Autumn light..
Some things never changed….
It is always interesting to see how some materials/ ideas remain to be artists favourite…
Two years later, it was good to see Tobias Rehberger’s cafe installation is still in good shape..
The China Pavillion – Finally got it right!
When I saw the first Chinese exhibition at the Venice Biennale in 2005, I felt sorry for the artists who had to deal with one of the most challenging spaces in Arsenale – a vast unused warehouse lined with brutal-looking oil tanks, lack of natural lights and definitely not the ‘white space’ most artists are used to work with.
Six years later, I thought the artists who represented China this year has finally got it right! It was the best installation to date – the beautiful, delicate ceramic installation by Yang Maoyuan seemed to be work really well in this incredible masculine space. These little ceramic pots were not drowned by the enormous rusty oil tanks, it fact there was a sense of harmony between the work and the space.
Venice Biennale 2011
It is always such a delight to visit the Venice Biennale, just as I thought I was becoming a seasoned visitor, I was pleasantly surprised by some of new work and the different ways of using the space.
After a long ride on the vaporetto, I finally arrived at Giardini on a beautiful Thursday morning! Feeling rather excited although slightly quizzy (sea sick), I headed straight to the UK pavilion. Instead of sitting in a beautiful theatre, watching a 40 mins film by Steve McQueen, this time round, it was a completely different experience. It was as though I had stumbled into a derelict artist home, the abandoned photography dark room with films hanging everywhere in the room, the grimy corridors and unused reception rooms. It was probably the most radical reworking of the British Pavilion. Although I was very aware the space was an artist intervention, his attention to details and the careful constructions have meant that the installation felt incredible real, especially when I found myself alone in one of the dimly lit rooms – a surreal experience overall.
Coming out from the British Pavilion, I was transported into an amazing dreamland and this time I was in Tabaimo’s “Teleco-soup‘s” fiction! Unlike Mike Nelson’s work, Tabaimo’s work was incredibly up-lifting and I loved the clever use of curved mirrors and curved walls. Her work reminded me of Miyazaki’s film and this time, I was inside the film instead of watching it.
After reading so much about Urs Fischer piece, I was disappointed for not being at the start of the Venice Biennale season to see his work before the work was half melted. What was left of his wax work when I was there was still unbelievable, it was incredibly well made and beautiful. It was also incredibly seductive just staring at the wax work melting away, seeing the work evolving with time.
Another incredible piece of work was the 24 hour film – The Clock by Christian Marclay. The film is a montage of thousands of film clips he has spliced together from the history of the cinema. Each clip refers to a particular minute and hour and the film is then synchronized to the time zone in each venue where it is presented. It is unbelievable how the collage of film clips in which times of the day are depicted matches with the actual time, there is no need to look at watch because the viewers are always reminded of the time. Despite the constant reminder of time, it was very interesting to see people were still glued to their seats, knowing well they would not be able to see the whole film. It was very tempting to just keeping watching the film even through the film has no beginning, middle or end. Whilst the concept of the film was amazing, the content was easily ‘forgettable’ – resemblance of daily mundane life. Most people would not be able to account for every minute and every hour of their life.
Overall a very fruitful trip and I look forward to the next Biennale in 2013!
On the move II – ‘Outside the box’
On the move is a project I started in London and ‘Outside the box’ is a new series of work made in Shanghai, using the same white blocks to create site-specific interventions, highlighting the gaps and spaces that are generally overlooked in our everyday surroundings.
In ‘Outside the Box’, the white space in the work is as important as each photograph itself. According to an interpretations of one of Laozi’s sayings, he said ‘doors and windows are cut out in order to make a house; the utility of the house depends on the empty spaces’. It is not about grandeur but the little things in life that make it magical.
Shanghai afternoon light is beautiful!
Pre Expo – continues…
Health & Saftety – T.I.C. (aka this is China)
In response to the theme of the exhibition, “Fakirs 苦行者 ” this piece of work focuses on the modern-day endurance in Shanghai and people’s ability to adapt to different environment.
Work in situ…
Health and safety rules in China…
Shanghai afternoon light is beautiful!
Over the past few months, I have come to love the afternoon light in Shanghai…
Pre Expo – continues…
For me … this new series of work is very much about the ‘here and now’ in Shanghai, the construction craze…
The alternative to M&Ms…
As a foodie, I always have time for good food. The festive season especially… is THE TIME to indulge!
As we can’t indulge ourselves in Swiss/ Belgium chocolates in Shanghai as they cost an absolute fortune over here and even finding peanut M&Ms was a challenge, we found some alternatives…
Spicy Taufufa (Soya custard)
Normally ‘taufufa’ is a sweet dessert but in Sichuan cuisine… they have come up with the spicy version! (surprise?) It actually tasted quite nice even though it didn’t sound that appealing at the beginning.
New Year’s dinner -
6 courses over 6 hours, definitely over indulgent but damn… that was lovely….
So.. all in all… we’d a brilliant time over the festive season in Shanghai and it’s now time for more Ashtanga classes! (to burn off some of the calories) 
