The 5th Edition of ASIA NOW - Parisian art fair will be held from 16th to 20th October 2019, at 9 Avenue Hoche, Paris 8e. Artist Chen Qiulin from A Thousand Plateaus Art Space is honored to be selected into this year’s curatorial program IRL {In Real Life}, curated by the invited guest curator Xiaorui Zhu-Nowell, Assistant Curator at the Guggenheim New York. The series of video and photography about hometown and city from Chen Qiulin’s early work "Farewell Poem" and “River, River" will be presented in the “Unboxing” section of IRL curatorial platform.
About IRL {In Real Life} in Aisa Now 2019:
Building upon the success of its previous guest curator programs, ASIA NOW has invited Xiaorui Zhu-Nowell, Assistant Curator at the Guggenheim New York, to devise this year's Curatorial Platform. Taking its title from the popular Internet abbreviation IRL {In Real Life}, the Platform celebrates an emerging generation of artists who are digital natives and whose work critically engages with new media, issues of technology, and the challenges of contemporary art practice within our new sensorial environments.
Works included in the IRL {In Real Life} Platform approach the subject of digital media and technology through a broader conceptual lens, instead of the often conceived realm of technology as “cutting-edge”, “innovative”, or even “awe-inspiring”.
The IRL {In Real Life} Platform will be enacted in four sections, each of the sections referring to a different mode of interaction: Unboxing, Peer-to-Peer, Hyperlink, and Chat Room.
About exhibited works “Farewell Poem” and “River, River ”:
The exhibited photography work "Farewell Poem" is a photographic presentation of the artist Chen Qiulin's 2002 video work "Farewell Poem". In June, 2002, artist Qiulin and her film production team traveled through Wanxian, Yunyang, Fengjie, Wushan, and the ancient town Dachang cites, and shot for 14 days, then the "Farewell Poem (2002)" came out from this trip as a 9-mintute short film. There are three chapters in this short film: Firstly, a documentary that records the demolition of these cities and the daily life of the immigrants in reality; Secondly, another demonstration of the upcoming or already destroyed Three Gorges cultural sites, integrating with performing the fragments of the Beijing opera "Farewell My Concubine" at these sites; The third chapter is a performance of the artist herself in the destroyed ruins. These three parts are intertwined with one and another in the film. The farewells of two different historical backgrounds imply the same helpless mood; there is no dialogue inside, only the real documentation, singing the farewell elegy with its voiceless speech. For the artist Chen Qiulin, in her unique language, "Farewell Poem" is dedicated to our beloved parents who love us selflessly and to the people who live on that land just as us.
The work “River, River” is the result of Qiulin’s desire to shoot another video about the three gorges dam project after the “Farewell Poem”. At the time of “Farewell Poem”, the three gorges dam construction had lead to the huge demolitions and mass migrations. Two years later the banks were flat and empty, waiting for the rise of high buildings and modern docks. The reason why she chose to shoot “River, River” against the background of these construction sites is threefold. Despite the three gorges dam construction was a huge project in China at that time, it also well represents the rapid development process of China. Additionally, it is a continuation of the artist’s own work. The appearance in this video of Sichuan opera amidst presents life conditions, the construction site and the opera stage, the past and the present, the misplacement of time and the scene ... all these represent her memory of the second construction phase of the Three Gorges Dam project in China.
About Artist Chen Qiulin:
Chen Qiulin, born in 1975 in Yichang, Hubei Province in China, now lives and works in Chengdu.
Graduated from Print Department of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2000, she is an outstanding artists of China's younger generation, whose works concerned about the social impact of China's political and economic reforms. Chen Qiulin constantly summarizes and visualizes the status quo and various conflicts arising from the challenges of modern life to the traditional value system. Her most talked about photography and video works put forward a strong inquire to the process of social development and ambitions.
Chen Qiulin grew up in Chongqing Wanzhou City, which was submerged in 2003 by the Yangtze River, as a result of Three Gorges Project. Because of Three Gorges Project, a million residents had to migrate, and left their hometown lived for generations. What her famous work "migration" considers is the physical and psychological impact from the program to the people. Leaving the native place caused emotional turmoil, as well as the recognition of cultural values, has been the object of Chen’s investigation. Chen Qiulin’s works include video, images, installations and sculptures. With a variety of media, her creation has always been in a constant state of development and promotion, introducing bran-new views and perspectives in the frequently discussed issues, with a unique sensitivity to the social issues.
