The central point of Vanishing Point is the most direct physiological reaction of the body to the environment. Chen Xiaoyun has added a written narrative and a poetic quality to his works. Image fragments containing different pieces of information are linked together by the text, their interplay producing a synesthesia effect. The abstract quality of the expressive fragmented pictures and narrative text provide the viewer with an imaginative space that is broader than the one they would experience in a traditional linear narrative. The problem of reality becomes abstract, arousing reflection in the mind and heart. The video’s literary style gives the viewer a sense of reading. Although the questions are silent, the text increases the impact on the mind. By probing reality with poetic metaphor, Chen Xiaoyun’s works present a fragmented landscape that is produced through resistance against the systems of reality.
Chen Xiaoyun studied ink painting at the Chinese Academy of Arts and lived as a writer in Suzhou before becoming part of the Hangzhou video art community. Chen’s works stages scenes of everyday life with elements of the strange and the absurd in order to explore existentialist themes through narratives of visual linearity. Chen is drawn to nighttime scenes of ambiguity, making use of shadows and silhouettes in concert with simple plots and fixed scenery to reconcile disjuncture in gazes and assert connections between the filmic eye and reality.
After engaging primarily with video and photography for more than a decade, Chen turned to painting to explore the issue of urban change and memories—both personal and collective...
Coherent divergence at John Molloy Gallery – Two Coats of Paint Carter Hodgkin, Dither 12, cut paper collage with acrylic paint, inkjet & protective varnish on canvas over panel, 24 x 24 inches Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / “Mutability,” a thoughtfully conceived and curated group show at John Molloy Gallery, by its title contemplates the elastic aesthetic capacities of painting, drawing, and sculpture...
For the first time ever, the jury decided to equally award all four candidates and invite them to participate in the Tbilisi 7 festival* organized by Kunsthalle Zürich in Tbilisi, Georgia, in early September 2016, namely Geraldine Beck & Miriam Laura Leonardi , Marc Hunziker & Chantal Kaufmann & Rafal Skoczek (UP STATE) , Leila Peacock , and Ramaya Tegegne ...
In the Trenches: Artists Encounter the Los Angeles River, Part 1 – Art and Cake August 30, 2023 August 30, 2023 Author In the Trenches: Artists Encounter the Los Angeles River, Part 1 Michelle Robinson 2023 What Was 4th Street Acylic paint on print 40×60 in By Lawrence Gipe In the mid-1980’s, I lived on Santa Fe Avenue and 7th Street, and the idea of Los Angeles having a “river” was a bit of a joke...
The Tower of Babel is an installation of large-format photographs that forces the audience to occupy a central position through its monumental scale...
The image of rusted nails, nuts and bolts as shrapnel sandwiched between a fried Chicken burger highlights the contrast between decadence and destruction...
The lengthy titles in Chen Xiaoyun’s work often appear as colophons to his photographs that invite the viewer to a process of self realization through contemplating the distance between word and image...
State Terrorism in the ultimate form of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood features a portrait of the artist wearing a zipped utilitarian jacket reminiscent of a worker’s uniform, with one arm behind his back as if forced to ingest a bundle of stick—a literal portrayal to the definition of fascism...
A Viewing (The Effect) by Anthony Discenza is a continuous voiceover loop intended for presentation in a dedicated, light-and-acoustically controlled space...
Dave is part of Mohamed Bourouissa’s project Horse Day , which stemmed from a residency the artist conducted in Philadelphia in 2014...