C-Space is pleased to present a new group exhibition – Middle Ground, showcasing a wide rage of mediums including photography, sculptures, video installation and web-based work from Jia Xiaoding (1979, Hebei), Zhengde Lee (1976, Hunan), Weiyi Li (1987, Changsha), Shen Li (1985, Shanghai), Wang Xin (1983, Shanghai) and Yang Yuanyuan (1989, Beijing).
“Middle ground” here does not connote compromising opinions but a common ground shared between a generation of artists living in the aperture between nostalgia and capitalism, like the many shopping malls erected across cities, sheltering sparse visitors, on the streets where historical architectures have been demolished over the years. There is a certain kind of melancholy affiliated with the word “nostalgia” – a sense of romanticism evoked by reminiscence, the will to hold onto the past. While capitalism is portrayed as the enemy against humanity, it is an inevitable part of our lives in this day and age. As practitioners struggling against the tide of consumerism and the saturation of the art market, this origin of stress, or the blatant acceptance of this fate, also acts as a source of inspiration and motivation.