Tag Archives: China
Nail houses
A nail house is a Chinese neologism for homes belonging to people (sometimes called “stubborn nails”) who refuse to make room for real estate development. The term, a pun coined by developers, refers to nails that are stuck in wood, and cannot be pounded down with a hammer.
Aerial view of a public cemetery in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China
An aerial view of a public cemetery in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China.
Li Mu
Li Mu worked for the Van Abbe Museum as an invigilator during the exhibition ‘Double Infinity’ (2010)
Goddess of Democracy
The Goddess of Democracy was a 10-meter-tall (33 ft) statue created during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in Beijing, China. The statue was constructed in only four days out of foam and papier-mâché over a metal armature. The constructors decided to make the statue as large as possible so the government would be unable to dismantle it. The government would either have to destroy the statue—an action which would potentially fuel further criticism of its policies—or leave it standing. Despite these efforts, the statue was destroyed by soldiers clearing the square of protesters, but has been copied a number of times.
Michael Wolf
Michael Wolf, ‘Real Fake Art’ (2006) featuring a copy of Gerhard Richter’s ‘Two Candles’ (1982)
The ‘Real Fake Art’ series explores the copy art industry in China, which exports 70% of copies of famous masterpieces to North America and Europe.
Adrian Paci
‘The Column’ (2013) by Adrian Paci.
A video installation following a piece of marble getting carved out of a rock in China and traveling to the exhibition space in Paris. On the boat, during the trip, the marble stone gets transformed into a classical column by Chinese sculptors. The column is then presented outside of the exhibition space, while the video of the journey is presented inside.
