LONG MARCH PROJECT IN ‘ART AND CHINA’S REVOLUTION’, ASIA SOCIETY, NEW YORK

Art and China’s Revolution
Asia Society, New York, USA
5 September, 2008 – 8 February, 2009
Curated by Melissa Chiu (Director, Asia Society) and Zheng Shengtian
www.asiasociety.org

About

      Art and China’s Revolution is a path-breaking visual arts exhibition initiated by Asia Society Museum in New York. It is the first-ever exhibition to focus on the revolutionary spirit of Mao’s China from the 1950s through 1970s. Drawing together large-scale oil paintings, ink scroll paintings, artist sketchbooks, posters and objects from everyday life, many objects seen for this first time in the United States, the exhibition aims to show this historical period in comprehensive depth, with the entire museum devoted to this exhibition. Working with the Chinese government on loans of art works from museums across the country, some considered national treasures, Asia Society continues its relationship with China that has seen the presentation of major exhibitions of silk road and Liao dynasty treasures.

      The Long March Project is included in this exhibition as a contemporary ongoing artistic project that uniquely challenges the meaning of revolution today.

Exhibition

      Art and China’s Revolution begins with one of the most famous works in Chinese modern art history, Dong Xiwen’s 1952 ‘Founding of the Nation’. This large-scale oil painting was painted to record Mao’s declaration of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It signals the beginning of the exhibition and the beginning of an art aesthetic that created its own visual iconography and aesthetic (this will be the first time this works is shown in the US and only the second time it has left China). Although in the beginning this style, called socialist realism, was heavily influenced by Russian artists, in the 1960s under the leadership of Madame Mao the stle evolved with more complexity and Chinese characteristics. The exhibition shows this development of a Chinese artistic voice especially during the Cultural Revolution.

      The exhibition presents a new perspective on China’s modern revolution. Previous exhibitions have focused on political posters but this exhibition shows the master work oil paintings reproduced in many of the posters. In addition the exhibition focuses on many of the individual artists of the period telling their story, so that one can gain a glimpse of this period from a personal perspective. Artists such as Liu Chunhua, Luo Zhongli and Pan Tianshou are shown in this way, some of China’s most famous and revered artists today.

      Themes in the exhibition are based on ideas and sayings from the period. The first section is devoted to representations of Mao. Portraits of Mao began in the 1950s showing Mao as a soldier or peasant but in the 1960s and 1970s Mao was shown as a god. Paintings and posters show this evolution and the way that Mao’s image was a ubiquitous presence in everyday life until his death in 1976. The second section of the exhibition ‘To Rebel is Justified’, explores the idea of social change. During Mao’s time there was an emphasis on modernizing the nation and getting rid of feudal society. The third theme, ‘Struggle with words, not with weapons’, looks at an older generation of artist who fell out of fashion during this time because they painted in ink, a medium considered not revolutionary enough. These artists continued to work during this period. The final section, ‘Up to the Mountains, Down to the Villages’, chronicles the younger generation of artists who, in a large-scale domestic migration were directed to go and live in the countryside to learn from the farmers. This re-education campaign gave inspiration to young artists and many important works were produced in rural China, finding their way to large-scale national exhibitions in Beijing

      A 250 page book has been published to coincide with the exhibition to include leading specialists on China, Chinese art and social issues.

Installation Views

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Long March Works

‘Long March Project – A Walking Visual Display’ 1998 - 2002
90 page curatorial precise written by Long March Project founder and initiator, Lu Jie
Book

‘Chronological textual history of the Long March Project’s ongoing international journey’ 2002-08
Textual map

‘Long March Project – Yan’an’ 2006
Documentary film
DVD: PAL, 60mins, color, sound
<Further information:link to website>
<click here for excerpt>

Long March Project – A Walking Visual Display’ 2002
Documentary film
DVD: PAL, 60mins, color, sound
<Further information:link to website>
<click here for excerpt>

‘The Long March Project – A Walking Visual Display’ 2002
Selection of documentary photographs of the Long March Project team on the road from Site 1 (Ruijin, JIangxi Province) to Site 12 (Luding Bridge, Da Du River, Sichuan Province)
48 digital color photographs: 42 x 42cm (each)
48 light boxes: 46 x 46 x 3cm (each)

‘Long March Remains’ 2002 ongoing
Fragments of campaign ‘debris’ from the Long March Project
Dimensions variable

General information:
Exhibition dates: September 5th, 2008 - January 11th, 2009
Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm, with extended evening hours Fridays until 9:00 pm. Closed on Mondays and major holidays.
Venue: Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, New York, USA
Cost: $10; $7 for seniors and $5 for students with ID; free for members and persons under 16. Admission is free to all Friday 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Tel: 212-288-6400
Fax: 212-517-8315
Email: info@asiasociety.org