Press Release March 2016 Guan Xiao: Flattened Metal In association with K11 Art Foundation 20 April – 19 June 2016 Press Preview: 19 April 2016 Guan Xiao, Action, 2014. Courtesy the artist, Antenna Space, Shanghai and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin The ICA in association with the K11 Art Foundation is delighted to announce the first solo institutional exhibition in the UK by Chinese artist Guan Xiao. The exhibition, entitled Flattened Metal, will be presented in the Lower Gallery from 20 April – 19 June. Later this year, Guan Xiao’s exhibition will be presented at the chi K11 art museum in Shanghai from 18 October – 30 November 2016. Working mainly in sculpture and video, Chinese artist Guan Xiao (b.1983) explores how ways of seeing are now influenced by digital image circulation as an increasingly dominant source of knowledge and information exchange. In various works and installations she endeavours to expand the aesthetic and cognitive possibilities for how identity and meaning are assigned and understood. Guan Xiao’s work is occupied with our incomprehension of the past, and the way in which the unknown gives rise to intriguing discussion in the present. She juxtaposes references from the past and present (or future), weaving visual and audio material (including video clips found on the internet), digital rendering techniques and objects, alongside so-called primitive and high tech elements, creating distinct and evocative installations. In this way, she offers fresh perspectives on what we perceive as the ‘new’ and the ‘old’. Guan Xiao’s ICA exhibition will include a video triptych and new installation comprising six large printed screens, in front of which will be placed sculptures made up of various materials, including speakers that emit new audio works. Flattened Metal is presented by the ICA in association with the K11 Art Foundation, with thanks to the Guan Xiao Exhibition Supporters Group including Joyce Liu, Antenna Space, Shanghai, Bruno Wang & Pure Land Foundation and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin. Guan Xiao is in conversation with ICA Head of Programme Katharine Stout on Wednesday 20 April at 7pm in ICA Studio. For more information please contact: Olivia Cerio | SUTTON [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7183 3577 Naomi Crowther | ICA [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7766 1407 Priscilla Kong | K11 Art Foundation [email protected] | +852-3110 5789 Notes to Editors Listings information: Guan Xiao: Flattened Metal In association with K11 Art Foundation ICA, Lower Gallery 20 April – 19 June 2016 Press Preview: 19 April 2016 Artist’s Talk: Guan Xiao Wednesday 20 April ICA Studio, 7pm £8 / £7 ICA Members Day Membership priced at £1 now applies during gallery opening hours Wed-Sun, 11am-6pm, until 9pm on Thursdays. No Day Membership will be charged on Tuesdays. Ticket prices for day time films, talks, music events and other performances will include Day Membership. www.ica.org.uk | Twitter @icalondon | www.facebook.com/icalondon Book online www.ica.org.uk Call Box Office +44 (0)20 7930 3647 Textphone +44 (0)20 7839 0737 Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH About Guan Xiao Guan Xiao (b. 1983, Chongqing; lives and works in Beijing) received her BA in Directing at the Communication University of China in 2006 and has exhibited internationally including at the OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Shenzhen, the V&A Museum, London, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul; the Shanghai Art Museum and the Art Museum of Nanjing University of Art. Selected exhibitions include: the shortlisted exhibition of Hugo Boss Asia Art Award, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, 2015; Basic Logic, Antenna Space, Shanghai, 2015, 13th Biennale de Lyon: La vie modern, Lyon, 2015, 2015 Triennial: Surround Audience, New Museum, New York, 2015, From a Poem to the Sunset, New acquisitions of contemporary Chinese and international art, Daimler Contemporary Berlin, 2015, Rare Earth, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna, 2015; Degeneration, ACAF, Sydney, 2014; Don’t You Know Who I Am? Art After Identity Politics, M HKA Museum, Antwerp, 2014; Something Happened Like never Happened, Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin, 2014, Film Section, Basel Hong Kong, Agnes B Cinema, Hong Kong, 2014; Die 8 Wege, Uferhallen, Berlin, 2013; and OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Shanghai, 2013; Difference Engine, Magician Space, Beijing, 2013; China Design Now, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2007; and Floating - New Generation of Art in China, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2007. About ICA Founded in 1946, the ICA seeks to embrace the urgency surrounding contemporary art and culture. Continually looking forward, the ICA lays claim to extraordinary legacy, being home to the Independent Group, as well as playing a pivotal role in the development of Pop Art, Op Art and Brutalist Architecture. It charted the course of Punk, Performance, Independent Cinema and Young British Art, while showcasing numerous international artists, from Yoko Ono to Gerhard Richter. The ICA has always supported interdisciplinary practice, encouraging artists to experiment and explore unresolved ideas. Comprising film screenings, exhibitions, talks and events, the ICA Programme can be experienced at our base on The Mall, via our website and social media, or as 'Off-Site' projects at alternative venues, nationally and internationally. The ICA has a longstanding fascination with the evolution of Pop culture in our mass digital age. ica.org.uk About K11 Art Foundation Founded by Adrian Cheng in 2010, the K11 Art Foundation (KAF) is a registered not-for-profit organisation, which supports the development of Chinese contemporary art from Greater China by providing a creative platform that nurtures artistic talents and brings them to the international stage. Not only does KAF support artists, the Foundation also serves as an incubator for young Chinese curators. KAF has embarked on many international collaborations. Amongst them the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí in Spain, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo and Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Armory Show in New York, showcasing Chinese talents and the voice of the young generation. With 11 studios for its artist-in- residence programmes in the K11 art village in Wuhan, KAF serves as the unique incubating springboard for young and emerging contemporary Chinese artists to create new and meaningful works. Beyond traditional art spaces, K11 art village serves as innovative exchange platforms between local and international artists. Through research, initiatives and partnerships, KAF offers the Chinese public a diverse range of programmes and exhibitions fostering people’s appreciation of arts and culture. www.K11artfoundation.org The ICA is a registered charity no. 236848 Supported using public funding by: .