SEPTEMBER 2005 FALL ISSUE 51St Venice Biennale Nanjing Triennial First Montpellier International Biennial of Contemporary Chines
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SEPTEMBER 2005 FALL ISSUE INSIDE 51st Venice Biennale Nanjing Triennial First Montpellier International Biennial of Contemporary Chinese Art Interviews: Cai Guoqiang, Xu Zhen, Wang Du, Philip Dodd, Miao Xiaochun Zhang Linhai’s World: A Sphere of Emotional Intensity US$12.00 NT$350.00 US$10.00 NT$350.00 Art & Collection Ad to be inserted in Taipei? Editor’s Note Contributors Chinese Artists at the 51st Venice Biennale Susan Kendzulak p. 34 The Burden of (Mis)Representation and Other ________s of the Biennale Spectacle Joe Martin Hill China’s spectacular Emersion versus the spectres of bureaucracy looming in Taiwan, the Singaporean art of deconstructing national symbols, wordless dialogue from Hong Kong or greater China at the 2005 Venice Biennale Felix Schöber An Interview with Cai Guoqiang, Curator of the China Pavilion, Virgin Garden: Emersion Michelle McCoy p. 58 An Interview with Xu Zhen Michelle McCoy The Hong Kong and Singapore Pavilions at the 51st Venice Biennale Sally Lai The Second Triennial of Chinese Art: History in the Making Pauline J.Yao MC1:The First Montpellier International Biennial of Contemporary Chinese Art p. 64 Monia Latrouite Media Ecologies and Landscapes: An Interview with Wang Du Rajdeep Singh Gill An Interview with Philip Dodd Nav Haq Phantasmagoria:Recent Photographs by Miao Xiaochun Wu Hung p. 92 Zhang Linhai's World: A Sphere of Emotional Intensity Xenia Tetmajer von Przerwa Zhao Gang: Looking Back, Looking Away Jonathan Goodman A Critique of Criticism: Deconstructing Reviews of Between Past and Future Joni Low p. 101 Curatorial Notes: Gu Dexin’s 2005.03.05 at the Shanghai Gallery of Art David Ho Yeung Chan Chinese Name Index Editor’s Note YISHU: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art Volume 4, Number 3, September 2005 The Venice Biennale is the world’s most Katy Hsiu-chih Chien enduring biennale, and following a seeming Ken Lum decline during the 1990s, it has regained its Keith Wallace status as one of the most influential international Zheng Shengtian Julie Grundvig art events. Yishu 14 brings together a number Kate Steinmann of different perspectives on the 51st edition, Larisa Broyde focusing in particular on the representation of Joyce Lin Chinese artists and the impact the pavilions of the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Judy Andrews, Ohio State University John Clark, University of Sydney Taiwan, and Singapore have within such a highly Lynne Cooke, Dia Art Foundation competitive setting. The writers have not been Okwui Enwezor, San Francisco Art Institute Britta Erickson, Independent Scholar & Curator timid about presenting what they see as Fan Di'an, Central Academy of Fine Arts Fei Dawei, Guy & Mariam Ullens Foundation the successes and failures, but the world of Gao Minglu, New York State University biennials is an evolving one that demands Hou Hanru, Independent Curator & Critic Katie Hill, University of Westminster analysis, and Asia’s place is without question Martina Köppel-Yang, Independent Critic & Historian Sebastian Lopez, Daros-Latinamerica AG growing in influence. Lu Jie, Independent Curator Charles Merewether, Australian National University Ni Tsaichin, Tunghai University To offer a comparison to Venice, we have Apinan Poshyananda, Ministry of Culture, Thailand Chia Chi Jason Wang, Independent Critic & Curator included overviews of two recent initiatives on Wu Hung, University of Chicago the biennial/triennial circuit—the Nanjing Art & Collection Group Ltd. Triennial and the First Montpellier International Leap Creative Group Biennial of Contemporary Chinese Art. While Raymond Mah the attention both of these events have received Gavin Chow Jeremy Lee pales next to Venice, and curiously they opened relaITconsulting, Vancouver concurrently to it, they are worthy of considera- Chong-yuan Image Ltd., Taipei tion in terms of their specific mandates as well as - their efforts to chart their own distinct identities. Yishu is published quarterly in Taipei, Taiwan and edited in Vancouver, Canada. The publishing dates of Yishu are March, Interviews have been a fundamental part of June, September and December. Yishu’s appeal. To “hear” the voices of artists and Editorial inquiries and manuscripts may be sent to the Editorial Office: curators can be a more direct channel to under- Yishu 410-650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC standing the contributions they bring to culture. Canada V6B 4N8 We are pleased to present five in this issue. Two Phone: 1.604.649.8187; Fax: 1.604.591.6392 E-mail: [email protected] directly relate to the Venice Biennale, two are [email protected] conversations with important artists Wang Du Subscription inquiries may be sent to either the Vancouver address and Miao Xiaochun, and one is with Philip Dodd, or to Hawai’i: Journals Department former Director of the Institute of Contemporary University of Hawai’i Press 2840 Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA Art in London, who is currently exploring new Phone: 1.808.956.8833; Fax: 1.808.988.6052 ways to foster cultural exchange between China E-mail: [email protected] and Britain. The University of Hawai’i Press accepts payment by Visa or Mastercard, cheque, or money order (in U.S. dollars). Advertising inquiries may be sent to either Vancouver address Yishu 14 also presents articles on Zhang Linhai, or Taiwan: Zhao Gang, Gu Dexin, and a critique of criticism Art & Collection Ltd. 6F. No.85, Section 1, Chungshan N. Road, Taipei, Taiwan 104 around the influential exhibition Between Past Phone: (886) 2.2560.2220; Fax: (886) 2.2542.0631 E-mail: [email protected] and Future: New Photography and Video from China which is touring North America and Europe. www.yishujournal.com No part of this journal may be published without the written permission from the publisher. Subscription rates: one year: US $48; two years: US $86 Keith Wallace Subscription form may be downloaded from our Website We thank Mr. Milton Wong, Mr. Daoping Bao, Paystone Technologies Corp., Raymond Mah, and the Leap Creative Group for their generous support. Cover: Taiwan pavilion at Venice Biennale. Photo: Felix Schöber. DAVID HO YEUNG CHAN,a curator based in Hong Kong and Shanghai, is currently working at the Shanghai Gallery of Art. Past publications he has written for include C, Flash Art, Chinese Art News, and d’A. RAJDEEP SINGH GILL is a cultural theorist, curator, and art historian who is active in the ethical re/orientings and re/memberings of curatorial practice and in the development of non-Eurocentric theories of art, media, and design that are attuned to subaltern realities, histories, and memories. He is the co-founder of the Creativity Commons Collective, an independent curator working on several transnational projects, and the editor of the upcoming publication Planetarity, Creativity, and Social Justice. His critical writings have been published in or are forthcoming in Canada, Morocco, India, the United States, Italy, France, and Mexico. JONATHAN GOODMAN is a poet and writer who is currently teaching at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He has been writing about contemporary Chinese art for ten years and is a senior editor for the quarterly Art Asia Pacific,for which he edits national and international reviews. His essays and reviews have covered the work of such artists as Xu Bing, Cai Jin, and Tseng Kwong Chi. NAV HAQ is a curator based in London. His experiences have included involvement in the organisation of exhibition projects at Whitechapel Gallery, London, and at Kunstverein München, Munich. In 2004 he was Curator in Residence at Spike Island artspace in Bristol, which culminated in the exhibition and publication project Spin Cycle.Haq has recently been appointed curator at Gasworks Gallery, London, and is currently a guest editor for the independent artists’ book publisher Book Works, for which he will initiate a short series of artists’ books. Haq also writes and has contributed to such magazines as Bidoun and Untitled. JOE MARTIN HILL is writing a dissertation on contemporary art biennials at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, under the direction of Robert Storr. He is also assisting Storr in the preparation of a conference on the subject, to be held under the auspices of the Venice Biennale in December 2005. Joe is the founder of Vision Connect, a firm providing management consulting and curatorial advisory services to clients in the United States and abroad. SUSAN KENDZULAK is an artist and writer based in Taipei. Her M.A. thesis was on Chinese conceptual art, and she writes extensively about contemporary art in Taiwan for local and international publications. SALLY LAI is currently a fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme and was until recently curator at the Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester. She is also currently acting as a specialist Visual Arts Adviser to the Scottish Arts Council. Sally has an M.A. in curating from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Her previous experience includes working for the Arts Council of England, as curator of a contemporary Asian art gallery in Hong Kong, and on freelance curatorial projects. She has written and spoken on topics in Chinese contemporary visual culture, including land and identity in Hong Kong art and resistance to definition in British Chinese art. Sally was a nominator for the 2003 Paul Hamlyn award and has also served on a number of selection panels. MONIA LATROUITE is a French-Chinese writer and curator based in Paris. She teaches Chinese studies at the business school SUP EUROPE C.E.S.E.C. Her works are published in various literary reviews, including Le Nouveau Recueil. She is presently curating solo exhibitions for artists from Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. JONI LOW is a freelance writer based in Vancouver and a volunteer for the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, also known as Centre A. MICHELLE MCCOY is an independent art writer based in Shanghai.