Text / Guo Xi
Abstract:The Imagination Lab provides a platform and support for experimental art language and non-result-oriented artistic creation. This paper analyzes the development background of Chinese contemporary art and illustrates the positive impact of the emergence of independent art institutions on China's art ecosystem. The Imagination Lab sponsors and deeply participates in artist projects that encourage artists to explore new ways of artistic expression. His innovative art activities, such as "Lunar Eclipse" and "Tomorrow's Sight Award", show his observation and reflection on the art ecology. These practices exemplify the important role of the Imagination Lab as an independent art institution in enriching the art ecosystem and challenging the boundaries of the art world.
Keywords: Imagination Lab, Experimental Art, Artist Support, Innovative Practice
Artists are a group driven by the need for creative expression. In every era, creative expression will be innovative, and there are constantly artists who make very experimental attempts to express themselves in their creations. When the existing environment cannot meet the needs of the new work, a new environment is needed to make the content happen. The emergence of independent art institutions can take on the task of providing a platform for these new artistic languages and ideas, so that those artistic contents that are difficult to adapt to the old environment can be exported through the new institutions and their ideas. The establishment of the Imagination Laboratory was based on a response to the current state of the art environment at the time.
Since the 90s of the 20th century, a number of contemporary art galleries have emerged in Beijing, Shanghai and other places. Chinese contemporary artists are beginning to gain more attention on the international stage. Through the gallery system, artists begin to acquire a new path of survival, and their works are able to generate economic value in the market, thus making artists a viable profession. This transformation has had a positive impact on China's art ecology, but it has also triggered a series of new phenomena. Just as organisms evolve, species will choose different evolutionary strategies in response to environmental pressures, and the new art ecology is also reshaping the cognition of artists, and the strategies of artistic creation activities will also be displaced.
In 2020, Imagination Laboratory, exhibition view of Ding Shiwei's personal project "Random Prophecy".
The art market has a natural "profit-seeking" nature, and market-driven artistic creation seems to be more and more "utilitarian" result-oriented. Signing a contract with a gallery, becoming a professional artist, and selling for a work are the most important indicators of the value of an artist and his work. However, art itself is not limited to its commercial attributes, and the spiritual and cultural values behind it are difficult to describe by price. At that time, the ecology of contemporary art in China was incomplete, and there was still a lack of art museums, independent art institutions, foundations, curators, critics, educators, art media, etc., but the development of the art market was relatively strong. When a single type of environment in an ecosystem is too strong, some dominant species will be created to adapt to the environment, while the populations of species that are difficult to adapt will decrease in number and even face extinction. In this environment, some excellent art forms that cannot be marketed are relatively lacking in the soil for survival. This state is unbalanced, at least from the point of view of species diversity.
As a first-hand witness of the development of contemporary art in China, Geng Jianyi has observed and felt these changes, and hopes to create an environment that encourages artists to engage in non-result-oriented creations and supports artists to explore experimental artistic languages. At the beginning of 2008, Geng Jianyi led the establishment of the "Ah Na" working group in Hangzhou, which was renamed the "Imagination Lab" in 2010 and established itself as a non-profit art institution. The purpose of its work is to "work around finding and promoting innovative things, scavenging invention ideas, promoting and practicing imagination, capturing the unknown and unseen, and protecting its growth".
2021, Imagination Laboratory, exhibition view of Cao Shu's solo project "Going to Rome".
"Those who can't get into galleries and art museums want us." This is what Geng Jianyi said in the working meeting, from which we can see the attitude of the Imagination Lab in the selection of content. The reference to art galleries and galleries here refers to a relatively fixed order of the art system. This order is like a web of different meshes, sifting through the content that is adapted to the respective rules. While this mode of working is effective, the Imagination Lab seems to care about the "fish that slip through the net", those things that are incompatible, incorporating, and inductible with the system. However, this choice of direction is also extremely difficult, and most artists will be driven by the "centripetal force" of the system, consciously or unconsciously to match the needs of the "system". Finding the "missing pearls" outside the rules requires a keen eye and some luck.
In the selection of artistic projects, imagination attaches importance to the "transcendental" sparkle of the artist's plan, even if this sparkle is faint or fleeting, it must be tried to capture and present. These attempts may not always lead to the desired results, but the Imagination Lab focuses more on the process of the artist's exploration of practice. Under such conditions, artists can throw away a lot of baggage and have the courage to experiment with mediums, materials, and ways of working that they have never encountered before.
Imagination Lab "Classroom" project space
At the beginning of the establishment of the Imagination Lab, its working methods were not very clear. It was initially involved in art projects primarily through direct funding, including support for Art-Ba-Ba Art Community, Tuntu, China Sound Map, Art Online, and more. As the laboratory has matured and evolved, so has its approach to supporting art projects. The Imagination Lab began to provide in-depth support to artists' creative projects, beyond mere financial support, into a kind of long-term companionship. The art projects it promotes are based on in-depth dialogue and joint exploration with artists, covering the whole process from conceptual discussion, material research, work production to exhibition presentation. The Imagination Lab is committed to providing services into every aspect of artists' creation, listening to the needs of artists and assisting in their realization, so as to expand the creative dimension for artists. Geng Jianyi once summed up the mission of the Imagination Lab in this way: "The Imagination Lab is for artists. ”
Similar to the work of an artist, the work of an institution requires creativity rather than simply doing things according to the rules. The method of working should be dynamic and changeable. Especially in the field of art, in order to meet the needs of artists for creative diversity, it is necessary to explore unprecedented avenues and invent new working methods.
In 2017, Imagination Laboratory, Zhang Liaoyuan's personal project "semi-fermentation" work site
Taking the 2017 solo project "Semi-Fermentation" by artist Zhang Liaoyuan at the Imagination Lab as an example, after listening deeply to the artist's creative plan, the Imagination Lab and the artist decided to adopt an innovative exhibition structure, transforming the exhibition hall into the artist's studio. On the opening day, there were no works on site, only a working environment set up according to the needs of the artists. From the first day of the exhibition, Zhang Liaoyuan began to work in the exhibition hall, which was open to visit and observe.
At the same time, the Imagination Lab team keeps a detailed record of the artist's work every day, including when he arrives, as well as the materials, assistants, manuscripts, sketches, and other information he brings. After the artist's daily work, the Imagination Lab publishes the day's work record through the official account, hoping to show the audience the real working status of the artist behind the artwork that is usually not seen.
After 21 days of hard work, the artist completed more than sixty brand new works. The works are set up to be exhibited in his work environment and the audience is invited to come back for another visit. In the space, in addition to Zhang Liaoyuan's new works, there are also traces of his work left during the 21 days of creation. This experimental exhibition structure presents a comprehensive picture of the artist's work process, which, as the title suggests "Semi-fermentation", is part of the uncertainty of the final outcome of the artist's 21-day work in the gallery as a process of slow fermentation.
In 2017, Imagination Laboratory, exhibition view of Zhang Liaoyuan's personal project "Semi-fermentation".
In addition to discovering and searching for artist projects, the Imagination Lab also curates many self-created projects with distinctive characteristics and exploration directions. These include "Lunar Eclipse", which invites artists to cook in the laboratory kitchen every month; "Classroom", which invites artists to expand and reconstruct the content of the teaching materials of the nine-year compulsory education every month, and to give lectures; "8HZ Hypnosis Laboratory", directed by artist Wang Xin, focuses on the subconscious reasoning generated by hypnotic dreams; "No Day to Return", an "art pawn shop" bartered by artist Li Ming and writer Lian Damian; "Experiments on Sensory Creation", a project led by artist Yi Lian, from sensory research to the production of art installations; "India", a printmaking studio that uses printmaking as a medium to explore the artistic language; "Post-post", a WeChat public account that openly solicits authors to create, share knowledge and information; "The Great Format of the Internet", which invites artists to create works in .gif format, and "Here Come the Bowl", which invites artists to draw and fire porcelain bowls. These diverse programs demonstrate the Imagination Lab's broad interest and active efforts to advance artistic exploration and innovation.
"Lunar Eclipse" is a monthly activity in which the Imagination Lab invites artists to "cook" in the laboratory kitchen, and the picture shows Geng Jianyi at the "Lunar Eclipse" scene in 2014
Among them, the "Lunar Eclipse" project has become one of the most influential projects of the Imagination Lab since September 2013. Since the start of the project, two artists have been invited as chefs on the 20th of each month to create 16 unique dishes for 20 guests. These dishes are not only delicacies, but also creations that the artist shares with the public for the first time, and they are brewed, concocted and shared in the "lunar eclipse". During the meal, diners were invited to use the watercolor pens placed on the table to record their feelings, comments or complaints on the tablecloth. Each "lunar eclipse" is a collective experience of one session and one session that takes place in a specific time and space. Since September 20, 2013, the Imagination Lab has held a total of 66 "Lunar Eclipse" activities, with 116 artists (groups) participating, creating 876 dishes and more than 1,000 guests.
The original intention of the "Lunar Eclipse" project is to enhance cross-border exchanges, invite guests from different industries together with the familiar dining methods of Chinese people, and hope to collide with new ideas in the exchanges between the banquets. Currently, "Lunar Eclipse" is still an ongoing art project. In addition to solving the problem of human communication, the project also extends more thoughts: does the material that makes up the work have to be long-lasting? Can it also be an ingredient that does not have a long shelf life? Does the place where the art takes place have to be in the "white box" of the pavilion? Can it be in the kitchen and at the dining table?
Some of the dishes created by the artist in "Lunar Eclipse".
The emergence of independent institutions has enriched the diversity of the art ecosystem. In the process of development, institutions also need to constantly observe and reflect on the current art environment, discover problems and explore diversified solutions. Try to break and blur some rigid boundaries and open up more new possibilities for artistic creative expression.
Every year, there are a number of young art awards in the contemporary art world, and the traditional award model often relies on the judgment of a few art authorities. This traditional evaluation mechanism has certain limitations, but can the authoritative vision really accurately represent the future direction of art? In addition, there are occasional teacher-student relationships between judges and participating artists, which raises some questions about the fairness of the awards.
In 2021, based on the reflection on the current situation of the award mechanism, the Imagination Lab, together with Hangzhou West Theatre and the independent art institution Martin Goya Business, jointly launched an innovative young artist award, the "Tomorrow's Vision Award". The award aims to provide a decentralized award mechanism for young artists of the "post-95" generation. Through the online solicitation method, the award received more than 400 submissions from artists from all over the country. The centerpiece of the award is the Tomorrow's Sight Award, in which 300 judges are invited to participate in the evaluation of the works. Among them, 70% are first-line artists, and the other 30% include heads of art institutions, gallerists, curators, art media and some professionals in cross-disciplinary fields.
In 2021, the scene of the Tomorrow's Vision Award Ceremony of the Western Theater
The "Tomorrow's Sight Award" attempts to circumvent some of the drawbacks of the traditional award mechanism through such a structural setting. The selection method is carried out online, and the organizing committee adds all the judges as friends through the newly registered "Tomorrow's Sight" WeChat account, and only these 300 judges can see the circle of friends of the WeChat account. In our call for works, we informed the artists that each person would receive a display space on WeChat Moments, which could display 9 images, or a recording or text. Every day, the "Tomorrow's Sight" WeChat account sends the entries of 10 artists through the circle of friends, and the judges can like and comment. In the end, the artist with the most likes was revealed at the awards ceremony. The following year, the three institutions presented three exhibitions for the first prize, the second and third winners, and the top 10 artists.
Practice has proved that this experimental award mechanism is effective, and can provide some reference for the future art awards to set the rules of the mechanism. At the same time, this award has enabled the creations of young artists to be seen by 300 professionals in the industry, and has also attracted widespread attention and discussion within the art circle, opening up more possibilities for the future development of these young people.
Finally, I would like to quote a description of imagination by Mr. Geng Jianyi, hoping that the work practice of the Imagination Lab shared in this article will inspire friends who are concerned about or working in the field of independent art institutions.
Imagination is to help people to be a guide, is to help people make decisions in the dark, of course, such decisions are not necessarily correct, but without imagination, people will panic, unable to find the direction, we will not be able to act, so imagination in my understanding is the starting point of action.
Guo Xi is the director of the Imagination Laboratory
(This article was originally published in Art Observation, Issue 4, 2024)