Monday, September 24, 2007

"The Art of Trade"

An interesting article for the art enthusiasts in class. It also talks about neocolonialism and global flows of trash.


Here is a quote:
When people talk about the "dirtier" side of China's economic development they usually mean air and water pollution. But there's more to it than that, as a gallery show currently on in Shanghai demonstrates.

Liu Jianhua is a sculptor who first caught the art world's attention in the mid 1990s with his headless figures in traditional Chinese dress skewering the West's exotic perceptions of China. Now he's turned his attention to rubbish. His latest work, "Export-Cargo Transit" -- an installation composed of several individual works -- consists of plastic, paper and metal scrap imported into China from Western countries and Japan.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119032847206934465.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

2 comments:

Lorraine said...

fyi: I think that link may have a problem. If you google "neocolonialism" and use the "News" tab, the article should come up

jess said...

Interesting concept... I always find the cycle of appropriation and reappropriation very fascinating.


I'm not sure how this relates, if it does at all, but Buchel's failed "Training Grounds for Democracy" saga with MassMoCA brings up some interesting issues regarding borders, artwork, and also irony.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/arts/design/22muse.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=arts&adxnnlx=1191333656-PmXyK0gqKZpV0wSCq7AQuw