Re: [-empyre-] Documenta reviews

[Brian Holmes <brian.holmes@wanadoo.fr>]

Oh, sorry, I should have added my interpretation of the project.

While the typical racist European view of 1001 Chinese in Germany can 
only be invasion or yellow peril, and the Christian charitable 
perspective can only be great self-satisfaction at such well-meaning 
generosity (extending the Western paradise to the heathen), for the 
Chinese, in effect, Ai Weiwei's project is a Fairy Tale. The reason why? 
A visit to sleepy Kassel is so much more relaxing, so much less 
challenging, than the momentous shift of not thousands but millions of 
people from the Chinese countryside to the coast - from the Middle Ages 
to the leading edge of capitalist development in the twenty-first century.

best, Brian Holmes




Brian Holmes wrote:
> I saw groups of Chinese everywhere, and on my last day, met the Chinese 
> interpreter with whom I had the pleasure of conversation in the only 
> language we shared, German. We puzzled over why it was such a poor 
> exhibition.
>
> I sat in the chairs throughout the exhibition, along with all the other 
> weary ones.
>
> Christina McPhee wrote:
> > patrick,
> >
> >
> > To be frank I didn't notice groups of Chinese people.  I was there for 
> > the several preview days and left on the afternoon of opening day. I 
> > wll be going back next week for the magazine conference.
> >
> > What was strange though were Wei Wei's conglomerations of antique 
> > Chinese chairs.  Grouped elegantly and anonymously in the midst of
> > what sort of seemed like installations of other art.  Boundaries 
> > completely fluid, differentiation between different 'works' seemingly 
> > treated as unimportant.
> >
> > Unfortunately throughout the Aue Pavilion and the Neue Gallerie, there 
> > seemed to be no places to actually sit when exhausted, to wait for 
> > someone, etc.
> >
> > THe Chinese chairs intensified an atmosphere of uncanny oppression -- 
> > so few human-scaled accomodations (architecturally) to the needs of 
> > visitiors, so many strange gestures.
> >
> > Could you sit on the chairs ? or not?  no one was.
> >
> > christina
> >
> > On Jul 10, 2007, at 9:45 AM, Patrick W. Deegan wrote:
> >
> > > for anyone else there witnessing D12, i would be deeply interested in 
> > > firsthand reactions, assessments, news, or lack of any of these 
> > > things regarding Ai Weiwei's "importation" of 1001 Chinese to Germany 
> > > for one part of his ouevre there.
> > > thanks!
> > > -pwdeegan
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