With the ambition of “igniting” the New Year period in Shanghai, the exhibition “WAVELENGTH: New Waveland” lasts from January 26 to March 17, 2019. The exhibition is jointly hosted by Pinkou (Shanghai) Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and Shanghai HKRI Taikoo Hui, opening at the multi-function hall of HKRI Taikoo Hui. The exhibition aims to create an ecological circle constructed by creativity and philosophical thinking. It can also be seen as a mutual effort of “Dare for more” between human beings and nature – art can become a tool for deconstructing ecology, and nature is also reshaping itself from reality to the meaning of the art world.
More than 20 artists from different cultural backgrounds have created 18 immersive experimental spaces through a series of crossover installations. Their creations embody the unique perceptions of the attitudes of contemporary art innovators towards society and nature, reflecting the artists’ explorations of the relationships among human, space and nature as well as the artists’ imaginations of the status quo and future in the highly digitalized society.
The U-shape “flower ladder” is made by countless flowers; the “answer” of the folding fans will be slowly opened in the air; the huge puppet arm of flower runs through the exhibition hall; a “fake company” with “authenticity guarantee” by the talented artist; five giant hanging video works presuppose the future; the “root” installation engraved with time; the mechanical material imitates soft and curly petals; the romantic trace of our blue-violet planet presented by several satellite images of the earth’s surface; a highly digital and globalized society simulated by multimedia devices is consisted of VR, music, and digital images; various biomechanical devices make realtime state changes based on different environmental factors; the “plant forest of clouds” is used to explain the life form in photo frames. From the post-modernity of multimedia to the future ecology of the whole media, we virtualize a future ecological development chain in the creative language of “multi-media”, and use it to build multiple dimensions of the relationship between technology and nature, ecology and human beings.
Tong Kunniao, The Answer Will Open in The Air, 2018
Byoungho Kim, Horizonal Garden, 2018
Ziyang Wu, The Last Subway, 2017
In the public area of the plaza, the artist also created inflatable flowers that are many times larger than their normal size, allowing viewers to create a new perspective on enjoying the iconic playful and beautiful presentation. Several artists recreated the color-filled inflated flowers, and now, the “flowers” blossom in different poses—sitting, standing, floating, and even bending over to greet the audience. The organizers hope to arouse public perceptual cognition and effective connection with nature, and jointly explore and transfer the future form of the combination of art and environmental sustainability through the immersive artistic experience.
The exhibition outlines the relationship between natural ecology and human activities in a highly commercialized and urbanized horizon by sketching a narrative clue of “material desire – natural – future”. The assumed “answer” is to be discussed openly. The audience can piece or connect “artificial nature” in an open and fragmented information-distributed environment through the artists’ creations, personal experiences and logical thinking abilities. Meanwhile, this way of participating an exhibition itself is also a curatorial practice specifically in the information age.
About WAVELENGTH
WAVELENGTH is a collection of contemporary art exhibitions. It was initiated by Pinkou (Shanghai) Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and CUBE Consulting Group Inc., New York. It is committed to promoting creative cross-border cooperation through international art exhibitions and the development of art industries. By breaking the boundaries of existing regulations, we intend to manifest a paradigm-level declaration in the world of art and culture.
About HKRI Taikoo Hui
HKRI Taikoo Hui is located in the core area of West Nanjing Road shopping district in Jing’an District, Shanghai. It includes a fashion shopping mall, two Grade A office buildings, two boutique hotels and an apartment hotel. It also has more than 10 indoor and outdoor venues, including an all-weather, open-plan function room, which can a great spot for leisure and artistic events. Based on its “Love and Dare” stand, HKRI Taikoo Hui has nearly 250 differently positioned brands, aiming to provide a diversified business space that integrates work, rest, relaxation and enjoyment altogether.
