Commune II

It feels so ironic that a culture’s tradition and symbols seem more valued outside of than in its original context. The bricks below were taken directly from the Great Wall, representing what villagers living along parts of the Wall are doing on a much larger scale – because they cannot afford to buy bricks or other construction materials, they are helping themselves to brick after brick of the Wall, to build their ovens, stoves, shelters.

 

Childhood memories of an artist.  Works like these make the past feel more tangible… They make us think about where we come from, what are we made of, what has been sacrificed in the name of change, and whether it has been worth it. In this work the artist alludes to the warmth of her childhood memories, to how home was a place where sound, laughter and chatter could always be heard, where members were always in sight and basically there for each other.

What has changed?

Commune I

Back at White Rabbit Gallery for their second exhibition of the year – Commune.

This series draws links between China’s present and its past, through the personal experiences and expressions of artists. Some of the works brutally highlight what is being lost and sacrificed in the name of moving forward, and the (very good) curator was right – it is depressing.

A series of photographs which accompanied headlines in Chinese newspapers in 2014. Each tells the plight of different individuals in different situations, all in China. The message: If these heartbreaking stories are what can be reported on the news, imagine what can’t…

Fragmentation.

 

White Rabbit Teahouse

My third time back to the White Rabbit Gallery and their current exhibition, but it’s still far from boring. Perhaps this is what good art does – enabling its viewers to gain a different insight and perspective every time they interact.

This time, we also had the chance to sit down to try a plate of their renowned dumplings and tea.

Not disappointed at all 🙂

The Dark Road

A dark and saddening novel on the social consequences of China’s population planning policies and human migration.

“When she met him at seventeen, she believed marriage was for ever, that the government protects and cares for the people, and that husbands protect and care for their wives. But as soon as she got married, these naive beliefs were shattered. She discovered that women don’t own their bodies: their wombs and genitals are battle zones over which their husband and the state fight for control – territories their husbands invade for sexual gratification and to produce male heirs, and which the state probes, monitors, guards and scrapes so as to assert its power and spread fear.”

White Rabbit Gallery – “Reformation”

A privately-owned contemporary chinese art gallery. This has been on my to-visit list for awhile. However, I had to wait for them to re-open while they took time to set up the new exhibition.

And wow, the wait was definitely worth it.

 

 

 

If you think this is a typical chinese ink painting… it is not. What it turned out to be made of totally blew us away.

 

 

 
My favorite, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately it came with another more creepy-looking figurine which I shall not post here.

 

The teahouse at the ground floor of the museum was also very peaceful, welcoming, and enticing. I can just imagine sitting there, sipping their well-received chinese tea, contemplating on the exhibits, chatting with a friend, reading, watching people walk past to central park…

 

 

http://www.whiterabbitcollection.org/