Till now, "Gas Station" has been for 6 years from 2008. This project aims to build a platform giving full play to artists' creation potential. Meanwhile, it's expected that injecting new energy for each other is the progress and inspiring new spark in the communication and cooperation among artists themselves and the gallery. This year the two artists in "Gas Station" are Mu Jin and German artist Tobias Rosenberger, they collaborated on the animation installation work.
Instability and drifting is the core of the creative theme of Mu Jin. Her video works based on the social reality, blend with documentary and experimental art, she hopes that through reality and imagination, to express the modern China floating world which is coexist with hope and emptiness. The works of Tobias are multilayered and multidimensional, they impress with consequent composition and the cross-linking of complex media systems. His installations mirror the world into spaces, they are stage and action space at the same time. It is about the creation of spaces, where visitors become invited to think on their own.
The Literary figure "Fu Manchu" is the starting point for "Great Rejuvenation" project, as the most successful fictional character created by English novelist Sax Rohmer, Fu Manchu is a the typical Chinese who is intelligent and evil nature. The word "yellow peril" also influenced North America and Europe for this figure, even in recent times. How Chinese people are perceived abroad and how they perceive themselves. Artists approach this question via a "cultural stereotype", the fictional character of "Fu Manchu".
Did we create the image distinguished ourselves from others? Or did the image itself reconstruct and make a distinction between us and them? The two artists, Mu Jin and Tobias Rosenberger interpret and resurrect this image, because of the meaning of this image which never faded with time lapse. Furthermore, its negative influence ferments without a break, like a circulatory mental trap. It's a talk between "us" and "them", querying in poetic and absurd way. Because once images analogous to "Fu Manchu" appear, prejudice will build a wall of misunderstanding with preconception.
Artists will invite relevant people to discuss the historical and realistic significance of this work at a conference on July 26th.
About the exhibition
Duration: 12 Jul - 24 Aug 2014 11:00-18:00
Venue: Vanguard Gallery
Opening: 12 July 2014 Sat 17:00-19:00
Tel: 021-62993523
Add: Vanguard Gallery, Rm. 204, Bldg. 4A, 50 Moganshan Rd., Shanghai
Courtesy of the artists and Vanguard Gallery.
