WHO WILL SHOW MY PSYCHOANALYSL WEIWEI, WHIMSY, SUPER-HIP, CENSORSHIP ARTWORK?
I’ve been busy looking at spaces, working on the fabrication of psychoanalYSL’s work and in the process of course learning about the massive differences between my usual way and the Chongqing way.
The invitation to me from 501 Contemporary Art Centre in Chongqing stated I would get a venue within the centre in which to undertake the residency exhibition. Due to various complications concerning local politics which I’m mostly in the dark about I have been left to find my own venue. Two days ago, with panic setting in I went to visit the British Council to ask them for assistance. They were very reassuring and interested in the project but understandably cannot fund the rent for a space that was agreed as support-in-kind from 501. Since yesterday Yanyan, the organiser of the residency has realised the urgency of the situation and took me to see three spaces. They are all very different.
· Ceiling Space is a recently established commercial gallery in the beautiful traditionally landscaped Erling Park, near the commercial centre of Chongqing (similar idea to Serpentine Gallery in London). The space is suitable for my exhibition, about 150 sqm with a cafe and bookshop. They have a space in their program during August for a two week show. I made a presentation to the Curator Tianmeng. Tianmeng loved the response of psychoanalYSL to the censorship and fanfare surrounding Ai Weiwei’s detention. He runs a critical conceptual program and we both felt the work fits into the focus of their gallery. Tianmeng needs to propose my exhibition to the Director, so they will give me their decision this week. Tianmeng studied at the Sichuan Fine Art Institute and many of the artists he shows are also graduates from there. Many times I experience problems with translation, there are no words to describe the subtle meanings of language; the Chinese character which his current series of exhibitions is based upon translates as “ideology, patronage and poetics”. What an amazing combination of meanings! We had a really engaged discussion concerning modernism, post modernism, trends within Chinese contemporary art and his ambitions of his young gallery.
· 108, 2nd floor of Sichuan Fine Art Instiutute is in my local area Huangjueping, (or the Shorditch of Chongqing as I describe it to Londoners). This is a clean and suitable university space of about 300sqm. They have an opening in their programme but we would need to pay for rental which is not ideal. The gallery was showing very traditional oil paintings when I visited. They have a fairly conservative programme as they are part of the academy system, which does not approve of performance and is only just accommodating installation within it’s study program.
· H2 is a 150sqm space in the basement of 501 art centre in Huangjueping. It was previously used for exhibition and is now an artist’s studio. The artist is happy to support the project and has agreed with Yanyan that it could be cleared out for exhibition.
I feel much more relaxed now these options are on the table, but it has taken a long time to get here. After giving the artists different options we are thinking it would be good to do a discussion at one of the spaces in Huangjueping, local to many artists studios I have visited, if the exhibition takes place at Ceiling space which is a distance from my local area.
