Art Rising : A Look at Chinese Contemporary Art

Shengtian Zheng, Guest Curator
at the Toronto International Art Fair
November 3 - 7, 2005
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 222 Bremner Boulevard, South Building

The Art Toronto 2005 Art Rising exhibition includes installations, photography, paintings, videos, and films, mostly created in recent years by Chinese artists from the mainland, Taiwan, and overseas. Vancouver based artist Gu Xiong designed an Art Rising banner for the show. Visitors will be greeted by two lion sculptures in the form of stacked monitors by Wang Gongzin (Beijing) inferring tradition's loss of power and prestige in the hands of modern technology. Wang Tiande (Shanghai) made a site-specific project for the Art Fair. Inspired by the current trade disputes between China and other countries, he set up a mini-model of a Chinese factory in Canada's cosmopolitan city of Toronto. Without quota or permits, the workers are making beautiful silk gowns covered with Chinese Characters designed by the artist. Song Dong's (Beijing) video installation, Stir-Fry China, will bring the familiar sounds and images of a Chinese kitchen to the Convention Centre. However, instead of sliced pork or chop-sui there are Shanghai's skyline or Beijing's Tian'anmen gate in the wok. Sui Jianguo (Beijing), famous for his oversized sculptures of red dinosaurs and empty Mao jackets, has installed a neon light that constantly blinks the popular label "made in China" invoking commentary about when things will be perceived as made BY china versus only IN china?


One of the most unusual and playful projects is Jin Jiangbo's multimedia installation The Third Eye. Thanks to the advanced technological equipment of our digital era, visitors will be able to see and communicate with people in Shanghai, a metropolis with a glamourous past and a vigorous future located on the other side of the globe!


The video and film section includes some of the most important Chinese artists. Yang Fudong's (Shanghai) An Estranged Paradise is a poetic presentation of China's accelerated changing society and its confused young citizens. Zhou Tiehai's (Shanghai) film Will is a critical view on the interactive relations between Chinese artists and the Western art world despite Tiehai being one of the few artists who has benefited the most from this relationship. Chen Chieh-jen's (Taipei) astonishing video shot in an abandoned factory in Taiwan, echoes the active scene of Wang Tiande's on-site sweatshop. When economic bubbles burst, it is always the workers who suffer first no matter who they are or where they live in this global village.


In the past few years, photography has become the most popular medium among young Chinese artists. It provides an intimate language for them to express their personal experiences. Xin Danwen's (Beijing) fabricated cityscape or Shao Yinong & Mu Chen's (Beijing) haunting assembly hall, Hai Bo's (Beijing) lonely landscape, or Zhang Huan's (New York) ambitious villagers all convey the complexity of this rapidly shifting social infrastructure. Even the beautiful nude figures in the wilderness by Rong Rong & Inri (Beijing & Tokyo) invoke a similar interaction between people and their urban environments.


Only two painters were selected for the exhibition. They are not intended to reflect the most popular styles nor do they demonstrate the booming market for this medium in China. Zeng Fanzhi's (Beijing) oil paintings always maintain a freshness and visual power of texture compared to other technology-based media. Liu Dahong's (Shanghai) unique narration of intricately painted folklore-like canvases represent another individual aspect of China's recent history.

The Toronto International Art Fair will celebrate its sixth anniversary with 81 galleries from 13 countries representing a vibrant mix of leading modern and contemporary works by established and emerging artists. TIAF offers special collector packages and group bookings that include a four-day admission pass and hotel accommodation.

ART FAIR OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW GALA HOURS & TICKETS:
Thursday, November 3, 6:30 - 10pm | Tickets: $185 per person available through the AGO at 416-979-6608.
ART FAIR GENERAL ADMISSION HOURS & TICKETS:
November 4 & 5: noon - 8pm | November 6 & 7: noon - 7pm
General admission: $16.00 | Groups, Students, Seniors: $12.00 | 4-day Pass: $40.00 | Children under 10: Free. Available at the door.

For information the public may call 1-800-663-4173.

A complete schedule of events and participating galleries is available online at www.tiafair.com.