On April 18th, the Chinese Pavilion of the 60th Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition opened in Venice, Italy. As one of the cooperative units of the China National Pavilion, artist Shi Hui and Dongpeng Holdings jointly present the series of works "Books Not Books". Dongpeng Holdings provides high-performance, low-energy sustainable materials to tell the story of China through the ages.
Shi Hui's "Books Are Not Books" series of works on display.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, undertaken by China International Culture Group Co., Ltd., co-organized by China International Art Exhibition Co., Ltd., and supported by Zhejiang University, the exhibition is divided into two sections: "Collection" and "Transmission", with the theme of "Beauty and Commonality: Collection", aiming to show multiculturalism from the perspective of "convergence, exchange and integration", and convey the values of "inclusiveness", "harmony and symbiosis" and "beauty and beauty" in traditional Chinese culture.
Exhibition view.
Co-curated by Professor Wang Xiaosong of Zhejiang University and independent curator Jiang Jun, the exhibition is divided into two sections: "Collection", which is composed of image documents of "The Great Collection of Chinese Paintings of the Past Dynasties", and "Biography", which is composed of works by seven Chinese contemporary artists: Che Jianquan, Jiao Xingtao, Qiu Zhenzhong, Shi Hui, Wang Shaoqiang, Wang Zhenghong, and Zhu Jinshi.
Between "Collection" and "Biography", the exhibition draws on the 20th-century German art historian Abi Warburg's Mnemosyne Atlas, and uses image philology to prepare a theme-related plate for each artwork, trying to connect Chinese paintings and contemporary art works through the juxtaposition of multiple images, and at the same time echo the global image history, forming a two-way linkage between China and the world, ancient and modern.
Shi Hui, professor and doctoral supervisor of the China Academy of Art, will exhibit works in the Biennale as "Shu Fei Shu No. 1: Yongzi Eight Methods", "Shu Fei Shu No. 2: Meditation" and "Shu Fei Shu No. 3: Reading the Tablet". In recent years, the artist has taken writing as one of the themes of her practice, she pays attention to the similarity between weaving and writing in fiber art, looks back at the circulation of human civilization with always pure interest, and interprets the meaning of Chinese calligraphy through continuous attention to the cultural nature of materials and life experience, and weaves the oriental spiritual context.
"Books Not Books" series.
The "Book Not Book" series of works is made of Dongpeng's inorganic ecological stone, which is used as the display platform for the "Book Not Book" series of works, emphasizing the introversion and subtlety of oriental culture with basalt gray, creating a quiet and indifferent space temperament.
According to the relevant person in charge of Dongpeng Holdings, this display platform is 10 meters long, 2 meters wide and 0.4 meters high, and is made of Dongpeng Green Innovative Material Ecological Stone. Compared with traditional ceramic tiles, this kind of ecological stone does not need to be sintered in the production process, effectively reduces energy consumption and emissions, and can recycle natural raw materials and leftovers and tailings produced by its own production, which is in line with the value orientation of the concept of circular economy.
Upcoming transport to the exhibition platform in Venice.
The production of this display platform began on February 20 this year and took five days to make. On March 17, it was transported from Foshan to Venice Airport. "In order to facilitate the transportation and handling of products, the display platform is produced in four sections, and after the platform arrives at the site, it is assembled and spliced. The relevant person in charge of Dongpeng Holdings told reporters that the "Book is not a book" series of works with cotton, linen, rice paper, pulp and other fiber materials as the creative medium, at the level of contemporary art, not only highlights the heritage of the oriental spirit, but also reflects the profound pursuit of sustainability;
●Artwork
Book Not Book I: The Eight Laws of Yongzi
Analysis of the work: The significance of words to civilization is self-evident, before the invention of writing, human beings used knotted ropes to remember. The work "Yongzi Eight Methods" uses the idea of "knotting rope" to interpret the rhyme of Chinese calligraphy. The weaving of fibers and the writing of words have many points in common, and the modulation of calligraphy is transformed into a kind of twisting and twisting in the knotted rope, forming an intertextuality between the strange and the familiar, the traditional and the present. In calligraphy, "the point is like a falling stone, and the horizontal river is like a long river" is a kind of momentum and mind, and the text is not only a memory, but also a thousand kinds of interest.
Book Not Book II: Meditation
Analysis: "Meditation" is imaged by scattered relics-like stones, and the stones are woven with remnants of words from calligraphy and ancient book pages, like the remnants of history. What will happen in a thousand years? Everything will change, but the remnants of that culture will still be the treasure of the future creation.
"Books Not Books III: Reading the Tablet"
Analysis of works: The theme of "reading the stele" in early Chinese painting is a nostalgic expression, and the reading of the stele drawn in the way of literati painting shows the identity and mind of the literati. The work "Reading the Tablet" is woven with rice paper and shaped into the style of the stele, expressing simplicity and purity in a plain white style, conveying an ancient and elegant atmosphere.
● About the artist
Shi Hui is an artist, professor and doctoral supervisor at the China Academy of Art. Director of Wanman Wall Hanging Research Institute.
Shi Hui is one of the first batch of artists engaged in contemporary fiber art in China in the 80s of the last century, she adheres to the creative direction of fiber art in contemporary art, and her works are characterized by fiber materials such as cotton, linen, rice paper, and pulp, which reflect the oriental spirit at the level of contemporary art.
His works have participated in many important exhibitions, nomination exhibitions and biennials at home and abroad, including the 3rd Shanghai Biennale in 2000, the exhibition "Living at This Time: 29 Chinese Contemporary Artists" at the Staatshalle Berlin in 2001, the "Intermediate" - Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in France in 2003, and the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz, Germany in 2013. In 2007, he won the Martell Extraordinary Artist Award, and in 2014, he won the 8th Art China Annual Influence Award of AAC.
Text, photo/Foshan News and Media Center reporter Shu Wei correspondent Huang Gaohuan