewers disturbed and at a loss. “Meiyu” is a collage of street scenes showered in endless rain shot in South China proceeding to another unusual association, evoking the meaning of Meiyu, the rainy season of the year.
Artist: Zhao Liang
Title: City Scene
Year: 2004
City Scene collages several snapshots of small events and common street scenes taking place all over the city of Beijing. The filmmaker captures the absurdities of everyday life with such a matter-of-factly approach, which further highlights the surreal quality of a reality defined by dramatic changes.
Artist: Zhao Liang
Title: Bored Youth
Year: 2000
Intense and violent, Bored Youth follows a young man as he roams aimlessly through the darkness of the city and constantly smashes heavily into the remnants of a traditional Beijing neighborhood. It’s a poignantly beautiful and powerful eulogy for youth that is full of pent-up anger and frustration.
Artist: Shi Qing
Title: Anorexic
Year: 2006
Anorexic weaves the personal story of a man suffering with anorexia nervosa ironically after having been living with hunger for years, together with an underlying account of a society ill with an anxiety over the sudden eruption of resources and desires and an unmanageable fear over loss, following an extended period of materialistic shortage.
Artist: Li Yu
Title: Red
Year: 2004
Red gives the center stage of the narrative to a friend of the artist, a woman in her late 40s, who delivers a melodramatic monologue about her pride over her beauty and her understanding of her own character. Her ill-fit clothing and her unconscious revelations of vulnerability however betray her outward confidence and composure.
Artist: Hu Xiangqian
Title: Flying Blue Flag
Year: 2004-2005
In this video, we watch Hu Xiangqian clumsily yet enthusiastically applying the usual political tactics of lobbying for support prior to the election of the village chief in the southern town of Nanjing, from promising economic opportunities for local villagers to delivering passionate speeches. By entering himself into the process of the election, Hu reveals the hypocrisy and formula hidden in political life.
Strange Encounters
Video of the month # 25: China Kompilation
奇遇--第25界维也纳美术馆录象放映
Curated by Carol (Yinghua) Lu
KUNSTHALLE Wien ursula blickle videolounge,
June 01st - June 30th, 2007
[url]http://www.kunsthallewien.at/en/events/
Artist: Dong Wensheng
Title: Jingzhe
Year: 2003
Artist: Dong Wensheng
Title: Meiyu
Year: 2003
The titles of Dong Wensheng’s two video works “Jingzhe” and “Meiyu” are two of the 24 markers of seasons in Chinese astronomy. Jingzhe, meaning "the awakening of insects”, is the time of year when thunderstorm will wake up the hibernated insects and the weather will get warmer. “Jingzhe” begins almost comically as the protagonist awkwardly walks into the picture and dresses up a tree with plastic flowers from a carry-on bag but the story takes an abrupt and unexpected ending that leaves the viewers disturbed and at a loss. “Meiyu” is a collage of street scenes showered in endless rain shot in South China proceeding to another unusual association, evoking the meaning of Meiyu, the rainy season of the year.
Artist: Zhao Liang
Title: City Scene
Year: 2004
City Scene collages several snapshots of small events and common street scenes taking place all over the city of Beijing. The filmmaker captures the absurdities of everyday life with such a matter-of-factly approach, which further highlights the surreal quality of a reality defined by dramatic changes.
Artist: Zhao Liang
Title: Bored Youth
Year: 2000
Intense and violent, Bored Youth follows a young man as he roams aimlessly through the darkness of the city and constantly smashes heavily into the remnants of a traditional Beijing neighborhood. It’s a poignantly beautiful and powerful eulogy for youth that is full of pent-up anger and frustration.
Artist: Shi Qing
Title: Anorexic
Year: 2006
Anorexic weaves the personal story of a man suffering with anorexia nervosa ironically after having been living with hunger for years, together with an underlying account of a society ill with an anxiety over the sudden eruption of resources and desires and an unmanageable fear over loss, following an extended period of materialistic shortage.
Artist: Li Yu
Title: Red
Year: 2004
Red gives the center stage of the narrative to a friend of the artist, a woman in her late 40s, who delivers a melodramatic monologue about her pride over her beauty and her understanding of her own character. Her ill-fit clothing and her unconscious revelations of vulnerability however betray her outward confidence and composure.
Artist: Hu Xiangqian
Title: Flying Blue Flag
Year: 2004-2005
In this video, we watch Hu Xiangqian clumsily yet enthusiastically applying the usual political tactics of lobbying for support prior to the election of the village chief in the southern town of Nanjing, from promising economic opportunities for local villagers to delivering passionate speeches. By entering himself into the process of the election, Hu reveals the hypocrisy and formula hidden in political life.
