Rockbund Art Museum

Part 2: Activating cities in the name of art

Discussion Forum:

Activating cities, art and community, spatial politics, the expanded boundaries of art and relational aesthetics

Donghu Plan: Everyone’s Donghu | Wuhan Li Juchuan / Li Yu

Tongyuan Bureau | Chongqing Wang Haichuan

Woofer Ten Art Museum/C&G Art Unit |Hong Kong Cheng Yee Man (Gum)

Part 2: Activating cities in the name of art

Discussion Forum:

Activating cities, art and community, spatial politics, the expanded boundaries of art and relational aesthetics

Donghu Plan: Everyone’s Donghu | Wuhan Li Juchuan / Li Yu

Tongyuan Bureau | Chongqing Wang Haichuan

Woofer Ten Art Museum/C&G Art Unit |Hong Kong Cheng Yee Man (Gum)

Under-Construction/Reconstruction as the “Imagination” of Social Practice: Projects on Social Art Practice by Artists in Asia

“As the ‘Imagination’ of Social Practice” highlights thefact that under the actual circumstances of globalization, local cultures are now displaying signs of new cultural characteristics with features of “resistance”, “localization”, “integration”, “fragmentation”, and “separation”. This is due to the overall influence from capitalist movements, political disputes, cultural infiltration, as well as networks and media communication. On this basis, the ways to treat and redefine artists’ work in this context will be the starting point of this discussion.

“As the ‘Imagination’ of Social Practice” emphasizes a certain co-construction. The practice of artistic actions as cultural production under the current context will construct a new cultural text together with acts from other fields and perspectives. “Imagination” is the methodology and will also become content itself in actual fact. In terms of artistic practice, the “image”, the “imagined”, and the “imaginary”, all linked to “imagination”, are the passageway and specific threads through which to conduct the discussion.

Back to the Asian context, the comparative model of dialogue of “East” and “West” and the “Third World” and the “Center”, an unvarying model originating from a Western perspective, has become, within the complex, multifarious, and rich contemporary Asian setting, a vague, simplistic, and rough description. Under the influence of globalization, the huge differences between different countries in Asia due to the geography, history, culture, and contexts have never presented a unitary and flat “group” identity but rather distinct and specific “individual” identities. “Back to Asia” is not only an action but a stance and an attitude. Of course, what needs to be emphasized again is that we need an Asia proper to Asia instead of an Asia observed under a Western perspective.... Read More

Under-Construction/Reconstruction as the “Imagination” of Social Practice: Projects on Social Art Practice by Artists in Asia

“As the ‘Imagination’ of Social Practice” highlights thefact that under the actual circumstances of globalization, local cultures are now displaying signs of new cultural characteristics with features of “resistance”, “localization”, “integration”, “fragmentation”, and “separation”. This is due to the overall influence from capitalist movements, political disputes, cultural infiltration, as well as networks and media communication. On this basis, the ways to treat and redefine artists’ work in this context will be the starting point of this discussion.

“As the ‘Imagination’ of Social Practice” emphasizes a certain co-construction. The practice of artistic actions as cultural production under the current context will construct a new cultural text together with acts from other fields and perspectives. “Imagination” is the methodology and will also become content itself in actual fact. In terms of artistic practice, the “image”, the “imagined”, and the “imaginary”, all linked to “imagination”, are the passageway and specific threads through which to conduct the discussion.

Back to the Asian context, the comparative model of dialogue of “East” and “West” and the “Third World” and the “Center”, an unvarying model originating from a Western perspective, has become, within the complex, multifarious, and rich contemporary Asian setting, a vague, simplistic, and rough description. Under the influence of globalization, the huge differences between different countries in Asia due to the geography, history, culture, and contexts have never presented a unitary and flat “group” identity but rather distinct and specific “individual” identities. “Back to Asia” is not only an action but a stance and an attitude. Of course, what needs to be emphasized again is that we need an Asia proper to Asia instead of an Asia observed under a Western perspective.

Therefore,this project can be regarded as a discussion on action and practice whose specific, local angle will be the basis of this dialogue. The invited projects of artistic practice will be presented on a case basis, while the dialogues will be conducted in detail between art and social politics and between the context and the intercultural dialogue between countries in Asia. The main body of this discussion will be composed of a few on-going independent artistic projects from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and neighboring countries. Moreover, various social practices from non-profit art institutions, independent artists, and art collectives will make up the essential part of this discussion.

About the planner

Ni Kun

Director of Organhaus Art Space, Curator, Critic, was an artist. Born in Hunan, now lives in Chongqing. Co-founded art institution ‘haus ·M-commune, H2 Art Space', and established non-profit art organization ‘Organhaus Art Space' in China since 2006 as a co-founder and host. He focuses on the interactive art under the rapid urbanization and globalization in China and on this basis, launched 'Cities and Reconstructions' experimental art project, this practice further demonstrates his thinking to the current situation. As an independent curator, he has been invited by Germany, UK, Italy, Australia, India and other countries to visit the local art institutions, as well give lectures. In 2014, he will be invited to the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan as a researcher for a six-week thematic study.

About the planner

Ni Kun

Director of Organhaus Art Space, Curator, Critic, was an artist. Born in Hunan, now lives in Chongqing. Co-founded art institution ‘haus ·M-commune, H2 Art Space', and established non-profit art organization ‘Organhaus Art Space' in China since 2006 as a co-founder and host. He focuses on the interactive art under the rapid urbanization and globalization in China and on this basis, launched 'Cities and Reconstructions' experimental art project, this practice further demonstrates his thinking to the current situation. As an independent curator, he has been invited by Germany, UK, Italy, Australia, India and other countries to visit the local art institutions, as well give lectures. In 2014, he will be invited to the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan as a researcher for a six-week thematic study.