West Bund Art & Design (10–12 Nov 2017, Shanghai) has launched the second edition of its special exhibition programme, ArtReview Asia Xiàn Chǎng, curated by ArtReview Asia, the internationally renowned contemporary art magazine.
The programme, which returns following its successful debut in 2016, will feature solo projects by artists from around the world, situated both inside the fair and at locations across the West Bund district.
The curatorial concept originates in the Chinese characters for ‘xiàn’ and ‘Chǎng’, which together mean the scene (of a crime, accident, etc); (on) the spot; (at) the site. The works on show explore how context generates art and artworks generate context – and how the ‘contemporary’ aspect of contemporary art is as much about space or place as it is about time. Artists showing at ArtReview Asia Xiàn Chǎng are invited to play with notions of context, in all four dimensions of space-time, and its ability to bring about meaning, both intended and unexpected, in their work.
Among the 25 works featured in the 2016 edition were the deconstructed paintings of Merlin James, a multi-translated rendition of a pop song in an installation by Shanzhai Biennial, a speech-bubble installation by Philippe Parreno, an audiovisual installation by Haroon Mirza, a monumental outdoor sculpture by Sean Scully, a disorienting dry-ice-filled immersive work by Hao Jingfang and Wang Lingjie, and a 38-channel videowork by Qiu Anxiong installed on an old steam train. The 2016 edition of ArtReview Asia Xiàn Chǎng also featured a specially commissioned largescale textwork by Liam Gillick, on the facade of one of the fair’s two sites.
A complete list of the participants will be announced in July 2017. West Bund Art & Design will also offer a special prize for ArtReview Asia Xiàn Chǎng, for which invited judges will select the best work within the programme. The list of jurors as well as the final winner will be announced in November 2017.
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