It has been a fantastic opening. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who came, almost every person I have visited in Chongqing so far, also a few people from outside the city. I also gave a talk which was interesting and difficult with translation! I feel that it went well however, with many questions and jokes, and an overall good response. I also went for drinks after with some students, teachers and YanYan. It has been a great night. There will be some pics of the opening tomorrow once Wang Jun had downloaded them. Off to bed for me I am exhausted!
Monday 27th June 2011 (apologies for the lateness, our internet has been down)
Well we managed to install the exhibition today, with the help of YanYan, two students from SFAI on summer leave, Li Cao, YanYan’s housekeeper and a Ban Ban (a person that carries things on their back from place to place, and waits outside for work). The space is very large indeed when it is all cleared away.
I have installed photographs of the four external sprays, three drawings on architectural paper, three woodcut prints and a drawing of a world map, as well as the installation. We have also made titles, which YanYan has translated, and I have written a statement, which he will also prepare in Mandarin for tomorrow. Although I am pleased with it, the work looks very small in comparison to the height and size of the walls. I can see now why most of the artists I have met make such big work – most of the spaces here are so large that if they produced work on my scale (apart from installation), it would not make much of an impact. A few people have dropped in to see it already. We have still to fix the spotlights, and make some minor adjustments, and then we will prepare for the opening. I will post some photographs once this is done before the opening. Unfortunately, I can see now the practical benefit of framing – as the drawings keep lifting of the wall due to the fan so I have to fix them.
I have still had a stomach bug today but I have been pushing through, I am hoping I will feel better tomorrow as there are a few things I need to prepare for tomorrow night. I cannot believe my time is coming to an end (sad face), life at home will seem very quiet and normal indeed! (But I am also happy as it is only two sleeps until my partner arrives!). I feel relatively organised however, I hope it is not the pride before the fall.
Sunday 26th June 2011
I have been a little under the weather again today, but I have been pushing on as I have asked to start installing the show tomorrow, as I do not want to leave it until the last minute. We also have been rushing through the publicity poster. I wish that I had asked about this earlier, as YanYan mentioned it before but then has been away at training at the University, and the usual assistant who does it is not available, and we do not have Photoshop. Anyway, although the layout is not fantastic it does the job – I know I will be pushier the next time! The posters are all over the area, and the exhibition stays up while I am travelling with Dave so it is on for a good while. I will need to transport the works back to the UK for the exhibition at Goldsmiths in September. I will obviously not be able to transfer the graffiti and installation, but I can present photographs, and I have had an idea of a three dimensional model/installation that I can do in its place. The problem with the CHRC is that nothing can be attached to the walls, only hung from their hanging system. I have a good amount of time to think about this though.
I completed all of the maps that I wanted to do. There was one more drawing on architectural paper of HuangJePing Street, and then another world map that has images of both China and UK on each side of the globe. I like the aesthetic of this map, but I think it would have been effective to be larger. Again, I could develop more work for the exhibition in September, I do not think that is cheating.
I decided in the end to install the drawings and prints on clips instead of in a frame. Although framing is cheap, I decided that I did not want this formal aesthetic for the work, and again I would not be able to transport to the UK (and it was not in the original budget).
