Shanghai Gallery of Art at Three on the Bund is pleased to announce “Forever & Ever” a solo exhibition by artist Mu Chen which will open on January 15th, 2011. Since 2000, Mu’s artworks have focused on the historical, political, realistic and psychological landscapes that shape our consciousness today. For this coming show, the artist attempts to establish a sense of inner cohesion through her analysis of the fragmented process of globalization. The exhibition will feature Mu Chen’s latest creations including the installation Colors, Pride and Prejudice, the sound work Poetry, and her new photographic series, Indistinct.
For the installation work Colors, Mu Chen collected different colored soil from many places throughout China. The soil was then used to fill casts using one of the most antiquated construction methods of agricultural society – tamping, a rhythmic and repeated beating down on the earth to remove the air and compact the soil. When the heavy steel models used to contain the earth are dismantled, the remaining forms will be that of some well-known International brand logos. Colors address the relationship between local and international, traditional and modern in a way that archeologically examines the speedy transitions of today’s China.
The title of the group installation, Pride and Prejudice is borrowed from one of Jane Austen’s novels. In a playful way, Mu Chen empties Chanel No.5 of its fragrance and classic glass vessel. What she leaves behind however, is the bottle’s instantly recognizable outline, blown up to human dimension. Through these works Mu Chen examines the relationship between individuals and consumption in today’s globalized atmosphere. These works also reveal the fact that in contemporary society, people’s true senses and inner worlds are gradually being replaced by modern production, packaging, and consumer desires.
Pride and Prejudice, installation, multiple sizes, 2010
In the sound work Poetry, names of famous perfumes are alphabetized and read emotionally after the command “follow me”. The artist here focuses on consumption’s encroachment into people’s inner world once again. Neither our pursuit of the material or spiritual can escape the consumption chain.
The exhibition also features a series of photographic works entitled, Indistinct. This grayscale multi panel piece presents a world where desire and fickleness temporarily turn to peace, and where humanity is once again in harmony with nature. Through a return to Song dynasty style Shanshui paintings we gaze over the infinite with a view of the finite.
