This is a peer review after watching a video of Ruxue Li ‘s presentation about her project. It’s a great honor to hear about Ruxue Li ‘s project. My peer review is mainly divided into three parts. The first part is about purpose of the Ruxue Li ‘s project, the second part is about the vision of Ruxue Li ‘s project, and the last part is the summary of the peer review.

First of all, through your presentation, you explained that the purpose of the project is to find local elements in your hometown to spread the national culture of your hometown and cause people to reflect on the traditional culture. I think this is a very interesting and meaningful theme. I can imagine that on the day when your curatorial project is held, you can publicize the local elements of your hometown to people from different countries and regions in Edinburgh, and at the same time, you can encourage people to recall and learn from their own national culture, which is a very good idea.

The second part is the Vision of your speech. You mentioned the way of combining family characteristics and clothing to form this project. This is an attractive point because clothing is a necessity for human life. And clothing is a good object to convey elements, taste and spirit.

Other than that, I think your project is very specific. What I mean is that you have worked out the whole process of the project, such as choosing to introduce a theme at the beginning of the project to liven things up. This is a great way to start the conversation and get people involved in your project quickly. Moreover, it is worth affirming that your project also includes feedback, which is the part I want to learn from you. feedback is indeed a particularly important part. We can get more experience from feedback and realize our shortcomings. Through your speech, I’m really looking forward to your project. And I believe that you have the ability to complete your project well, because you talked a lot about the process related to your activity in your speech. You’ve sorted out your venue, you’ve set the time, you’ve decided on the artists and you’ve considered the audience. I heard you introduce some information about the Huangpu River. However, could you tell me more about the elements of your hometown that you will present this time? Like more historical context. Although I am Chinese and have traveled to Shanghai, I am not from Shanghai, so I do not know much about the culture related to Shanghai, China. I am looking forward to you introducing some more detailed local elements related to your activities.

Finally, thank you very much for your speech. Through your speech, I can clearly know the content and process of your project. Your project is very creative and meaningful. You did a good job. I am looking forward to your project. That’s all my peer reviews of your speech.

Mar 15, 2023

First a reflection on the theme. WHY‘s original theme was an exhibition of negative emotions, without restrictions on region, gender or age. But the range of topics is very large and only a small number of female artists from China have provided works for WHY exhibition. So I narrowed it down to women and negative emotions at the fifth week. In the sixth week, I still didn’t collect any works from artists outside China, so I decided to focus on contemporary Chinese women. In the seventh week, when I sorted out the artists’ works, I found that the works I collected did not include works with themes such as marriage and pregnancy, so in the seventh week, I further narrowed the theme to contemporary Chinese women who are neither married nor pregnant. In addition, I made a questionnaire on unmarried, childless women in contemporary China and posted it on my Chinese social media. According to the survey, the negative emotions of contemporary Chinese women who are neither married nor childless mainly come from six aspects: family trauma, love factor, interpersonal communication, life pressure, appearance anxiety and sexual harassment. Therefore, in the WHY exhibition, I will mainly display artworks from these six sources of negative emotions.

The second part is about the artist. At present,  I invited five contemporary artists from China to provide works of art related to these six sources. I would like to introduce artists and artworks about sexual harassment and life pressure. In the section on sexual harassment, the artist Jingshu Zhang told me about the sexually suggestive looks and language she feels around her when she wears a dress. This made her feel uncomfortable, so she created Skirt, a dance work, and provided dance videos for the WHY exhibition. （figure 1）Obviously, in the Skirt dance screen, we can see that instead of wearing a skirt, Jingshu Zhang is wearing dark and plain clothing. It may also reflect the author’s current fear of skirts.

Figure 1 Screenshot from Skirt dance video ©️Jingshu Zhang

In addition to Jingshu Zhang’s work, I would also like to share Siyuan Dong ‘s work Shangwei, an oil painting that tells the story of her confusion about whether she should pursue higher education in the face of the future. This artwork, created by Siyuan Dong after his undergraduate graduation, shows corridors and stairs that can be seen everywhere on the artist’s campus. And connects the staircase to the Utopian philosophy of Ernst Bloch, who said that the essence of life is “ambiguity.” To an artist, she is as uncertain as the end of a staircase.（Figure2）

Figure 2 Shangwei©️Siyuan Dong

The third part, which is very instructive and critical to me, is Theaster Gates, White Cube. This is because I plan to plan the online space of WHY in the way of White Cube, and use simple White walls with different brightness lights and display ways to highlight the artist’s works. “Particular to the white cube is that it operates under the pretense that its seeming invisibility allows the artwork best to speak; it seems blank, innocent, unspecific, insignificant. Ultimately, what makes a white cube a white cube is that, in our experience of it, ideology and form meet, and all without our noticing it.”  (Filipovic,2005) While browsing the website of Theaster Gates, White Cube, I found that most of their exhibitions and artworks are in the White Cube space. And against the White Cube, the artworks are in the centre. Therefore, I think Theaster Gates, White Cube is a good example to learn from.  In addition, I saw Feminism Ya Mang: Exhibition Video on Youtube.（Video 1） I saw that the wall of this exhibition is mostly pink, pink gives me a very gentle feeling. However, I want to use white walls to represent women, white can reflect all kinds of color light. We must admit that women’s spirit and survival ability are extremely strong. Therefore, I want to use white as a metaphor for women’s tolerance、strength and greatness. It’s worth noting that Feminist Ya Mang exhibition has a lot to teach me. For example, there are many items that women use in this exhibition hall, such as nail polish and wigs. In addition, the exhibition also uses different projectors and video playback devices. So, whether it’s the placement of objects or how the video is played, it’s very useful information for me.

Video 1: Feminism Ya Mang: Exhibition Video from Youtube

 

Reference list

Filipovic, Elena. “The global white cube.” The manifesta decade: Debates on contemporary art exhibitions and biennials in post-Wall Europe (2005): 63-84.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 14, 2023

This week’s blog content is  about the reading tasks of the three websites I checked. However, I’m sorry, but now I can’t post my conversations with artists, artwork and other things related to the artists I invited to my blog because of copyright issues.

First of all, BUZZCUT is an example from the first course material I selected. I was very interested in the HOTWORKS performance. HOTWORKS (figure 1) by InXestuous Sisters in BUZZCUT website reflects the feminism to some extent. “For Buzzcut, they will perform a post-punk act of personal-cum-communal catharsis. Watch them as they unapologetically air their dirty laundry before they burn down the house. A spring ritual of femme energy renewal – a dance on the ashes of intimacy.” (//BUZZCUT//, n.d.)  The project of InXestuous Sisters is about the trans-feminist attention to sisterhood and lesbian desire, while women are the main characters of my project. In this show, women’s dirty underwear is collected, which I think is a very bold and direct way to express sexuality and lesbianism.

Figure 1：photo credit Eda Sancakdar

The second site I really like is Transmediale. I like the typography and visual effects of this site, such as the use of irregular graphics as a guide sign. (figure 2) It also has a special article on holograms. I think if I needed to build a website for my show, it would be similar in style to transmediale. These irregular shapes and warm colors bring the reader closer to the site, making it more comfortable than cubes and black and white.

Figure2: The screenshot from https://2023.transmediale.de/en

The last link is https://glasgowinternational.org/. That’s because this week I went to see an exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, and I also saw a project at Glasgow International at the Glasgow Women’s Library. On this website, I saw a lot of exhibitions held in different places in Glasgow and had simple descriptions of the exhibitions, which was a good resource for me to read. Since Glasgow is not far away, I can gather more resources from this website and Glasgow. Then I go to Glasgow to see the project I want to see, which is a good way to get good information before seeing the project in the field.

 

Reference list

//BUZZCUT//. (n.d.). INXESTUOUS SISTERS. [online] Available at: https://www.glasgowbuzzcut.co.uk/hotworks-inxestuous-sisters [Accessed 4 Mar. 2023].

 

 

 

 

Mar 4, 2023

Here is a link to my presentation:

https://media.ed.ac.uk/media/1_fzx5eozb

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Feb 14, 2023

This week’s blog contains two parts. One part is about what I learned about Tuesday’s seminar, and the other part is about my preparation work for my personal curatorial project this week.

First, part one. On Tuesday, I attended an Embassy artist-run gallery seminar where they shared their planned projects and related materials. The information that I found very useful was that they prepared a lot of materials about the planning stage, such as posters, artist introductions, CDS, tapes, maps, etc. This made me realize that when planning an exhibition, different materials should be prepared to introduce different contents of the exhibition to the audience. For example, to introduce the artist to the public, a booklet about the artist and the artist’s work can be developed in advance so that the audience can learn about the artist and the artwork.（Figure 1）

Figure 1 Embassy artist-run gallery displays material during Tuesday’s class

The second part is about the progress of my curated project.  First of all, the title of my exhibition is WHY. Through the artist’s works, the negative emotions of current women (18-25 years old) are displayed, stimulating the audience to think about why women in this age group have these different negative emotions and looking for the reasons behind their sadness. The exhibition form is mainly online, and the exhibition mode is White Cube. “Particular to the white cube is that it operates under the pretense that its seeming invisibility allows the artwork best to speak; it seems blank, innocent, unspecific, insignificant. Ultimately, what makes a white cube a white cube is that, in our experience of it, ideology and form meet, and all without our noticing it.”  (Filipovic,2005) Secondly, I invited five female artists to participate in my project and they were briefly interviewed by me. For example, the artist Zhang Jingshu’s dance works. Her work reflects the different eyes and disrespectful treatment she suffered as a woman in everyday life. (Video 1，The video has been licensed by the artist)

Video 1 Artist Zhang Jingshu’s dance works

Thanks so much for reading my blog this week.

 

Reference list

Filipovic, Elena. “The global white cube.” The manifesta decade: Debates on contemporary art exhibitions and biennials in post-Wall Europe (2005): 63-84.

Feb 11, 2023

The first part is a visit to the gallery.

key words： temperature, light (lighting and natural light), space of the building, sound, elevator, safety passage, treatment of electrical wires, entrance and exit. I was impressed that the exhibition should fit into the space. How to use space reasonably is a very time-consuming and energetic thing, not only to ensure that the interior structure of the building itself does not change but also to add or reduce the movable wall at the appropriate time. This is an Angle that I did not pay much attention to during my undergraduate study. Reasonable use of space is a very important part of exhibition planning. For example, the use of elevators and safe passages in exhibitions.

The second part is what I learned in  90-minute seminar  at old collage.

My key words are theme, budget, artist.On the one hand, communication between curators and artists is important. Because curators need to invite artists to cooperate and borrow relevant exhibits, draft memorandums and contracts to prevent artists from quitting midway. The other side is budgeting. （Figure1 ）For example, the price of a group exhibition is different from that of a solo exhibition. The price of an artist customizing a work of art for an exhibition is different from that of an artist lending his or her work to a gallery. Things that are done for specific exhibitions cost a lot more. In addition, the price of transporting art is also very expensive, which requires the purchase of certain insurance, after all, many galleries and museums will only borrow exhibits after the curators buy insurance for the exhibits. Of course, theme and good image are also important.

Figure 1 The spreadsheet James handed out about the budget

The last section is about my thoughts on the James seminar. First of all, my topic is feelings. Secondly, I would like to invite German artist Anne Imhof. I wanted to play a video of Anne Imhof’s Faust on the wall of the Talbot Rice Gallery on the third floor using  film installations. Faust is a work made by artist Anne Imhof for the German Pavilion in Venice, 57th International Art Biennale. It uses physical actions, space scenes and sounds to express various emotions, such as pulling.Obviously, the Talbot Rice Gallery’s architectural material is not suitable for Faust‘s performance, which incorporates a lot of glass elements. If we rearrange the gallery, it will add a lot to the budget. In addition, a one-minute sculpture area will be established. In this place, the audience can choose to pose as they wish, such as in meditation. But do it for at least a minute. The goal is to express what they’re feeling right now. Of course, viewers can also watch the video and leave. （Figure2 ）

Figure2 Plan of the exhibition

Video: Faust

This is my blog for today’s event and what I learned.

 

Jan 31, 2023

There are two things I want to write about in this blog post for week two. One is about my understanding of this week’s reading material. The other is the topic I chose for the final exhibition.

First, after looking at this week’s text. I realized that curators are the link between works of art, artists, Spaces, visual experiences, new media， the public and so on. Curators need to think about a lot more than just exhibits. As O’neill (2016) said, the perception of the curator has shifted from being a caregiver to a curator who plays a more creative and active role in the production of art itself. Therefore, it also affects my selection of curatorial topics.

In the second part, I want to plan a public art exhibition that emphasizes the self. Let the public get to know themselves by participating in various parts of the exhibition, such as by looking at themselves in the mirror to get a proper idea of their looks. This is because, Lacy (1996) points out that this element of audience participation in the origins of public art gives the work relevance within the community, not in the usual sense of public art that promotes the appreciation of art, but by providing this art with the potential to impact the lives of people inside and outside the community.

To sum up, In the second week, my keywords are: create, connect, public.

 

References

Lacy, S. (1996). Mapping the terrain : new genre public art. Seattle, Wash: Bay Press.

O’neill, P. (2016). The culture of curating and the curating of culture(s). Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England The Mit Press.

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Jan 27, 2023

 I would like to share with you two exhibitions that I saw this Wednesday（18/01/2023）, which are by artist Qiu Zhijie and artist Nira Pereg.

Both exhibitions, to some extent, reflect the character of the monument and counter it in their own way. “While monuments do highlight historical connections, they can never replace public and individual responsibility for critical recollection and remembrance.” (Thea and Micchelli, 2009)But the two exhibitions are quite different in their forms of expression. Qiu Zhijie’s exhibition (Figure 1) uses a more traditional curatorial approach, with the artist’s mapped landscape paintings hanging on both sides of the corridor，while Nira Pereg’s exhibition ( Figure2) mainly uses film installation  to present the contents of the exhibition.

 Figure1 Qiu Zhijie’s exhibition

 Figure2 Nira Pereg’s exhibition

 The exhibition of QiuZhijie

I would like to use a few key words: Chinese military theory, map, East-West differences, criticism, idioms.

In addition, in the map drawn by the artist, you can shine a purple flashlight on the picture and the English font will appear.It’s a good way for non-native Chinese speakers to understand the meaning of the picture. ( Figure3)

Figure3 Qiu Zhijie’s painting after being irradiated

The exhibition of  Nira Pereg

Nira Pereg’s work: Religious, political, historical

Nira Pereg uses a film device to play content of different periods through different screens. In a dim environment, it is easy to arouse people’s attention to his pictures, and also reflects the heavy nature of “monument”.

 

 

 

References

Thea, C. & Micchelli, T. (2009) On curating : interviews with ten international curators / by Carolee Thea. First edition. New York, N.Y: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers.

 

 

 

Jan 19, 2023