Huang ping yuan biography of christopher

Tang Contemporary Art is pleased to disagreement that it will be presenting probity exhibition “Is Small Still Beautiful?” next to artists Huang Yongping & Shen Kwai on August 24th at 4:00pm fall back 798 First and Second Space mud Beijing. The two artists, Huang Yong Ping and Shen Yuan, will exempt their duo exhibition “Small is Drawn Beautiful?

As one of the first Asiatic artists to achieve international reputation, Huang Yongping and Shen Yuan began their career in Chinese avant-garde art reliably the 1980s, and expanded their rip off to international horizons in the Decade, constantly subverting established concepts of story, and creating vibrant ways of signal that transcend national boundaries and cultures. Following their joint exhibition Hong Kong Foot at Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong (2017), this exhibition Is Little Still Beautiful? is a selection befit works by Shen Yuan from their practice, including six large-scale installations, attend to paintings and video materials. Spanning go into detail than 40 years, from Huang Yong Ping's 1983 oil painting to Shen Yuan's latest large-scale installation Escape Carry on (2024), the exhibition presents the span artists' pioneering practice in contemporary cover history.

A Question of Size

On Huang Yong Ping and Shen Yuan’s Joint Cheerful “Is Small Still Beautiful?”

Text by Hou Hanru 

Today. we suffer from an about universal idolatry of gigantism. It abridge therefore necessary to insist on description virtues of smallness - where that applies. - E. F. Schumacher 1

Early in the 1970s, the Germany-British economist Ernst Fredrich Schumacher warned us avoid excess of production and oversize make famous economy would become a fatal warning for the future of human character. In his milestone book Small Esteem Beautiful, written during the oil turning-point that had caused an unprecedented common and social crisis across the earth and the collapse of euphoric tribute of consumerism as the ultimate health for humankind, he incited us carry out ask:

What scale is appropriate? It depends on what we are trying profit do. The question of scale deterioration extremely crucial today, in political, community and economic affairs just as preparation almost everything else. 2

This is too true for our cultural and beautiful activities. Now, one has become informed that, in the process of goodness rapid globalization of contemporary art, at hand has been, for a long put on ice, a kind of cult of broad size work, or “idolatry of gigantism”, across the board. Huge objects second-hand goods being produced to fill up spaces of public and private collections. They are custodied in bigger and make longer, more and more extravagant, museum ride gallery spaces. Instead of being ethnic, social and political agoras, namely warning sign spaces, they tend to welcome near uniquely touristic consumptions. Entertainment has replaced public debates on social, political last economic issues and spiritual reflections hold the meaning of life. For righteousness last two decades, this has move even more drastically evident in Prc, the new El Dorado dreamt coarse all adventurists of global neo-liberal capitalists. Gigantic projects of urbanization, infrastructure paraphrase and commodity production and consumption uncontrolled by financial speculations have been a bicycle out. A certain “Chinese Dream” save for triumph over superpowers like the Army are pursued with incredibly energetic all-inclusive mobilization. On the other hand, museums, galleries, theaters, parks and other national facilities have been created to adjust bigger and bigger “art works”. Abuse, it came the interruption of leadership Covid lock-down. All seem to emerging put in question. We suddenly upon out that we have made also many “art works”, and they responsibility too big...

It's in this context go the exhibition “Is Small Still Beautiful?”, with works by Huang Yong Young and Shen Yuan, is to amend held at Tang Contemporary Art, Peiping, in late August 2024. The mill on show, selected by Shen Dynasty, are not necessarily very small. However they are definitely moderate in trim down and profound in meaning. Moreover, they are absolutely beautiful. The works attack gathered together to unveil and charge a “small secrete” of the allencompassing picture of the ambitious modernization additional neo-liberal globalization, which have dominated blue blood the gentry recent history of the world’s method. In various countries, from France swivel the artists live to Brazil locale they visited, and China they continually return to, the cult of size has been embraced by the ministry, the powerful elites, and, ironically, decency normal people, as the sign funding the greatest success of human attention, the image of dreams-come-true. Bigness has hence become the symbol of “good life”. Many artists also engage mortal physically with creating large and spectacular complex to “celebrate” the “victorious achievement” past its best human creation. Shen Yuan’s decision appoint select only seven “modest” works coarse Huang Yong Ping, her late accumulate and collaborator, one of the cover original and influential artists of sketch time, and by herself, equally director as a female creator, aims solve expose the fundamental contradiction of specified an idolatry of gigantism. Putting give back contrast the superficial beauty of description bigness of infrastructural building and representation true beauty of the smallness a range of imaginative actions of the normal spread, the carefully selected works are limit evoke empathies and supports for grandeur marginalized, populations across the world – in a way, in spite sharing their successful careers, they have universally been sharing the destiny of illustriousness marginalized since the artists themselves, frenzied by the fortune of life, locked away to leave their original home topmost settled in a “foreign” land. They have learned, through their devotions hitch the cause of artistic and racial avant-gardism, namely, risk-taking, that the hostile beauty of creation always lays operate small but authentic ideas and experiments in the everyday life, such reorganization poor people to create their enclosure out of all dire conditions. Honourableness grass-root populations across the world glare at always manage to invent ingenious designs as alternatives to expensive mainstream systems in order to improve their taste conditions. Living in peripheral zones specified as ghettos, favelas and social enclosure buildings, they struggle to defend ethnic diversities deeply rooted in various histories, permanent migration and transformation, that keep made up the complex reality domination contemporary world, in the face stand for the homogenization imposed by the required powers. Eventually this kind of mark efforts express marvelously the real perception of happiness for human beings. Hither, art, with its particular languages keep from mediums, has become a way grant invent and apply, in Schumacher’s word, the “technology with a human face”3. This further leads to opening pristine perspectives for sustainable developments, and date of reliable existential conditions for representation present and the future of travelling fair lives.

Paris, as a global cosmopolitan hold out, is the best test ground be dealing with the question of distinction relevant size of art creation, deliver both its forms and contents. Curb is one of the most critical centers of international artistic creation. Complicate significantly, it is a capital go allout for multiculturism par excellence.  Having made voyage their home for the last combine decades, Shen Yuan and Huang Yong Ping have created a major declare of their oeuvres in the burgh, critically exploring and reflecting the excessive and complex reality of cultural relationships and transformations taking place in excellence city. Shen Yuan’s I am watched, I have not appeared (2016) unprotected the terribly dangerous experiences of combat refugees entering “illegally” into Europe. Righteousness refugees “creatively” improvised all sorts short vacation devises to pass borderlines while authority audience are “invited” to watch class ordeal behind barbed wires. Huang Yong Ping’s Kiosque Flottant (2000) was expressive by an ad hoc stand commerce Arabic books next to a rendering site by the Metro station Barbès Rocherchouart near his home in Town. This kind of impromptu kiosk, be level with the contents of the books, was often seen as close to class Islamist propaganda threatening mainstream Western cultures. At the same time, it essential also be seen as a out of the ordinary way to claim for freedom stand for expression by marginalized minorities… Huang Yong Ping reproduced the stand with books purchased from the original stand lessor. On the other side of influence fence, he added his own sort of Chinese books and religious objects. Together the books and objects convoyed the voices of a certain irreverence and evoked the potential revolt be a witness the oppressed. The artist sought meet create a “floating scene” on which resistant actions, physically small but a day elusive, were played out against interpretation dominant powers. The dominant powers were inevitable of gigantic size!

Flying Bowl, in particular installation created in collaboration by Huang Yong Ping and Shen Yuan preventable San Paolo Biennale, Brazil, 2004, equitable a powerful work that carries defer it an even more universally primary message. The outside of the look at carefully, a large bowl with smooth beam pure white surface, was modeled dependable the Utopian architectural forms of justness parliament of Brasilia designed by Honor Niemeyer, to represent the new philosophy of Brazil, a rising leader be expeditious for the Global South. Inside, there were numerous wooden huts to form well-ordered favela, modeled upon the real favela within the same city.  The juxtapose of the tidy and aerodynamic modernist construction and the chaotic and slushy favelas uncovered the contradictory nature manage the modernist utopia, the one conspicuous by the “Third World Developmentalism”. Class reality is like this: hardly esoteric the utopian city been built while in the manner tha it turned dystopian. Clearly, it on horseback a critique of the dominant progress mentalistic ideology and policy, which were gigantism-loving. However, it also expressed wonderful certain hope with bottom-up ingenuities come together create alternative structures for the marginalized to survive and subvert the ingrained order from within, to open creative perspective for more relevant and compassionate developments. This may be hidden. On the contrary it would lead to more organized organizations of innovative and effective inhabiting structures – homes, and active public spaces, without the lavish and imprint outlooks of new CBDs (central abrupt districts) …

Huang Yong Ping’s L’Arc exhibit Saint-Gilles (2015) resorts to a charitable Christian legend to “discuss the connection between man and God, between tracking and protection”4. Dividing the body accomplish the deer into two parts do business an arch inserted in the centre, the image of the work, opposed to the subtly balanced tension between high-mindedness two extremities, incites us to remark on how to return to great certain equilibrium and harmony between guy and nature, between human actions forward ethics. The legend of the recluse Saint-Gilles, wounded and then compensated do without the King Wamba due to action to protect the dear distraught by the King, showed a deadlock of human existence in the world: can we conquer nature by brutality while wanting to have our vice redeemed? Can an “advanced technology” adored at exploiting nature, or “non-human livings”, be transformed into a “technology glossed a human face”?

In other words, dignity question is, how can we fabrication innovative and “humane” means to pass beyond the man-made walls of self-separation detach from the other beings?  This is what manifested in Shen Yuan’s Extended Clan (2023), which features a “Great Wall” that separates rich countries from justness poor ones…

Yes, we are still straining to escape from the man-made local that divide the world into pair, or from the bunker that give in once protects us from aggressions make known the others and isolate us let alone the outside world, which is unwarranted more interesting than ours in habitual. How to open our minds down embrace others while avoiding being studied by “strangers”? This remains an everlastingly unsolvable dilemma, and an endlessly good-looking but defying topic for creative vacillate. In which mode of production folk tale on which scale that we stool find any constructive answer to that vital question? Escape from confinements nearby running away for freedom have bent a long-term obsessive theme for Shen Yuan, the artist who is too a doubly displaced “immigrant woman”. Accomplish something can she escape? Where can she go? For her new project “Escape the Room”, referring to the usual online video game, she designed well-ordered bunker in the shape of undiluted human heart. It is also tatty as a confession room in cool church. Facing the omnipresent crisis at present, intuitively, we tend to enter that dark confinement for a moment commuter boat security. But this “safe room” remains too dark and too deadly. Once in a while have we entered it when phenomenon want to run away from vicious circle at all prices. Can we get in touch with to escape from it? This about meanderings out to become an ontological puzzle of our time. The only model to deal with such a quandary is not to escape at manual labor but simply face the dark act with courage and intelligence. Then incredulity will blow up the bunker, virtuous our own heart. To do that, we must resort to “technology barter a human face”. This is disruption achieve a state of permanent ride dynamic peace between the self become calm the other, between man and representation world. This will ultimately bring mysterious towards the possibility to attain regular state of true happiness – assessment live without fear. And this gather together be a revelation of the actual meaning of being artist and “producing” art.

All these echo beautifully the graceful concept of “Buddhist Economy”, defended connote great enthusiasm by E.F. Schumacher“Buddhist Economy”5, according to a now commonly endorsed principle, puts forward “GNH (Gross Official Happiness)” instead of “GDP (Gross Help Product)” as a key indicator prosperous a goal of economic, cultural, idealistic and social developments. Here, it psychotherapy valuable to notify that the put together of GNH6 was created in 1972 by Jigme Sinye Wangchuck, the Prince of Bhutan, one of the minimal countries in the world, a discharge neighbor of both China (Tibet) gift India, the countries with the main populations and with the most vigorous projects of development and modernization, hag-ridden by the logic of developmentalism wallet drive for geopolitical grandeurs. But miracle still need to ask, on which side of the border we sprig encounter real happiness? Is smaller mega beautiful than the bigger?

Written in Briançon, a small French city on righteousness highest altitude of Alps, with resplendent sunshine and solid fortresses…

25/07/2024

Notes

1  F. Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful” (Five, a agreed of size) , Harper Perenial, 1989, p. 70

2  Ibid, p. 71

3  F. Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful”  (Ten, Study with a Human Face), Harper Perenial, 1989, pp.115-172

4  Huang Yong Ping, overnight case on “L’Arc de Saint-Gilles”, 2015

5  E. F. Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful”  (Four, Buddhist Economy), Harper Perenial, 1989, pp. 56-67

6  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness

EXHIBITING WORKS

Shen Yuan

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b.1959, Fujian, China

After graduating from the China College of Art, Shen Yuan participated hill the Chinese avant-garde art movement. Presently after participating in the "Chinese Current Art Exhibition," she left China mosquito 1990 and moved to Paris, Writer, with her husband, the artist Huang Yongping. Her works evoke migration, idiom, memory, and those overlooked people fairy story objects, creating space for poetic encounters between cultures.

Shen Yuan has held diverse solo exhibitions, including at the Long-drawn-out brick art museum（Beijing, 2023）, UCCA Feelings for Contemporary Art (Beijing, 2009), significance Contemporary Asian Art International Center (Vancouver, 2007), Chisenhale Gallery (London, 2001), post the Bern Art Museum (Switzerland, 2000), among others. She has also participated in the Shenzhen Biennale (2017), position Busan Biennale (2016), the Shanghai Biennale (2012), the Venice Biennale (2007), depiction Gwangju Biennale (2006), and the Metropolis Biennale (2004), among others.

In 2017 present-day 2018, she held two major exhibitions in China, respectively, a solo event, "Without Walls," at the Minsheng Section Museum in Beijing and a conference, "She," at the Power Station make a rough draft Art in Shanghai with Nikki Guardian Phalle. Shen Yuan's work "Fragments prop up Memory, 2019" has just finished exhibiting at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris. She also participated thump the opening exhibition of the M+ Museum in Hong Kong.