SHINE | 24-Jul-2020 | Yang Jian
A group of Chinese artists created a series of artworks during the lockdown and stagnation after the novel coronavirus outbreak to offer their perspectives on the event.
Their works are on show in an exhibition entitled “On Sabbatical” which opens to the public free on Saturday at the West Bund Museum on the Huangpu River waterfront in Xuhui District. Nine contemporary artists of different ages and backgrounds present work that includes paintings, photographs and installations at the museum’s Gallery 0.
The concept behind the exhibition stems from the period of global stagnation, when everyone was forced into a state of being “on sabbatical.” The artists observed and recorded how the unprecedented event had altered the course of history, according to the museum. After returning to his studio on the West Bund from an overseas exhibition in late January, renowned local artist Ding Yi had to halt his social life and exhibitions.
“I went to the studio and worked alone every day,” Ding said. “The riverside region was locked down at the beginning, and then the museums reopened and attracted more returning visitors,” he said. His “Appearance of Crosses 2020-11” is a mixed-media work on basswood. The artwork in shades of light green and lemon-yellow showcases a richly detailed and multi-layered composition.
“Lament for the Barren Tree, 2020,” a painting by Hao Liang, shows a dead tree in a dark background of a dim yellow light. Hao was inspired by the lonely atmosphere on city streets during this year’s Spring Festival. Installations “Trouble #17031” and “17033” by Chen Wei display flickering lights reflected on the wall and ground. “We were all shrouded in huge emotions, isolated, like staying on the dark side of the world,” Chen said. The exhibition closes on September 9.
The museum opened in late 2019 as the Centre Pompidou’s first collaborative cultural project in Asia. The newly built waterfront structure was designed by British architect David Chipperfield. Galleries 1, 2 and 3 are the main exhibition spaces and present exhibitions curated with the Centre Pompidou, while Gallery 0 is used for ad hoc exhibitions. “The Shape of Time,” the first semi-permanent exhibition, brings together more than 100 major works from the art complex in Paris.
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