Confronting Anitya: Chinese Contemporary Art in Provence

The traveling exhibition 'Confronting Anitya' (Anitya meaning impermanence) held its eighth edition in early June across several venues in the Luberon region of eastern Provence, France. Co-curated by Liang Kegang, the show features works by Chinese contemporary artists including Guo Gong, Tan Xun, Wei Ming, Shi Jinsong, You Liangcheng, Shao Yinong, and QI Zhuo. Notable works include Guo Gong's suspended pine tree 'Un pin' (2013) at the 13th-century Priory of Salagon, Tan Xun's concrete brick grid 'Sculpture' (2012) referencing ancient walls, and Liang Kegang's own 'Théière' (2007) made of tea particles. The exhibition aims to present alternative aesthetic judgments rooted in Chinese philosophy, emphasizing a different relationship to nature and time, as opposed to Western curatorial criteria. Liang Kegang notes that Chinese contemporary art began only two or three years after Mao's death, having to catch up two centuries. The show also explores the concept of 'qi' (vital energy), which challenges Western perceptions of matter and spirit. Works like Shao Yinong's 'Cœur du bois' (2013), built from hundreds of paint layers over years, reflect Taoist notions of time. QI Zhuo's 'J'ai allumé un vase' (2014) uses firecrackers to explode porcelain vases, subverting tradition. The exhibition previously gained attention at the 2013 Venice Biennale.