Artist transports viewers to a Perpetual Present
Daniel Arsham in his signature lab uniform
As an artist leading the way for the possibilities of modern art, Daniel Arsham is demonstrating the potential within ourselves to question and reinvent objects we are familiar with.
The artist’s China debut show, “Perpetual Present,” is currently being held at the HOW Art Museum.
Looking at the images, the audience is stunned by his distinctive style and the creativity of his work.
Arsham combines art, architecture and performance to create a spectacular interactive that seems to transport the audience to another time and space.
The manipulation of physical space is inspired by his education at Cooper Union in New York City, and his experience with stage design for choreographer Merce Cunningham.
“As a student of architecture, I have a good understanding of how space is important in the audience’s understanding of an artwork,” Arsham said.
The “Excavated Wall” offers a path for the audience to pass through, and capture images through openings. Oversized sculptural pieces such as “The Bunny” and “The Knot” provide another perspective.
Arsham said the museum had been kind enough to let him alter the gallery.
“You’ll notice when you walk through the show that the architecture has been changed, the lighting has been changed, the ceiling has been changed,” he said.
The exhibition screams modernity, as it is simple in its colors but adventurous in materials.
This is a conscious message from the artist, who hopes to contrast the simplicity of his art with our fast-paced world, where people are inundated with ideas and images.
“I try to make my work as economic in its materials and gestures as possible,” he said. “The simpler the gesture can be, the easier it is for people to answer to that, then it can become complex in its meaning.”
Very often, the audience is left confounded by the conflicting scenarios Arsham constructs through his art — a conundrum of time, reality, and space.
Arsham said all was done deliberately.
Visitors react to the "Large Knot," which connects the space at the HOW Art Museum.
The “Excavation Site 212” at the museum is created to bring interaction with the future to life.
“I tried to design a problem for people, so that when they walk through the space, there are things that don’t make sense,” he said. “This problematic scenario can cause people to question the reality that they accept.”
An example of this is “Excavation Site 212,” where everyday objects are presented as if a thousand years from now at an archaeology site, yet the tools used in the lab are outdated, some back to the 1950s.
When asked to specify the time he wished to construct, Arsham left it to interpretation.
“Some future just beyond the present,” he said. “Within the space you cannot tell just when.”
However, Arsham did offer clues for the inspiration behind his message.
“There’s an element of reflection and also question about our future as humanity, such as the speed of ecological climate change,” he said.
“I never try to make my work about anything specific, no particular subject within it, but rather be open to potential questions.”
Arsham considers that we are all born artists but a lot of us lose that at a certain point.
“Art is a vehicle for expression, our interpreting of everyday life, a universal language, and all of these things that can benefit us as humans and our larger global community,” he said.
Exhibition info
Date: Through October 24 (closed on Mondays); Tuesday-Friday 1pm-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-10pm
Venue: HOW Art Museum
Address: No. 1, 2277 Zuchongzhi Rd
