Exhibition
WANG GUANGYI: Cold War Aesthetics
1 Feb 2009 – 1 Mar 2009
Event times
Closed Monday & Tuesday. 10.00-18.00 Wednesday to Sunday. 10.00-21.00 Thursday.
Address
- 3 Olaf Street
- London
- W11 4BE
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- 295 - along St Ann's Villas, 31, 23, 49, 94, 148 - all pass along Holland Park Avenue (10 minute walk)
- Latimer Road (3 minute walk), Holland Park (10 minute walk), Shepherds Bush (10 minute walk)
About
The Louise Blouin Institute is honoured to feature the first major solo exhibition in the United Kingdom of the renowned contemporary Chinese artist Wang Guangyi. The exhibition will take place from 17 October to 1 March 2009 and is a part of the Louise Blouin Institute's 'Culture Beyond Borders' series, aimed at encouraging cultural dialogue.This ambitious show by one of China's most celebrated living artists, is both a reflection on the imagery of Cold War era China, and a warning to contemporary audiences about the horrors of war. The exhibition, referencing illustrated manuals created by the Chinese government depicting how to react to a nuclear or biological attack, represents the potential catastrophic past of the Cold War that has been avoided while simultaneously pointing to future threats lurking on the horizon. For Wang and for the viewer, the metaphor is clear; avoid a return to a Cold War mentality at all costs.
The exhibition will include an installation of some fifty life-size sculptures that depict Cold War preparedness, a large-scale twelve-panel mural and a series of watercolours that serve as the sketches for the sculptural works on display. The exhibition will be complemented by a bi-weekly lecture series, three Saturday afternoon panel discussions on aspects of contemporary Chinese art and culture, as well as a set of educational workshops and music recitals.