On the morning of March 25th, the exhibition “The City as an Art Scene: The Changing Boundaries from Space to Daily Life” opened at the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Changgang Campus). The exhibition focuses on the interaction between current Chinese artistic practices and urban spaces, as well as urban issues and daily life in artistic expressions, which are related to the individual experiences of artists.
Guangdong Guangxiu Engineering Co., Ltd., as a supporting and sponsoring unit, was invited to attend the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, Li Wenfeng, the artistic director of Guangdong Guangxiu Engineering Co., Ltd., participated as an exhibiting artist. His sound installation work “It Sounds Very Good” was displayed on the second floor of the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, demonstrating Guangxiu Public Art’s enthusiasm for participating in public art voices.
Fu Huan, founder of Guangxiu Public Art, and key team members attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
Overview of the Exhibition
The theme of this exhibition is “The City as an Art Scene,” focusing on the changing boundaries from space to daily life. It aims to, through the individual practices and perspectives of artists, concern itself with several changing boundaries in the city: visible and invisible, tangible and intangible, neat and messy, real and fictional, public and private.
The exhibition site of “Cities as Art Venues: The Changing Boundaries from Space to Daily Life”
Li Wenfeng, Art Director of Guangxiu Company, and his participating sound installation work “It’s Just Very Pleasant to Listen To”
The scene of the opening ceremony
Li Yong, Vice President of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Lao Yexin, Party Secretary and Vice Dean of the School of Intermedia Art, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Liu Qingyuan, Vice Dean of the School of Intermedia Art, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Yang Yifei, Associate Professor of the School of Intermedia Art, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Hong Rongman, Deputy Director of the Art Museum, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Shen Sen, from the New Art Museum Studies Research Center, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Ji Ran, from the New Art Museum Studies Research Center, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Yang Xiaoyan, Professor of the School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University; Feng Mengbo, Dean of the School of Experimental Art and Technological Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts; Feng Yuan, Professor of the School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University; Meng Yao, Editor-in-Chief of “Huakan” Magazine; Zhu Ye, critic; Cui Fuli, curator; participating artists including Er Gao, Weng Fen, He Liping, Li Wenfeng, Liu Chengrui, and representatives from the First Finnish Pine Gallery, as well as representatives from institutions supporting the production and presentation of this exhibition, and friends from the cultural, art, and news media circles attended the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony site of “Cities as Art Venues: The Changing Boundaries from Space to Daily Life”
Seminar site
After the opening ceremony, the seminar “The City as an Art Venue: The Changing Boundaries from Space to Daily Life” was held in the multi-functional hall on the first floor of the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Changgang Campus).
During the seminar, scholars and artists discussed issues such as the urbanization process, artistic practice, and education. Yang Yifei thanked the guests for attending the discussion and invited them to introduce their works and share their views on the exhibition. Feng Yuan, a professor from Sun Yat-sen University, reviewed the in-depth analysis of China’s urbanization by Urban China magazine and pointed out that the exhibition echoes the reversal of urban-rural relations in the context of globalization. Critic Zhu Ye analyzed the stages of urbanization from an architectural perspective and emphasized that artists need to adopt diverse strategies to respond to changes in power and space. Artist Liu Qingyuan shared his creative attitude of “non-exquisite self-interest,” advocating breaking the physical and spiritual boundaries through actions, with the impact of the digital age becoming a focus. Yang Xiaoyan stated that in this exhibition, one can see many rural elements and street food stalls entering the art museum, and both the exhibition itself and the works are very exciting. Feng Mengbo talked about the memories evoked by the participating artists and their works in this exhibition, and took woodblock printing as an example to explore how art can integrate into society and play a role in combination with teaching practice. Shen Sen from the New Art Museum Studies Research Center put forward that “digital nomadism” dissolves the sense of reality, triggering reflections on the significance of art intervening in reality. Meng Yao, editor-in-chief of Art Monthly, called for a return to the sense of presence of “physical connection” and warned against the alienation of artistic expression by traffic. Chen Xiaoyang, executive deputy director of the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, took the Kangle Village research project as an example to emphasize the importance of first-hand experience for teaching and pointed out that the exhibition provides inspiration for the younger generation to “return to the social scene.”
Li Wenfeng, Art Director of Guangxiu Company, delivered a speech at the seminar.
As a major annual exhibition at the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, “The City as an Artistic Site” not only presents the complex aspects of the urbanization process but also highlights the vitality of the southern art ecosystem and promotes a dialogue between the public and the imagination of the city’s future.
It is an honor for Guangxiu Public Art to contribute to and participate in this exhibition, which represents our adherence to the concept of integrating engineering and art. In the future, we hope to participate in more events related to the city, the public, and art, speaking softly but acting boldly.
