Airport thrillers > Global Times

1/21/13 2:25 AM

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Global Times | Hu Bei Published on January 14, 2013 17:23

Airport thrillers

Artist Xiao Ge parted with her parents at Pudong International Airport and set off on her journey to France to study. It was 1995, and over the next eight years the departure and arrivals lounges at the airport would become familiar territory. "It was naturally my way back home," Xiao told the Global Times. Even so, Xiao said that she never imagined that one day she would help organize and curate a contemporary art exhibition at Shanghai's international hub. Entitled On the Way Home - Pudong International Airport Special Exhibition, the show has assembled the largest ever group of artists (45 in all) all but one of whom are Chinese overseas returnees. It will run until March 31. More than 60 artworks, ranging from oil paintings, charcoals, and sculptures, to videos, installations and short films, are on display inside the airport's Terminal 2 building.

Transport, an obsolete wooden boat with two rows of television sets by Zhang Qikai

International identities Xiao told the Global Times that, "Pudong isn't just a public space serving hundreds of thousands of visitors every day; it's also a space in which international identities are transformed. In such a complex and fluidly transitioning space, people with differing dreams, cultures, and value systems cross each other. And standing in this special space viewing these artworks, you can't help thinking of questions such as, 'who are we?' 'where do we come from?' and 'where are we going?'" The exhibition is a part of the 9th Shanghai Biennale which is running until March 31. Qiu Zhijie, general curator of the biennale, described the airport as a "psychological space for non-stop departures and returns." "It's a meaningful place for discussing the choices of these returning artists, and I believe their works will evoke empathy in all passengers and visitors," Qiu told the Global Times. All of the exhibiting artists have at least 10 years' experience of studying and living abroad, in countries as far flung as France, Italy, England and Canada. Qiu told the Global Times that, in the early 20th century the first generation of returnee artists, people like Li Shutong, Lin Fengmian and Xu Beihong, helped to bring ideas about Western art to China, influencing the local art scene in the process. "And today, more and more artists are choosing to go abroad to study first, before returning to China to develop their career," said Qiu. Beijing-born Zhang Qikai graduated from China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1992, and studied in Milan in Italy from 1993 to 2002 where he received a Bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan and also a Master's degree from the multimedia department at the Institute of Design of Milan.

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Airport thrillers > Global Times

1/21/13 2:25 AM

At this show, Zhang is exhibiting his multimedia installation, Transport. He has filled an obsolete wooden boat with two rows of television sets. And on the television screens are broadcast video facial images of subway passengers from metropolises around the world including Milan, Paris, London and Shanghai. Zhang traveled around these cities taking secret videos of his fellow passengers. "After I finished the videos, I found that the subjects mostly had the same facial expression, characterized by emotionless eyes," said Zhang. "This inspired me to think that in our globalized world today, our surroundings are increasingly 'non-regional'. It's also the case that people are involuntarily reducing their national and cultural characteristics down to nearly nothing." Zhang bought the boat near Baiyangdian Lake in Hebei Province. "It looks like all these passengers from different places are now all being transported to the same destination," he added. Zhang praised the thinking behind this current "innovative" exhibition. "For many years in Italy art exhibitions have moved out of museums and galleries, and have been regularly staged in ancient churches and old factories among other venues."

Screen shots from Rolf Kluenter's short film 2012 Shanghai Soulmates Photos: Courtesy of Xiao Ge

Panoramic screening German-born Rolf Kluenter is the only non-Chinese artist exhibiting at the show. He has lived in Shanghai since 1998 and plans to stay here for the foreseeable future. Using the format of a wide panoramic screening, Kluenter's short film, 2012 Shanghai Soulmates records 18 friends he has met during his time in Shanghai. "I consider myself very 'Chinese.' I'm married to a Chinese woman and I have lots of friends who are local artists. The film I've made has been deeply influenced by the Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai." This is not the first time that Pudong International Airport has hosted an exhibition. In 2010, during the Shanghai World Expo, the airport also staged a contemporary art show called I'm Going Home. Xiao told the Global Times that works containing images of guns or knives, or depictions of sex and violence, were not allowed to be included in the show. She added that the airport management also rejected works that they believed would "make viewers feel tired." "However, as everyone knows, many contemporary artworks do contain such elements," she said. "So although this show is definitely a breakthrough, it has made me realize that there still exists a big difference between a public space and a traditional exhibiting venue."

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Airport thrillers > Global Times

1/21/13 2:25 AM

A poster for the exhibition

Date: Until March 31 Venue: Terminal 2, Pudong International Airport

Address: 6000 Yingbin Avenue, Pudong New Area 6000

Call 6885-3047 for details Posted in: Metro Shanghai Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us

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