Academic and Un-academicⅡ
Text: Zhao Li

Yibo Gallery was established in 1998 by Zhao Jianping. It is one of the earliest commercial galleries in Shanghai. Since its beginning, the gallery has been focusing on Chinese contemporary art which was quite unique among the classical cultural aura around the city at that time. However, under this clear focus and mission, Yibo Gallery has held a series of influential exhibitions that actively develops the promotion and collection of Chinese contemporary art.

“Academic and Un-academic” is such an influential exhibition. It was held in May, 2001. Because of the academic focus, “Academic and Un-academic” established a curating system involved with critics, curators and the gallery. The gallery invited renowned critics Li Xianting to write the article for “Academic and Un-academic.” The exhibition attracted about 17 Chinese contemporary artists, including Wang Guangyi, Wang Yuping, Wang Yigang, Fang Lijun, Wei Ershen, Mao Yan, Liu Xiaodong, Liu Renjie, Xu Jiang, Zhang Xiaogang, He Duoling, Chen Junde, Luo Zhongli, Zhou Chunya, Yu Xiaofu, Zeng Fanzhi. As a result, this exhibition almost covered all the elites in the Chinese contemporary art community and became a big art event that year.

In 2008, Yibo Gallery decided to move to Yang Pu district for future expansion. The newly developed area is said to become one of the most important creative industry areas in the city. The new site was renovated from an old warehouse. The exhibition area exceeds 600 square-meter attached with warehouse, office and information room. The gallery also invited Ai Weiwei, a famous Chinese contemporary artist to design the new space, in hope that the venue would echo to the current artistic aura and meet the requirement of modern displaying mode.

The opening exhibition for this new space also reflects the continuing focus and mission of Yibo gallery since its opening: the promoting and supporting of Chinese contemporary art. Through repeated discussions with artists and curator, the gallery finally decided to follow its beginning theme of “Academic and Un-academic.”

The second-round “Academic and Un-academic” insists the original curatorial theme in historical link and realistic observation, and it also tries to consider the “continuity” between the first “Academic and Un-Academic” and second one. While at the same time, it forms a contrast in time difference. The contents of the exhibition stress on the current condition of Chinese contemporary art, thus the purpose of the sub-theme of “Time Difference: Different Eras and Existing Attitude” under “Academic and Un-academic” is to explore a deeper thinking, to express both the changes under different background of Chinese contemporary art and the artists’ responses towards these changes that may lead to more academic ponderings.

About 20 artists participates the second-round of “Academic and Un-academic,” including Fang Lijun, He Jinwei, Li Luming, Li Hui, Li Wei, Lu Hao, Mao Yan, Qu Guangci, Sui Jianguo, Wang Guangle, Wang Yin, Xiang Jing, Ye Yongqing, Yue Minjun, Zhan Wang, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhou Chunya, Zhou Tiehai, Zuoxiao Zuzhou. Among them, Fang Lijun, Mao Yan, Zhang Xiaogang, Zhou Chunya and Zeng Fanzhi joined the first-round “Academic and Un-academic” in 2001. Ye Yongqing, Zhou Chunya, Zhou Tiehai, Lu Hao, Wang Yin, Li Luming not only makes their contributions to the development of Chinese contemporary art but also are active in their current creations. Due to the trend of Chinese contemporary art, this exhibition increases the part of three-dimensional art pieces. The display of the artworks by Sui Jianguo, Zhan Wang, Xiang Jing, Qu Guangci and Zuoxiao Zuzhou add variety to the contents and lay out of the exhibit. This exhibition is also keen on the future development of Chinese contemporary art, young artists including He Jinwei, Li Hui, Li Wei and Wang Guangle are invited. Their artworks summarize the artistic practice and pursuit of the younger generation.

The second-round “Academic and Un-academic” tries to select the latest artworks and new art from the participating artists, adopting the “sampling” and “zoom in” methods that not only presents a show but also reflects the variety of each artist.

Fang Lijun’s “2007.7.15” expresses his new direction in his creations. Through a symbolic method, the breeding and cloning insects are vividly crammed on canvas together with the elegantly posed human figure. The painting not only focuses an illusionary scenario but also renders the artist’s strong concern of the crisis facing the existence of humankind. The chaotic brushstrokes form a basic trait in Zeng Fanzhi’s latest “Untitled”. But different from his early “Chaotic Brushstroke” series, Zeng’s latest work has a strong self-controlled power. The blending of lines and hues become more powerful and harmonious while at the same time daunting passion is filled on canvas, which conjures up a touching and profound scene. Likewise Ye Yongqing has a clear attitude: self-centered and an attempt to surpass himself. This manifests clearly in his “Drawing Birds” created in 2008. His latest artwork mainly features the bird’s images. It mirrors the artist’s own experience, a desire to go far beyond, and a culmination beyond reasons. Mao Yan is always a perfectionist in art. He not only insists the intricacy in language or perfection in technique, but also explores the further meaning of painting itself. He thinks that only those pure and perfect paintings could convey the message of perfection, while the exploration in the meaning of painting itself is an endless task for artist. Mao’s artwork reflects his unique ability to freeze such indefinite meaning in a definite scope. His canvas is filled with tranquility, intricacy and softness. The “Camel” series is the most widely-known pieces for Zhou Tiehai. He “refits” the characters appearing in those advertisements or some Western masterpieces and makes them as his camel. It is quite ironic, aiming at the current contemporary art which is permeated with Chinese symbols. “Henry IV” continues such style. The overwhelming size of the piece further stresses this with a strong focus. On the surface, the artwork of Lu Hao appears quite complicated, which might involve with his experience of how he enters the Chinese contemporary art from the former painting area. “Homes No.2” featuring some ordinary street scene which is of no difference from other street scene paintings on the surface, yet the painting carries out more expressionistic meaning. Sometimes some “fractures” appears in Lu’s work, but they are not imperfect, instead the revealing of the artist’s personal thinking. Lu is concerned with the subject of the traditional residential buildings in Beijing, which is named “Siheyuan.” It is not only a recall of his life experience, but also his concern and worry of the future cultural environment through a historical angle. Wang Yin’s “Untitled” is one of the pieces of the artist’s “Girl with long legs” series. The work has a strong implication that mingled with the artist’s idea of “direct presentation of painting itself.” It is easy to decipher Wang’s work on the surface while actually it is not so easy to decipher the meaning behind. All these form the two “balanced wings” of the artist’s work. Li Luming’s “Mongolian Mother” comes from a portrait photo of the 1950s, which seems another obvious divert of the image. Li also refers to the blurred dealing of images by German artist Gerhard Richter. But Li is more addicted to the purity of the black and white hues, and the blurred image is filled with “some air or aura that makes us intoxicated.” Basically Li breaks away from Richter’s “sensible and objective” image. What his artworks evoke is a personal memory and a subtle psychological movement towards such memory.

Zhang Xiaogang’s “Amnesia and Memory – The Boy”, Yue Minjun’s “The color in life” and Zhou Chunya’s “One male and one female” reflect the “intruding” of all kinds of mediums applied by Chinese contemporary artists and the initiated changes . Zhang’s “Amnesia and Memory – The Boy” is one of his latest large scale prints. It’s not a boring copy from his canvas, but a piece with strong originality. Different from his canvas, this overwhelming size brings a strong visual effect with some experimental elements. Yue Minjun’s “The color in life” expresses a painter’s pursuit in space. In fact, the artist created a cluster of large-scale sculptures before. These sculptures, daunting in size, “recklessly invade’’ the space in groups. “The color in life” is also a reckless invasion of the space. They have close connections with each other that create a general visual effect through an exaggerated volume. Zhou Chunya’s “One male and one female” is also a further development of the artist’s early “Green Dog” sculptures. If “Green Dog” sculpture is an imitation of the images on his canvas, then “One male and one female” breaks away from such imitation. Zhou uses stainless steel and paint in his sculpture which makes his art language more skillful and complete.

The “discussion” on space at this exhibition is also reflected by the sculptures created by Sui Jianguo, Zhan Wang, Xiang Jing, Qu Guangci and Zuoxiao Zuzhou. Sui’s sculpture has a strong conceptual flavor. His personal thinking has broken away from the traditional sculpture area. He sees creations more as personal experiment. His critical position is not only aiming at history but also the current society. He seeks a best answer as an art solution among Chinese intellectual background and cultural system. The core in Zhan Wang’s art is the recreation of the ancient man-made landscapes with a new touch. Undoubtedly the “Artificial Rock” is the most representative work in his series. Zhan Wang transforms the surface of the “Artificial Rock” into stainless steel. It is not only a change in material, but also deepens the whole “artificial process.” It is a spiritual relationship between off-academic, the realism principal and life, or between history, the artist’s personal style and concept. Xiang Jing’s “Blooming” is a vividly and accurately depicted bronze sculpture piece. It is accurate not only in expression but also on a spiritual level. Her creations express her ponderings towards Chinese female body, the relationship between female and male, between female and society through a modern artistic language. Perhaps some critics may think that Xiang’s creations reflect her avocation in feminism. But her concept and lay out mode have more universal meaning. Qu Guangci’s latest artwork varies a lot from his previous ones. He applies many historical visual symbols into his pieces with a special treating including modeling and the relationship with the environment. His purpose is to generate rather than revert to its original shape, which gives the artist more freedom. While Zuoxiao Zuzhou’s art piece is totally different from Qu’s work, the photo comes from a shooting of one famous performing art piece. Zuo’s photo not only blurs the image of this picture, but also tries to “revert” to its historical scenario.

Wang Guangle, He Jinwei, Li Wei and Li Hui are the young representative artists at this exhibition. The visual world that they conjure up is sensitive and passionate, reflecting the vicissitudes of the realistic world. While at the same time, they manifest their own attitude, position, taste and origin. The more the viewer approach, the stronger the feeling is. Wang Guangle’s “Terrazzo 200801” is his most representative work. The vivid realistic displaying method and the purposely flaunted feel of hand labor match time that the artist consumes in his work: One month one piece. But it also records the time flow, his experience and memory in his personal life. While at the same time, his artwork evokes a psychological suggestion and the pondering on time. He Jinwei’s “Destination” is one of his latest pieces. He focuses on the poverty, persistence and the pressures of the people who are at the bottom level of the society. The artist piously and laboriously engages in his working that reflects a strong and unique humanistic care. Both Li Wei and Li Hui are interested in visual structure. Li Wei prefers to conjure up the urban landscape through a plane mode. On the surface, it may appear like an abstract expression, yet what he creates is a real concrete landscape. Li Hui has an incredible ability to project a realistic object radiated into an illusionary world, guiding the viewers to hesitate between reality and illusion.

Of course, it is impossible to describe the current condition of Chinese contemporary art merely through one exhibition. But Yibo gallery still believes that through its efforts and close collaboration with the contemporary art world, it is able to conduct a series of systematic zoom-in observation, displaying and studying of Chinese contemporary art. It is not only the expectation of Yibo Gallery, but also our sincere anticipation towards Yibo Gallery.