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January 29, 2012

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Exhibit an eclectic mix of ideas

Minsheng Art Museum is hosting an exhibition by the Paris-based Kadist Art Foundation.

The "Kadist: Pathways into a Collection" exhibit is structured around three segments, titled "Bifurcations of Meaning," "Work Work Work" and "The Aftermath."

The works within "Bifurcations of Meaning" explore how individuals express themselves differently in order to represent something that is thought to be common, showing how the world we inhabit can always be defined differently.

For example, "The Six Grandfathers, Paha Sapa, in the Year 502,002, C.E," created by Matthew Buckingham, is a photo and text piece that guides viewers through a history of Mount Rushmore - an outdoor monument in the US that portrays a group of former American presidents. The small texts on the wall create a timeline describing the different contexts and significances of this site. The timeline even creates a fictionalized future.

The highlight of the "Work Work Work" segment is a video titled "Killed" by William E. Jones. The video comprises an appropriation of photos from the 1930s, which were originally taken by the Farm Security Administration of the American government during the Great Depression. The images that appear in the video come from film that was never developed as they were censored for not portraying an idyllic, optimistic society.

In recent years, the Kadist Art Foundation has acquired pieces made by Eastern European artists. They are works created by both historical figures active in the last two decades before the fall of the Berlin Wall and by contemporary artists who are exploring the aftermath of their former society.

In "The Aftermath" viewers can find the documentation of a 1989 performance by Slovakian Julius Koller, a conceptual artist, and a film by Lithuanian Deimantas Narkevicius. Narkevicius' film fictionalizes the future of Lithuania, had it remained a part of the USSR. These works are followed by a video-installation made by Mexican artist Carlos Amorales. It shows a surreal landscape inhabited by bizarre radioactive creatures.

The Kadist foundation promotes contemporary art through its collection, the organization of exhibitions, and by giving residencies to artists in Paris.

Besides the founding family members, the foundation's artistic committee includes Jeremy Lewison, a modern art consultant who was previously director of collections at the Tate Gallery, Rozenn Prat, a professor of visual arts, and Jean Marc Prevost, previously director of the Rochechouart Museum.

Collectively they choose what art work to purchase for the foundation's collection.


Date: Through March 4, 10am-5pm

Address: Bldg F, 570 Huaihai Rd W.

Tel: 6282-8729




 

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