A walk through time toward modern-day China
A biannual international art event showcasing new trends and excellence in contemporary art in fields ranging from painting and sculpture to installation and video, the Shanghai Biennale is undoubtedly a power house that continues to inspire artists and art lovers across the country.
Prior to the grand opening of the 13th Shanghai Biennale this fall, themed “Bodies of Water,” a retrospective exhibition “Shanghai Waves: Historical Archives and Works of Shanghai Biennale” is underway at the Power Station of Art through November 15.
More than 60 works from 51 domestic and foreign artists and groups are on display, including the first three installation works by artists Chen Zhen, Gu Wenda and Zhang Jianjun of the 1st Shanghai Biennale, entitled “Open Space” and created in 1996.
“An artist is not simply a manufacture of artwork, he is also a builder of thoughts,” said artist Chen Zhen in his biography. Although he succumbed to cancer in 2000 in Paris, Chen is counted among the most preeminent, pioneering artists of the Chinese avant-garde movement. His touched off the artistic evolution that gave birth to a thriving and multifaceted art scene in China, now more than 40 years after the “cultural revolution” (1966-76).
Most of these exhibits are taken from previous Shanghai Biennales held at the China Art Museum and the Power Station of Art, the event’s organizer.
“The whole world is literarily forced into a slowdown or standstill due to the global pandemic that struck at the beginning of 2020, which is why we had to postpone the Biennale originally scheduled for earlier this year,” said Gong Yan, curator of the Power Station of Art. “But it gives us time to look back at what we have been through over the past few years. Times of difficulty sometimes provide the opportunity to do things differently.”
Artist Xu Zhen’s work “Dang, Dang, Dang, Dang…,” created for the 2004 Biennale, is showcased in the center of the exhibition hall. The clock, a replica of the timepiece in the Shanghai Art Museum’s (today’s Shanghai History Museum) bell tower, runs 60 times faster than normal, symbolizing the city’s rapid growth over the past few decades.
The clock in Xu Zhen’s work “Dang, Dang, Dang, Dang…” on the left wall runs 60 times faster than normal.
Zhou Changjiang's "The Overlapping Newly Translated Scriptures" for the 1996 Shanghai Biennale
“Those born in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and now the 90s have all witnessed distinctive social and cultural changes,” said Huang Yanna, curatorial assistant, who gave a guided tour on the exhibition’s opening day. “Many life memories are traces of the historical complexity inside us, which finally become the undertones of our thoughts and behavior.”
Using pictures and documents as a guide, the exhibition serves as a time machine, taking viewers through the event’s evolution in tandem with major national and world events as well as personal objects, such as letters, postcards, books and painting tools. Many artists were asked to write down their feelings and inspirations from when the works were created.
Ji Dachun, who participated in the 2000 Shanghai Biennale, wrote, “It’s difficult to paint, yet there are so many good artists who are important enough to think about. In my case, I transitioned from one immature stage to the next, only trying to do my best to paint well. The most important thing is to understand and know yourself.”
His work “Secret Entrance” is showcased along with Zhang Enli’s “Bed” and Yan Pei-Ming’s “Self-portrait,” helping guide visitors through the development of China’s material civilization beginning in the late 1970s that promoted the spiritual transformation of the country from enlightenment and self-awareness to retrospection.
Fang Lijun's woodblock print "1999.5.1" for the 1999 Shanghai Biennale
Cell Art Group's installation “As Long As You Work Hard” for the 2016 Shanghai Biennale
Than Young, a member of Cell Art Group, wrote about “As Long as You Work Hard” for the 2016 Biennale that documents the group’s installation work.
“In this work, we collected various tools from farmers and workers and gave them a slender, pointy blade by cutting and grinding,” Than wrote. “You may see the tool side first and find them brutal and chaotic. You’ll see the other side across the plate, which is neat and tidy. What would this abrupt change of shapes remind you of?”
By putting personal memories into historical context, the exhibition presents the history of the Shanghai Biennale with feelings and hindsight, inviting viewers to revisit the past and leave with their own impressions.
“Many of the works we have collected are space-specific and encompass a rich variety of domains, such as urban studies, philosophy, sociology and anthropology,” said Xiang Liping, head of the collection department. “Modernity and an appeal to humanity are the keys to my selections.”
Exhibition Info
Dates: Through November 15 (closed on Mondays), 11am-7pm (admission to the exhibition hall ends at 6pm)
Venue: Power Station of Art, 1st and 2nd floors
Address: 678 Miaojiang Road
