Exhibit promises to put 鈥楢rt Within Reach鈥 for everyone
Print Edition
Where do the lines between art and everyday objects blur?
The exhibition 鈥淎rt Within Reach I鈥 at APSMUSEUM will provide some of the answers.
Curated by Xu Zidong, one of China鈥檚 top literary experts, the exhibition includes roughly 25 pieces of artwork created by 14 artists from across the world, including big names such as Olafur Eliasson, Daniel Arsham, Liu Jianhua and Miya Ando.
鈥淔rankly speaking, I felt a bit unsure when I was asked to be the curator,鈥 Xu said. 鈥淚 often find myself perplexed by contemporary art. It is difficult to catch their real meanings.鈥
According to Xu, classical art strives to be beautiful and magnificent, but modern art is less visually appealing and distorted.
鈥淪o I came up with the concept of 鈥楢rt Within Reach,鈥 because it shows less grotesque, absurd or abstract esthetics,鈥 he added. 鈥淭hey have quietly melted into our everyday lives. We aim to explore the fine line that separates real life from art with this exhibition.鈥
Visitors will notice a golden hollow door made of stainless steel hung in mid-air, dividing the space into indoor and outdoor areas. 鈥淒oor鈥 by Chinese artist Gao Weigang delineates the illusory barrier between 鈥渨ithin reach鈥 and 鈥渙utside.鈥
鈥淗uman beings have already developed a language and logic system in order to find some sort of order in this chaotic world.鈥 Gao, on the other hand, prefers to create works that misrepresent reality.
The entire exhibition space is fashioned into our familiar surroundings behind the door, such as the Plexiglas armchair and Bordo coffee table.
Alert viewers will notice the blurred distinction between kitchen, bathroom and living room through the exhibits.
鈥淚t is interesting that the story of these contemporary artworks often lies in their materials and creating process,鈥 Xu said. 鈥淭hese artworks on display are not those daunting pieces with big topics; instead, they are small, humorous, pleasant and profound.鈥
鈥淎rt with Reach鈥 is one of the genres of modern art that avoids large themes, dramatic scenes and passionate emotion. The work is more concerned with figurative details, material texture and juxtaposition.
Zhang Yitong鈥檚 鈥淒aily Cleansing Ritual and Soapearl Necklace鈥 is based on the 鈥渞ecalibration鈥 of daily objects with their meanings and spiritual significance.
Jewelry is typically used to embellish by 鈥渁dding鈥 something to the body, but soap implies the metaphor for 鈥渃leansing鈥 through its ability to 鈥渞educe鈥 something from the skin. When this changing 鈥渟oapearl necklace鈥 comes into contact with water, it underlines the importance of the reduction process.
Similarly, Arsham鈥檚 鈥淩imowa Eroded Attache鈥 invokes the concept of 鈥渇ictional archeology.鈥
In 2019, the artist collaborated with Rimowa on a Future Relic-inspired vintage suitcase sculpture that revealed the artist鈥檚 eroded esthetic. The suitcase appears as if it has been unearthed from the debris of an archeological site. Here, the present, the future and the past poetically collide in his haunted yet playful visions between romanticism and pop art.
鈥淭he first suitcase appears eroded, and the second one is good, focusing on a juxtaposition. On a deeper level, the suitcases remind us of industrial society and modernity,鈥 Xu remarked.
鈥淎ctually, the future of modernity may be very perilous. While postmodernism is defined by changing triteness into originality, transforming what is popular into what is elite, this is 鈥楢rt within Reach.鈥欌
The vivid color and light settings of Icelandic-Danish artist Eliasson鈥檚 鈥淎ffection鈥 are a standout.
The show saves space for this single work that explores progressions of geometric forms. Through green-toned glass, an LED in the core illuminates and shadows the walls. The artist uses Greenlandic glacial-rock grain in the glass, unwittingly conjuring a remote mystery.
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