hi all, this post was received in rich text format, here forwarded in plain text. -cm
From: "Patrick W. Deegan" <pw@pwdeegan.org>
Date: July 11, 2007 11:03:11 PM BDT
To: soft_skinned_space <empyre@gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Documenta reviews : forward from Christiane Paul
Jenny et al.,
I should clarify, lest anyone who is not familiar with my work believes that there is some goofy agenda, i solicited people's responses and feedback on Ai Weiwei's work because 1) i am currently not in Kassel (though i wish i could be there to see it first hand), 2) i am in China completing my fieldwork on contemporary Chinese art, 3) and the reaction here is different so i wanted to get a feeling as to what the reaction there might be like beyond the newswire. so any preoccupation really is mine; and any information you might share regarding this preoccupation is, in fact, very helpful to me. Thanks to everyone who has posted reviews from D12 on any of its aspects.
yours,
-patrick
-- Patrick W. Deegan University of California, San Diego Dept. of Art History VIS 0084 UCSD La Jolla, CA 92093
http://www.pwdeegan.org
China Contact Information: äåïåä 102600 åäååèäåé æåèæç Patrick W. Deegan ææçåç: 138.1747.8317
China Contact Information (English): China, Beijing 102600 Beijing University, Software School Department of Digital Art Patrick W. Deegan mobile: (+86) 138.1747.8317
On Jul 12, 2007, at 24:30:0, Jenny Marketou wrote:
Hi Everyone, A big thanks to Christina fro bringing up the Documenta discussion. A big thanks to Christiane for entering the conversation and bringing our attention away form the obvious about the "chairs" and the "Chinese" people. I was in Kassel before and after the opening of Documenta 12 and I spent several hours going through the exhibitions. I found the approach of the curatorial team and their meticulous attention to detail at times esoteric but very strong and I kind of like it very much ! As Christiane points out it raised effectively a lot of questions about the boundaries between exhibition space and the work of art as well about the fluidity of boundaries in general. Also,I liked the subtle political climate and the lush visuality in Neue Gallery where it challenged our norms excpetions of the "white cube".
I am also surprised why we are preoccupied with the the "chairs" and the "Chinese guests" instead of discussing extremely effective works of art such as the video installation " Lovely Andrea " of Hito Steyerl at Fridericianum where actually the audience could sit on the "Chinese" chairs to view the video or the stunning installation "Phantom Truck " and "The Radio " of Inigo Manglano-Ovalle at Documenta Halle only a few among many other brilliant works the majority of which have no connection with art market. Jenny
--- Christina McPhee <christina112@earthlink.net> wrote:
[this post was received in rich text format, so here is forwarded in plain text... -cm]
From: christiane_paul@whitney.org July 11, 2007 1:44:38 AM BDT
List: empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au From: christiane_paul@whitney.org
As far as I understand, the Chinese people also were the 'couriers' who brought in the chairs from China. The confusion about permission to sit on them was created intentionally. The white lines of tape on the floor that 'fenced in' groups of chairs and some of the artworks, actually were a separate artwork that (quite effectively) raised questions about boundaries in the exhibition space. Christiane
-----Original Message----- From: empyre-bounces@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au on behalf of Brian Holmes Sent: Tue 7/10/2007 6:08 PM To: soft_skinned_space Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Documenta reviews
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 Chinesepeople. I was there forthe several preview days and left on theafternoon of opening day. I wllbe going back next week for the magazineconference.conglomerations of antique
What was strange though were Wei Wei'sChinese chairs. Grouped elegantly andanonymously in the midst ofwhat sort of seemed like installations of otherart. Boundariescompletely fluid, differentiation betweendifferent 'works' seeminglytreated as unimportant.
Unfortunately throughout the Aue Pavilion and theNeue Gallerie, thereseemed to be no places to actually sit whenexhausted, to wait forsomeone, etc.
THe Chinese chairs intensified an atmosphere ofuncanny oppression -- sofew human-scaled accomodations (architecturally)to the needs ofwas.visitiors, so many strange gestures.
Could you sit on the chairs ? or not? no onewrote:
christina
On Jul 10, 2007, at 9:45 AM, Patrick W. Deegan
for anyone else there witnessing D12, i would bedeeply interested infirsthand reactions, assessments, news, or lackof any of these thingsregarding Ai Weiwei's "importation" of 1001Chinese to Germany for onepart of his ouevre there. thanks! -pwdeegan _______________________________________________ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
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