February 18, 2005

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Pushing the envelope

by Molly Tanenbaum

"On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West," the Cantor Art Center's latest exhibition, combines the aesthetically-powerful with the politically-charged to confront spectators with the complex relationship between China and the West.

A giant slingshot-bearing fist marks the exhibit's entrance. The sculpture by Wang Du, "Youth with Slingshot," portrays a protester from a 1999 student demonstration when NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia. Wang Du distorted the proportions to mimic a photograph, enlarging the arm, fist and slingshot on a smaller torso.

"On the Edge" pulls in visitors, providing a rare opportunity to view a thought-provoking collection of avant-garde works by 12 Chinese artists living in China and overseas.

"If you went to an exhibit of Chinese art in China, it would be very different from what you'd see in the West," curator Britta Erickson said. "Overseas [exhibits] usually cater to what the Western audiences will be comfortable seeing."

According to Erickson, audiences in the West are more accustomed to "art with intimate ties to China's past, referencing famous art from earlier Chinese dynasties."

Erickson organized the exhibit into three themes: "The West through a Political Lens," "Cultural Melange" and "Joining the Game, The Chinese Artist Meets the World."

In selecting contemporary works for this show, she felt, "the strongest pieces have to do with China and the West."

"They're addressing interesting issues and what they make is beautiful. It's a rare combination. It shouldn't be, but it is," Erickson said.

"On the Edge" challenges Cantor's guests to rethink stereotypes of Chinese art by presenting brand new works, many of which carry strong political messages.

Some, such as Xu Bing's "A Case Study of Transference," push onlookers' comfort zones while others, such as Sui Jianguo's "Made in China," comment on Chinese art as commodity.

In "A Case Study of Transference," visitors enter a room with large projected films on either side. On one side is a video of two pigs mating over a floor of open books, the male covered in English gibberish and the female printed with Chinese characters. Uncomfortable spectators in the video misinterpreted the exhibit as a representation of Western dominance over China instead of as a natural cultural mingling.

In response, Xu filmed another video, shown on the room's opposing wall, in which the pigs mate in a field, the boar covered in Chinese and the sow in English.

Perhaps with the exception of Xu's copulating swine, "On the Edge" is kid-friendly. Sui's five bright red, plastic dinosaurs will attract visitors of all ages. The dinosaurs perch atop pedestals, with the familiar phrase printed on each of their abdomens: "Made in China."

Children and adults alike can engage with Xu's "Square Word Calligraphy Classroom" by sitting at one of the wooden desks and practicing a new form of calligraphy. This interactive work contains a surprising twist: visitors use a long brush and black ink to paint English nursery rhymes manipulated to look like Asian characters.

Erickson, an independent scholar and curator, received three degrees in art history and East Asian studies at Stanford University and has traveled to China for the past 20 years. After Erickson's relatively short two and a half years of preparation for "On the Edge," Cantor Arts Center decided to show the exhibit earlier than planned.

"They realized that timeliness was very important and wanted to bring the art to [visitors] while it was still fresh," Erickson explained.

Cantor and Stanford's East Asian studies department partnered to co-sponsor "On the Edge," as well as related activities. The visiting artist program complements the exhibit; several artists will travel from Paris and Beijing for one and two-week residencies to create new works for the show.

Yan Lei, a visiting Beijing artist, spoke to an audience of students on Feb. 3 regarding his three pieces in the exhibit, his artistic process and his thoughts on the value of contemporary art.

"There are various things in the art world that are not easy to talk about. Works of contemporary art as themselves don't have any inherent value," he said, through Erickson's translation.

Yan's pieces, "The Curators," "May I See Your Work?" and "Invitation," provide biting commentary on the treatment of Chinese artists within international art circles.

"May I See Your Work?" portrays a panel of cold, menacing Western curators. Provoked by a meeting with Guggenheim curators who were organizing a contemporary Chinese art exhibition, Yan was reminded of a photograph of spies he once saw. He painted an enlarged version of the photograph, conveying the power dynamic between Chinese artists and Western judges who will determine their success or failure in the art world.

"I think the only reason things qualify as works of art is that there are other people validating it," Yan said. "There are museums, galleries and curators looking at these and establishing value."

Yan sees a bleak future for Chinese artists trying to become recognized internationally.

"I personally think that maybe a couple will make it into the top circles but that's it," he said.

However, he recognized the shared experiences of artists everywhere, noting, "The loneliness of being an artist is always the same across cultures."

After May, "On the Edge" will travel to two other American destinations: the Davis Museum and Cultural Center at Wellesley College and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Editorial Intern Molly Tanenbaum can be reached at mtanenbaum@paweekly.com.

What: "On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West."

Where: Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center, located off Palm Drive, at Lomita Drive and Museum Way.

When: Through May 1. The Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday until 8 p.m. Visitors can attend docent-led tours on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Parking is free weekdays after 4 p.m. and on weekends.

Cost: Admission is free.

Info: Call (650) 723-4177 or visit www.stanford.edu/dept/ccva.

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