Exhibition Dates: June 21st, 2008 – August 13th, 2008
Venue: Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery I
Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery is delighted to exhibit the new works of artist, Wen Fang, from June 21st to August 13th, 2008. Foundations is an expansion on her installation series, The New Golden Brick, which was unveiled at Paris-Beijing one year ago.
A native of Beijing and a graduate of the National Film, Photography and Sound Engineering School (ENS) of Louis-Lumière in Paris, this young photographer’s fascination and artistic focus reside in bricks. Bricks are the ever-present foundations of support in the city of perpetual change. Unlike the traditional Golden bricks made in imperial architecture which were meticulously selected for their imperishable quality and signed by the maker, the lives of modern bricks are ephemeral as they are infinitely reproduced and readily replaced for ones with a more youthful glow.
These cement building blocks are witnesses to China’s enduring evolution. Amidst the reconstructed brick paths of Beijing, echoes of past memories and traditions still resonate. Wen Fang revives the Golden Brick of the past, providing a pioneering glance into these perennial traditions that continue to shape contemporary China. From her representations of migrant workers as terracotta soldiers, to her revamped version of traditional mahjong, Wen Fang raises questions about the present and future identity of China while honoring the community and culture she so deeply treasures.
Wen Fang’s Golden Bricks have recently been exhibited by the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and have recently been acquired by Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing.
(China.org.cn June 12, 2008)