Polish virtuoso's show explores complexities of art

A new exhibition project “What Was I?” by Goshka Macuga, with the support of Foundation Prada, is taking pride of place at Rong Zhai.

Rong Zhai, restored by Prada and reopened in 2017, is a 1918 historical residence in Shanghai’s downtown area. Drawing inspiration from history and architecture as influences for decor and other details, the venue itself has its particular charm to anyone who drops in.

The works on display explore the complexity of computer-like patterns and geometric shapes, and  the effects of technological over-development.

Born in Warsaw, but now based in London, Macuga works across a variety of media  platforms including sculpture, installation, photography, architecture and design.  The 51-year-old  is often said to take the roles of the artist, curator, collector, researcher and exhibition designer in her artistic practice. 

The highlight of the exhibition is a mixed-media sculpture created by Macuga in 2016 on the first floor. It is a sitting android, wearing a plastic coat and a pair of slippers made of expandable foam, cardboard and linen. 

By synchronizing its words with the movements of the head and arms, the android recites a monologue made up of numerous excerpts of significant speeches in the history of humankind. 

The android claims to be “a repository of human speech,” though “who this knowledge is preserved for is no longer clear.”
During the exhibition, the android’s speech will coexist alongside a live performance by a calligrapher. 

Taking place twice a week, it aims to generate an alternative and written version of the original monologue by translating it from English to Chinese.

Another impressive work at the exhibition is the “Silver Portrait of Dorian Gray” (1965) created by Walter De Maria (1935-2012). The artist has association with Minimal, Conceptual and Land Art. 

The “Silver Portrait of Dorian Gray” is made of a silver plate framed with velvet curtains. Its title explicitly references the Oscar Wilde novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890).”
As time goes by, the silver plate oxidizes: “When the owner judges that enough time has passed” — said De Maria — “this plaque may be removed to free and clean the silver plate. The process can then begin anew.” 

This work epitomizes De Maria’s use of reflective metals to imply the process of an elusive portraiture. Mirror may not reflect a true representation of the physical image, similarly, the public face may not reveal the inner thoughts, or the sense of self.

On the third floor, visitors might bump into a mattress-like sculpture leaning on the wall. The work, “Untitled Convex (1993),” is created by Rachel Whiteread. 

Whiteread mainly focuses on the line and the form for her pieces. Casting from everyday objects, or from spaces around or within furniture and architecture, she uses materials such as rubber, dental plaster and resin to record every nuance.
Although this “mattress” differs from the original in terms of the materials used to cast it — rubber and foam — yet it still carries the traces of a past use.

Info

Date: Through June 2 (closed on Mondays), Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-8pm
Address: 186 Shanxi Rd N.