additional context

For Research Festival

My plan for the research festival is to write a paper that encompasses all the research from my three units, discussing my research process and final works.

1. Critique of My Work: I’ll analyze my work from the perspectives of spatial and figure arrangement, symbolism, reflection, and curatorial approach.

2. Context and Influences: I’ll introduce the origins of my context, starting with Wang Mingke's The Qiang Between Han and Tibetan, which was instrumental in the beginning of my research, especially his exploration of how minority groups drift between two larger ethnic identities. I'll then discuss artists like Francis Bacon and Edvard Munch, whose approaches to composition and visual elements greatly inspired my own work. Finally, I’ll address JR’s social projects, which have influenced my understanding of the social relevance of my own project and inspired me to consider ways to further expand it in the future.

3. Supporting Theories from Sociology: I will discuss sociological theories that support my arguments, such as insights from Social Animal and other works that have helped shape my understanding of group behavior.

4. Personal Perspective: I’ll reflect on why I am drawn to develop this theme and explore this subject, including how my observations of group divisions have impacted me emotionally and why I seek to create a sense of connection with viewers through my work.

These points will largely cover my year-long research and practice.

Photographs of Chongqing 1949 Theater

This was a play I watched in late summer at the Chongqing 1949 Theater. The stage there is quite unique—it’s a massive, rotating staircase that forms a large circular shape when viewed from the front, with sections that can rise and rotate to create different scene setups. The seating area can also rotate independently around the stage, allowing the audience to view the stage from a 360-degree perspective. This setup, combined with the movement of the plot and actors, creates a highly immersive experience.

In this arrangement, there is no traditional "backstage"; the entire theater becomes the stage. The actors perform continuously for two hours, coordinating with the rotating platform to present different scenes on each side of the circular stage, as if they’re performing on a large piece of installation art. The way scenes are shifted so visibly reminded me of jump cuts in film, moving between different scenes while telling a single, cohesive story.

This experience made me reflect on interactions between large-scale installations and the audience. Here, the piece doesn’t merely present a “front-facing” view; it displays various narratives on each side simultaneously. My installation for the year show also employs multiple viewpoints, featuring a large front-facing piece along with smaller works tucked into hidden corners. Watching this "no-hiding-place" stage inspired me to think of the exhibition space as an integral part of the artwork itself. I could leverage the space’s unique characteristics to display my work or enhance the space’s uniqueness through the art. This concept ties into my theme, as it relates to social spaces and their dynamic nature.

'On stage'

Erving Goffman’s Theory of Social Roles:

Erving Goffman, a sociologist, developed the concept of social roles in his work The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. He compared social interaction to theater, where people "perform" different roles depending on the social situation they are in. Goffman argued that our behavior changes based on the context and the expectations others have for us, which he called “the front stage” and “the back stage.” On the front stage, we present a carefully curated version of ourselves, while the back stage allows for more authenticity.

When I place figures “on stage” in my compositions, it could be seen as a metaphor for how people perform roles in society. The faceless, isolated figures may represent how social structures force individuals into certain roles, stripping them of personal identity or authenticity in public life.

'Cages'

Michel Foucault’s Theory of Surveillance:

Michel Foucault, a philosopher, wrote extensively about surveillance and power in his book Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. He introduced the idea of the “panopticon” (a type of prison designed for constant observation) as a metaphor for how society disciplines individuals through surveillance. Foucault argued that as people become aware of being watched, they start to regulate their own behavior, which leads to internalized control and conformity.

In my research, I explored the reasons why individuals choose to join groups and their pursuit of social identity. Joining a large group provides a certain sense of security to individuals to some extent. Based on Foucault's theory, I believe that breaking down society into smaller groups, like families, contributes to social stability in a way. His metaphor of the group is also one of my sources of inspiration.

'Emptyness and Fullness'

In François Jullien's book Between and Being, he explores the differences in how Western and Eastern cultures view negative space in art and their distinct pursuits and understandings of the concept of existence. He suggests that in the Western philosophical tradition, “being” is regarded as a central concept for philosophical inquiry. Western thought focuses on the independent essence of things, striving for definitions, classifications, and an understanding of the essence and constancy of entities. Existence is seen as stable, tangible, and something that can be defined as a solid state.

In contrast, Eastern, particularly Chinese, philosophy places more emphasis on the relationships between things (“between”). In this mode of thinking, the world is viewed as a dynamic whole, where the connections and interactions between things constitute the foundation of reality. This perspective emphasizes fluidity, change, and uncertainty; “existence” here is not an isolated entity but part of an interconnected network of relationships.

From his explanation, we can see that negative space, in a certain context, is an intermediate state—not merely blank, but rather an unfinished intention. This applies to my work as well: when two plates are printed together on the same paper, the distance and blank space between them do not signify emptiness but rather offer a general depiction of the overall environment. It is an intentionally omitted description that, much like in many minimalist artworks, leaves space for the viewer to contemplate the artist's unspoken intentions.

Other Shows In Summer And This Year

Now-Showing Future

The Bomb Factory Art Foundation

London

Now-Showing Future The Bomb Factory Art Foundation (London)

Exhibition Lable in The Bomb Art Foundation Gallery

Exhibition Photograph

This is an exhibition in London that I participated in this year, where I was involved in the curation process as a graphic design team member. As part of the curation team, I gained firsthand experience with the entire exhibition process. From theme selection and poster creation to the details of inviting artists, aspects I hadn’t previously paid much attention to were all laid out before me.

I discovered that for a themed exhibition—such as this one, which revolved around the concept of cyclical time and the future—the curatorial team often seeks a large-scale piece that sets the tone for the exhibition. Ideally, this would be an artwork that could fill an entire room. Large installation art pieces tend to be favored in such cases.It made me consider that, as an artist, one might gain an advantage in a group exhibition by understanding the curator's perspective. Keeping an eye on exhibition trends and styles might help a work stand out more effectively.

Bring it on: Stone from Afar

Xu Liao Yuan Gallery

Cheng Du China

Exhibition: Bring it on: Stone from Afar Xu Liao Yuan Gallery Cheng Du China

Exhibition Lables in Xu Liao Yuan Gallery

Exhibition Photographs

In ancient China, there is a proverb: “The stone from another mountain can polish local jade.” It means that criticism or insight from others can help enhance one’s own abilities.

This summer, I participated in an exhibition organized by a coalition of eight schools, hosted by Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. The invited artists came from art schools around the world, and here, I engaged in discussions and networking with students from various institutions.Most of the works in this exhibition were fine art pieces, and the extensive display of oil paintings and installations created a distinct exhibition atmosphere.

Interestingly, each group of students from the same university had exhibition labels of a specific color: UAL students used black labels, RISD students had crimson ones, and the local Sichuan students had green labels. This classification approach made me reflect on the motivational and psychological dynamics of competition between groups. Here, the positive incentive to excel seemed to outweigh any negative effects of group division.

Additionally, artists sharing the same label color seemed to form temporary alliances with unfamiliar peers from different ages, engaging in collaborative artistic creation as a cohesive group, sparking deeper, more interesting inspirations—almost as if striving for a shared honor.

This visible boundary, setting up competitive yet positive peer groups, gave me a new perspective on my theme and a deeper understanding of it.

15th Qidong Print Exhibition

Qidong Printing Gallery

Qidong China

Exhibition Photograph

Exhibition Photograph

This exhibition is a local printmaking showcase in my hometown. Due to the local artistic traditions, most of the works are woodblock prints, split into two main schools based on the type of ink: water-based ink and oil-based ink. My work stands out in this exhibition and seems a bit out of sync with the overall atmosphere.

I noticed that printmaking in China is often divided into stylistic schools. For example, when you see a print by an unfamiliar artist, those familiar with the art can roughly tell the artist’s regional origin based on their techniques and colors. For instance, works by artists from the northern regions often have a bleak, desolate atmosphere, typically depicting the vast, snowy landscapes of that area. Artists from the Jiangnan region, on the other hand, tend to create more delicate scenes imbued with the presence of mist and gentle breezes. This kind of stereotyping arises from China’s apprenticeship traditions, where artists from the same school often have similar styles. It’s like different small branches growing from the same larger branch—each branch is unique, yet all draw nourishment from the same source.

International Original Print Fair

Bankside Gallery

London

Exhibition Photograph

Exhibition Photograph

Conversation with artists in Exhibition

Recently, I participated in another print-only exhibition in London. Most of the works in this exhibition were etchings and lithographs. Previously, I thought there weren’t many people working with photopolymer plates, but in this exhibition, I saw many artists using this technique. Unlike in China, this printmaking method seems quite popular here.Compared to the previous exhibition, the style of this one is entirely different. Perhaps it’s due to the cultural traditions of the two places.

I feel that some works in this exhibition also embody the local style and heritage. In a sense, when contemporary art has been evolving in a place for a century or two, that place's "tradition" becomes part of its contemporary art.

One of the benefits of participating in exhibitions is the chance to discuss works directly with the artists and receive feedback on my own work. In the photo at the bottom right, you can see a reference image that an artist shared with me during our conversation—an architectural reference she thought resembled my work. It was inspiring to view my work from a different perspective.

Bibliography

The presentation of self in everyday life Erving Goffman. Available at: https://web.pdx.edu/~tothm/theory/Presentation%20of%20Self.htm (Accessed: 12 November 2024).

Between is not being - François Jullien, 2022 - sage journals. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/02632764221111324 (Accessed: 12 November 2024).

Disciplinary power in the school: Panoptic surveillance. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1301673.pdf (Accessed: 12 November 2024).

Goffman, E. (2022) The presentation of self in everyday life. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.

Watson, G. (2014) A philosophy of emptiness. London: Reaktion Books.