Shanghai at an Angle

A couple of weeks ago, we visited the Shanghai exhibition held at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Although some of my classmates have already written about this exhibition on the blog, I wanted to write about my own experience.

Two days before our fieldtrip I injured my back. Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain and could barely walk. So, the day we went to visit the museum I was offered to be pushed around the exhibition on a wheelchair.

It was a very interesting experience looking at an exhibition from a wheelchair, when it’s designed for people of normal stature. Most of the artwork hanging on the walls I could appreciate, but some were too high, so I had to be pushed back to be able to see them. Some pieces were on display encased over tables, where it was very difficult for me to actually see what was in there because of the angle I could look from. What was very delighting to see on a wheelchair was the section in the exhibition where the museum was showing contemporary videos. The video exhibition is designed for people to sit and watch, as I can assess by all the chairs placed in auditorium mode in front of the screen. There, I felt comfortable appreciating the exhibition that was designed to be looked at from my angle.

Although I'm aware that most exhibition designs are created with the average walking person in mind, it got me thinking about all the people who cannot walk around a show as I did that day. Can we really design exhibitions that will accommodate both the walking viewer and the public in wheelchairs? Perhaps we should reconsider alternative angles of viewing artwork that are not necessarily in an upright standing position. We build museums and gallery spaces that are wheelchair accessible, but what about the exhibitions? I hope we can integrate all public into exhibition making, no matter from which physical position they may view artworks.

-- CLAUDIA SCHIDLOW

Shanghai Revolution

Exhibition Title: Shanghai
Location: Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102
Dates: February 5 - September 12, 2010

I know next to nothing about Shanghai. Upon visiting the exhibition, Shanghai, at the Asian Art Museum, I was hoping to discover a lot more. It was a rather small exhibition organized historically and, I imagine, with the intention of illustrating the various art methods in different time periods. Much of the work was, for lack of better words, stereotypical to what Americans think of when asked about Asian Art. I was hoping the contemporary room would provide something to the contrary. In a way it did, but at the same time, there was not enough to see, as it was located in the smallest exhibition space.

As I continue with my contributions to this blog, I am writing from the perspective of my own personal growth and knowledge of the art world. I am working myself into comfort so the ideas that I formulate come from finding something particular to my journey. Though there were some noteworthy pieces in the show, I will leave that to my colleagues to discuss. What was fascinating to me was the Revolution area of this exhibition. It was not, however, for the content of the art, but for the process. I find it rather bizarre that I did not evaluate the space on aesthetic but mastery basically because I have experience with relief printmaking. If I did not know ahead of time that the space was dedicated to Revolutionary posters, I would have referred to it as the woodcut area. By this, I mean that I don’t know what was on the woodblock as I was mesmerized by the craftsmanship. I even brought it up with others with experience in the art form. For anyone who has ever done relief, they know the instability that can be associated with working with wood. There are various obstacles to master including, type of wood, size / quality of tools, chipping, etc. In addition, I wondered about the technology available to print makers in Shanghai during said time period. What sorts of supplies did they use to complete the print? I couldn’t focus on anything else. My mind was all encompassed by questioning the who, what, when, where, how of the process instead of the content. My big questions: Is this a regular occurrence with artists? Do they forget to see the aesthetic and narrow onto solely on the craft? Is it still considered aesthetic if the craft is what the viewer focuses on? Is art only subject to message and “prettiness”? That’s right, I’m asking you.

-- MELINA DE HOYOS

Asian Art Museum Presents Modern Perspectives of Ancient City

Exhibition Title: Shanghai
Location: Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102
Dates: February 5 - September 12, 2010

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 San Francisco's sister city and coinciding with the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

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 the contemporary art of Shanghai. Britta accomplished her goal of showcasing the range of the artistic practice of artists working in Shanghai through the range of media selected that portrays a snapshot of the contemporary culture of Shanghai today. 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

The artist talked about the relation of contemporary Chinese ink painting to traditional Chinese 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. Chongbin’s work, The Dimension of Ink No. 1, references traditional ink painting as well as Western influences.

Li Huayi Forest 2004

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

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 an 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. Referencing the destruction of the architecture of Shanghai, bricks were taken from houses that were constructed in Shanghai in the 1920s that have now been demolished. Atop these bricks were laid the rocks and the vase. 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.

Other highlights:

Shen Fan, Commemorating Huang Binhong-Scroll, 2007
Liu Jianhua, Shadow in the Water, 2010
Yang Fudong, Liu Lan, 2003

Overall, the show does present a snapshot of the culture of Shanghai today as well as provides a comment on the impact of globalization in Chinese contemporary art practice.

All images courtesy of Shanghai Exhibition Catalogue

-- CHARLOTTE MILLER