From the Mundane World: Inaugural Exhibition of He Art Museum 2021
Organizer: HEM
Chairman of Exhibition: He Jianfeng
Chief Curator: Feng Boyi
Curators: Hu Bin, Wang Xiaosong, Liu Gang, Shao ShuAssistant Curators: Yang Qing, Gou Xianxu, Yuan Zhao, Wang Qi, Lai Zhiqiang
From the Mundane World: Inaugural Exhibition of the He Art Museum
The exhibition attempts to develop on two aspects: "Mundane world" and the things from said world. "Mundane World" or the human world, includes the space inhabited by human beings, and time, material, energy, speed, etc. The rest of it, the tangible items like landscapes make up the things from the Mundane World. The things in the "Mundane World" are disordered, uncertain, but equally interdependent. Given that artistic practices are often reliant on material constructs, the thematic exhibition explores human civilization within the confines of the laws of nature. The exhibition pays attention to specific living environments, examines the relationships between man and things, nature and other ecological systems in the process of modernization, as well as issues regarding the heritage of regional cultures and sustainable developments. It is a study of how tangible "things" develop through the nebulous nature of the "Mundane World" and the resulting issues of production, consumption, ecology, etc. The material energy will artistically transform into existence beyond matter, revealing the spirit of the time in a contemporary way. In other words, the artist's material-based creation embodies the multi-dimensional care of environmental protection awareness and reflects a special modern characteristic in the context of social development, resulting in a crisis of identity and artistic alertness.
Introduction to the Thematic Exhibition
Experience all things
"All things" is the broad concept of all objects and beings, including the unpredictable enigma of nature and its inexhaustible energy. Experience is both the starting and end point for humans, gaining greater perception through a process of coming in contact with these various objects and beings. In the field of contemporary art, material mediums are of paramount importance. Our interaction with nature is constructed and reconstructed by exploring, utilizing the quality and energy of materials, as well as by accumulated creative experiences. Artistic experiments extend beyond mere experience, they record the direction of our understanding of natural materials, reveal the limitations of the visual experience, and deconstruct, while transforming the original form of materials. As artists "experience all things," this gradually shapes their perceptions, thoughts, and transformations of art in material and visual culture, and brings out a transcendental visual tension.
Doctrine for "sole" material development
Modern development directly impacts all fields of human life. Humanity’s infinite worship of energy on an epistemological level and the overexploitation of natural resources have led to resource depletion. This depletion lays the foundation, on which the doctrine of "sole" material development is built. It represents the rampant destruction of the Earth's natural ecology and lack of control as a result of social production, consumer culture, and personal desires. Hence, through an artist's anxious expressions of the ecological changes, they are alerting the world and protecting the environment. Perhaps this exhibition will give insight to the profound social problems that affect the world through the artists' expressive displays. Although this explanation and criticism involve social systems and realistic demands of them, the exhibit tries to arouse the audience's awareness of the crisis of human survival and the sense of reverence for nature.
Mundane canteen
In traditional Chinese history, Shunde is one of the most culinarily rich cities. Eating is a human instinct and is closely related to our body and survival. The food chain can also be one of the indicators for measuring the diversity of natural ecology. The change and integration of food culture has not only become a major source of national and religious taboos, but also reflects the conflicts in social history, events, power, and class. The participating artists transform this indispensable sustenance into a creative resource, build a metaphorical canteen in the exhibition space for communicating the deeper themes of cooking, and trace the food-related memories about life based on the traditional diet and cultural experience from different countries and ethnic groups. Food art re-interprets the basis of our existence and extends it to the realm of material culture. This art is formed through experiences of cooking, consuming, desire, and the diverse eating cultures of the artists and audiences, thereby presenting the symbiotic relationship between our living environment and our food systems.
Artists
Experience All Things
Francis Alÿs, Atelier NL, Lucia Bru, Chen Wenji, Mona Hatoum, Huang Yongping, Li Jinghu, Liu Wei, Liu Xin, Yuko Mohri, Sun Yue, Tong Kunniao, Bernar Venet, Xu Bing, Yin Xiuzhen
Doctrine for "Sole" Material Development
Ann Böttcher, Edward Burtynsky, Subodh Gupta, Camille Henrot, Damien Hirst, Charlotte Jarvis, Anish Kapoor, Kohei Nawa, Anu Ramdas & Christian Danielewitz, Tong Wenmin, Wang Ningde, Yang Xinguang, Robert Zhao Renhui, Zheng Bo
Mundane Canteen
Asunción Molinos Gordo, Hanne Nielsen & Birgit Johnsen, Craig Au Yeung Ying Chai, Song Dong, The Center for Genomic Gastronomy, Rirkrit Tiravanija
Milieu in Change: He Art Museum Chinese Modern Collection Exhibition
Unit 1
Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Chen Shuren, Gao Qifeng, Wu Hufan, Chang Dai-Chien, Lin Fengmian, Guan Liang, Fu Baoshi, Zhao Shao'ang, Li Keran, Li Xiongcai, Guan Shanyue, Lai Shaoqi, Wu Guanzhong, Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-Chun, Liu Haisu
Unit 2
Ju Lian, Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Gao Jianfu, Gao Qifeng, Yu Fei'an, Xu Beihong, Chang Dai-Chien, Lin Fengmian, Zhao Shao'ang, Li Keran, Guan Shanyue
Unit 3
Qi Baishi, Chang Dai-chien, Lin Fengmian, Guan Liang, Fang Rending, Fu Baoshi, Yang Shanshen, Wu Guanzhong, Huang Zhou, Yang Zhiguang
On the Rise: He Art Museum Contemporary Art Collection Exhibition
Ding Yi, Fan Bo, Leng Jun, Pang Maokun, Kishio Suga, Shang Yang, Xu Zhen, Xue Song, Zhou Chunya
