A recipient of a Lifetime Contribution Award at the 2012 Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (CCAA), Geng Jianyi’s place in China’s art world has been firmly established. Renowned art museums like London’s Tate Modern have featured his work, which has had profound influence on China’s avant-garde art scene. Even so, the 50-year-old artist remains busy, presenting his latest solo exhibition, Stubborn Image, at OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (OCAT) Shanghai until November 20.
“Even we were shocked to learn that Lao Geng (Geng’s nickname) had another exhibition ready after carrying out two last year,” admits Zhang Peili, Executive Director of OCAT Shanghai.
While a health issue kept Geng scarce during the exhibition’s opening, Zhang happily talked up his friend.
Despite their current lofty positions, the two began their relationship in 1986 when they co-founded one of Chinese mainland's first conceptual art groups, Pond Society in Hangzhou.
Their series of site-specific works were considered groundbreaking and Geng’s 1987 work, ‘The Second State,’ which is composed of close-ups of four laughing faces in black and white remains iconic.
Zhang marvels at Geng’s ability to imprint the distinct characteristics of his artistic vision in all his works despite its short creation time. Showcasing his ‘non-artwork’ attitude towards art creation, Stubborn Image lives up to its name – a challenging exhibition that aims “to provoke the viewer’s reflection on the liaison between everyday life, time, entirety and isolation.”
The show’s written introduction sets the tone for what is an intense experience. Adopting a formal font, Geng introduces Stubborn Image with a six-line paragraph of Chinese characters with no punctuation. It’s almost impossible to finish reading it in its entirety, without pausing to digest the artistic message. Like a mischievous trick, the challenge is set regardless of whether you are familiar with the language.
Remodeled into two winding corridors, OCAT Shanghai’s two main galleries have been remade into a labyrinth-like space. Entering the pitch-dark space, visitors automatically start to search for light by instinct. After stopping for a few seconds, there’s a realization that these old railway lights installed periodically on pillars complementing the aged warehouse space serve also as projectors that project Geng’s abstract videos or still images, triggering a conversation between the two mediums and the remade environment.
Until Nov 20, 10am-7pm (Tues-Thurs and Sun) and 11am-9pm (Fri-Sat). OCT Contemporary Art Terminal Shanghai.
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