Rain Room
Dates: Sept 1鈥揇ec 31 @ Yuz Museum
London-based studio Rain Room arrived at this weekend to no small amount of fanfare. Previous incarnations of the work have been shown in London and New York, but for its China-side debut, collector Budi Tek commissioned what鈥檚 now the biggest Rain Room to date -- 150sqm, no less -- to match the gargantuan proportions of his West Bund museum, not to mention proven penchant for massive artworks.
The installation uses 3D tracking cameras to clear a path through a steady downpour, allowing visitors to navigate their way through the rain while staying [mostly] dry (at the opening, museum staff were helpfully on hand with paper tissues to dab dry shoulders and sleeves). Low lighting distorts depth of field, making for an unnerving experience that simultaneously calls for a whole lot of trust in this disturbingly clever machine; as well as inspiring the sort of buzz that actually having the omnipotence to control the weather might bring.
As with Rain Room鈥檚 previous editions, this one鈥檚 sponsored by Volkswagen: a match made in engineering heaven, the car brand is pushing an ecological interpretation of the work that somehow feels lost at YUZ. Context probably plays a part in that, and certainly, its November at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in drought-stricken California will put a very different spin on the work. Still, it鈥檚 very cool. Pro tips from the artists include walk slow, and avoid shiny black clothing: apparently the sensors have difficulty spotting that. Maybe leave the latex at home; likewise, stiletto heels.
Something else to bear in mind: you鈥檙e probably going to have to queue. They're only letting in 20 people at a time, and each session is 10 mins. Rain Room seems set for the kind of all-over-your-WeChat levels of hype of, I dunno, at MoCA last year, or at the same museum, those zillions of selfies jamming up your social media. But if the heart-sinking queues for Kusama鈥檚 Infinity Mirrored Room last year are anything to go by -- a similarly "contained" installation -- lines are going to be loooong.
At Rain Room in New York, patient culture vultures waited an average to see the piece. Such is the price of rockstar art exhibits, and it鈥檒l be interesting to see how YUZ responds. Then t丑别谤别鈥檚 the cost: an eye-opening 150rmb a pop, with discounts available if you鈥檙e buying two or three tickets. Book online right . As you鈥檇 hope, that includes entry to the museum鈥檚 other ongoing shows, including the rather excellent retrospective.
So is it worth it? Depends. Not sure I鈥檇 want to pay 150rmb just for Rain Room, but throw in everything else on at YUZ right now and the price becomes less outrageous. Ultimately, it鈥檚 going to come down to how the museum manages the inevitable lines, an efficient ticket reservation system, and maybe the foresight to bring snacks, books or fully-charged phones for the wait. The experience itself? Undeniably special, strangely disorientating, and beautiful.
***
Photo Shanghai
Dates: Sept 11-13 @ Shanghai Exhibition Center
The biggest of Art Week鈥檚 three fairs, promises 50 galleries specializing in - you guessed it - photography. Spanning con-temporary and archival works, this one鈥檚 pretty international in scope with no fewer than 12 coun-tries represented. Organizers and exhibitors will be hoping for strong sales, but even if you鈥檙e not looking to buy, t丑别谤别鈥檚 lots to get excited about - not least the China debut of Taryn Simons鈥� Birds of the West Indies.
The series was inspired by an eponymous 1936 taxonomy written by one James Bond. Author - and avid bird watcher, apparently - Ian Fleming chanced upon the name and deemed it a great fit for his protagonist - 鈥�anonymous鈥� a blunt instrument in the hands of the government.鈥� Conflating Fleming鈥檚 fictional narrative and Bond鈥檚 factual account, Simons鈥� series is an inventory or visual database of women, weapons, vehicles and other recurring elements featured in the James Bond films between 1962 and 2012. Should be good.
On what sets Photo Shanghai apart, Fair Director Alexander Montague-Sparey explained:
"We are the only fair which offers such a strong edit of both western and eastern work at the same time. People enjoy coming to Shanghai and exploring a medium which is accessible. I have always made sure the approach is a very curated one - by that I mean one where each work is hand-picked for its quality and relevance in the history of photography and its importance and relevance in today鈥檚 market."
***
West Bund Art + Design
Dates: Sept 9-13 @
Also back for its second edition following a
Dates: Sept 11-14 @
Part fair, part festival, is the spunky alternative to its more traditional counterparts. Also two-years young, the fair's 2014 debut was . Organizers include SHContemporary veterans Donna Chai and , as well as super-curator and BizArt founder Davide Quadrio. Chuck the city鈥檚 most boundary-busting arts venue K11 into the mix, and you鈥檝e likely get something pretty great.
This one鈥檚 got four main components, all revolving around the theme of Stop Making Sense: cities, landscapes, the environment and communities. At K11, t丑别谤别鈥檚 a series of exhibitions featuring both established and up-and-coming artists and galleries in China. Chai, managing director, explained:
"In the first year we only collaborated with Shanghai galleries. This year, our aim is to provide a platform for emerging artists, galleries and independent art spaces. The past two years have seen a new generation of galleries -- places in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou that we really didn鈥檛 know about before starting this process. Because we鈥檙e relatively small, we can be flexible and very fresh."
Off-site happenings include BLAST! over at MoCA Pavilion and the BMW Brand Experience Center. All digital imagery, interactivity, and computer-generated magic, that sees eight short film projects selected by a who鈥檚-who jury of artists, editors and curators. Art in the City is also organizing a series of Shanghai tours around various museum and gallery hotspots, as well as other fairs. Tickets for those are available right .
On what sets the fair apart from other Art Week offerings, Chai said:
"We wanted to do some-thing totally different. Art fairs have their own way of doing things with a very clear goal of selling artworks. We wanted to do something fun, something to engage the public who are interested in art -- not forgetting about buyers!"
***
ART021
Dates: 18 - 22 November 2015 @
Veteran of the bunch, ART021 is bucking the Art Week trend and setting up shop at Shanghai Exhibition Center in November. Distant though that may seem, as yet another fall art fair it's well worth a date in the diary. This one started quietly back in 2013. Last year made more of a splash, once again taking over the classy environs of the Rockbund complex. Initial PR aside, this is one to watch - case in point, what we made of the 2014 edition.
Some background: this one鈥檚 founded by collector and PR honcho Bao Yifang, and Kelly Ying, former gallery directer and partner at Huayi Fashion. Together, they鈥檙e something of a perfect storm: last year鈥檚 affair saw a host of international galleries alongside the likes of Xu Bing鈥檚 "store", offset by Louboutin鈥檚 Christian鈥檚 Atelier -- shoes, cupcakes and all.
Although this one鈥檚 still some way off, Ying was able to divulge a few pointers:
"Art should not be for a small group of people. Perhaps that鈥檚 been the case in recent years, but it should be for everyone. To keep engaging with more and more new people, we have a platform for emerging galleries and curators called 1+1."
On the change of venue, she explained that Rockbund was simply "too small" for this year鈥檚 planned artsravaganza. New hire Thomas W眉stenhagen -- formerly of Art Basel -- has big plans for transforming the Shanghai Exhibition Centre space into a suitably different arena for the fair, we鈥檙e told, with some 75 galleries confirmed to attend. That includes several newcomers, including Paris鈥� Galerie Chantal Crousel, London鈥檚 Timothy Tay-lor Gallery and Vienna鈥檚 Galerie Krinzinger.
Looks good.
Create a new List