Yang Fudong's Dreamlike Films and the Chinese Avant-Garde
In a 2003 interview with art press, Chinese video artist Yang Fudong discusses his early works, including the performance 'Elsewhere' (1993) at the Zhejiang Academy of Art, where he remained silent for three months, and his films such as 'An Estranged Paradise' (1996-1997), 'South Robber' (2001), and 'Jiar's Livestock' (2002). He reflects on themes of adolescence, urban alienation, and the gap between ideals and reality. Yang was born in Beijing in 1971 and lives in Shanghai. His work was featured in Documenta 11 (2002) and the first Chinese pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2003). The interview is part of a dossier on contemporary Chinese art published alongside the exhibition 'Alors, la Chine ?' at the Centre Pompidou (May 25–October 13, 2003) and the Year of China in France (October 2003–July 2004). Charles Merewether, art historian and curator at the Getty Research Institute, conducted the interview.
Key facts
- Yang Fudong was born in Beijing in 1971 and lives in Shanghai.
- His performance 'Elsewhere' (1993) at Zhejiang Academy of Art involved three months of silence.
- His film 'An Estranged Paradise' was made in 1996-1997.
- 'South Robber' (2001) is an 18-minute video about a farmer lost in the city.
- 'Jiar's Livestock' (2002) is based on two Chinese fables set in the tea-growing valley of Juxi near Hangzhou.
- Yang participated in Documenta 11 (2002) and the first Chinese pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2003).
- The exhibition 'Alors, la Chine ?' was held at Centre Pompidou from May 25 to October 13, 2003.
- The Year of China in France ran from October 2003 to July 2004.
- Charles Merewether is an art historian and curator at the Getty Research Institute.
- Yang's work explores themes of adolescence, urban alienation, and the gap between ideals and reality.
Entities
Artists
- Yang Fudong
- Charles Merewether
Institutions
- art press
- Centre Pompidou
- Getty Research Institute
- Zhejiang Academy of Art
- Académie artistique chinoise des beaux-arts
- Documenta
- Biennale de Venise
- Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris
- Biennale de Valence
- Triennale de Yokohama
- Biennale d'Istanbul
- 4e Biennale de Shanghai
- Triennale de Guangzou
- Espace Pierre Cardin
- Benaki Museum
Locations
- Beijing
- China
- Shanghai
- Paris
- France
- Venice
- Italy
- Cassel
- Germany
- Hangzhou
- Juxi
- Tai Lake
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Athens
- Greece
Sources
- artpress —