Stephen Chow, Shaolin Soccer, Video still, December 6, 2009, 1 p.m., Twenty years ago: the national football final. During the match Fung accepts a bribe from a team-mate, Hung; as a consequence, he misses a crucial penalty, the last kick of the match, and his team loses. Chaos rules at once and the fans invade the pitch. In their rage they break Fung’s “golden” leg. Years later, Fung is living rough as a down-and out. To make matters worse, his old teammate Hung, who replaced Fung as the team’s star player, has become the sport’s most influential figure. One day, alongside a small football pitch, Fung watches as Sing, a Shaolin student, fights off a mob of local gangsters. At one stage Sing is cornered, but he fi ghts his way out, showcasing his powerful martialarts kicking skills. Fung sees in Sing a future star footballer, Movie for children + 8 years old.
Ai Weiwei and Luc Tuymans, from The State of Things.
RongRong & inri, Untitled, Beijing, no. 25,2008, gelatin silver print, 138 x 147 cm, from Still Life.
Ann Veronica Janssens, Cocktail Sculpture, 2009, Glass, water, parafine oil, and air. Lender: Bruno Van Lierde. Copyright: Tapiès © Gasull / Toni Tapiès, from The State of Things.
Kati Heck, from The State of Things.
Jing Kewen, To be together 2004 No.6, 2004, 200x150cm, Oil on Canvas, from The State of Things.
Kanxi Emperor, © Palace Museum, from Son of Heaven. |
|
Centre for Fine Arts
10, rue Royale Koningsstraat
02 507 82 00
Brussels
China@Bozar
October 11, 2009-January 29, 2010
The 21st century promises to be more Chinese than ever. The wealth of oriental tradition and the economic great power of 2009 both attract the West. And yet it remains quite tricky to see beyond the facade, the clichés, and the preconceptions. China@Bozar offers a look behind the scenes, past and present, during Europalia. Two icons, symbolising "traditional" and "contemporary" China, act as your guides through Bozar's extensive Chinese menu. They make it possible to find events relating to both China's rich past and today's China and to combine the two. The historical exhibition Son of Heaven presents 50 centuries of Chinese power and glory, while in an exhibition of contemporary art, The State of Things, the curators Luc Tuymans, Ai Weiwei, and Fan Di'an take a look at the art markets in Beijing and Brussels. And then there are our two theme weekends. Traditional Voices (December 4-6, 2009) offers a voyage of discovery through China's varied musical landscape. In (Un)silenced Voices (November 14-15) independent film-makers, theatre people, and writers present a picture of daily life in China today.
Son of Heaven
October 10, 2009-January 24, 2010
In Chinese tradition, the world is born from the separation of earth and sky. Between the two appears the Son of Heaven, the sovereign who receives his mandate from heaven in order to maintain harmony in the universe. Although his face changes, his role intensifies with successive generations and dynasties.
From the Neolithic elites (circa 3500 BC) to the emperors of the last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1912), this exhibition plunges the visitor into a fascinating history. The magical rites of earliest times become more complex until they develop into a strict and rigorous ritual system in which every detail matters. Modern astronomy, introduced by the Jesuits in the 17th century, lends scientific support to this dialogue with Heaven. Fascinating bronze ritual vessels, a jade burial suit, gold and silver work, ritualistic ensembles with brocade dragon robes and porcelains, astronomical instruments, and scrolls detailing the emperor’s ceremonial life, bring to life his dialogue with Heaven and his quest for harmony and power. In total, some 250 masterpieces from the six provinces of China and the Forbidden City will be on shown for this occasion.
Co-curator : Ilse Timperman
Coproduction: Europalia International, BOZAR EXPO
Exhibition design: BAU KUNST — Adrien Verschuere
In collaboration with: State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), Art Exhibitions China
Support: Bekaert, GDF Suez, Nationale Loterij, Loterie Nationale
Tickets EXPO: 10,00 (reductions:www.europalia.eu – www.bozar.be)
Curators: Qian Wei, Jean-Paul Desroches
The State of Things: Brussels/Beijing
October 18, 2009-January 10, 2010
The State of Things: Brussels/Beijing brings together about 50 contemporary Belgian and Chinese artists. The works of art have been selected by two internationally renowned artists, Luc Tuymans and Ai Weiwei.
In The State of Things Luc Tuymans and Ai Weiwei set out to take stock of the state of play in the world of contemporary art in China and Belgium. The exhibition is a subjective diagnosis, from the point of view of two artists who are themselves involved in the art market and the international art scene. Confronting the two individual visions of Luc Tuymans and Ai Weiwei brings things sharply into focus. The State of Things looks at how art and the art world in two very different cultural contexts organise and construct their own visibility and image. On the one hand, clichés about national identity are undermined; on the other, it will also become clear just how differently the relationship between fiction and reality is constructed in the two cultures. These are explored in the context of, on the one hand, a booming China, with all its contradictions, and, on the other, tiny — but complex — Belgium.
The current economic crisis, moreover, provides a context that calls for a critical examination of the recent hype about Chinese contemporary art and of the future role of the West, which is gradually losing its dominant position to Asia. This project should be seen in the context of the debate about large-scale exhibitions that bear witness to shifting hegemonies in the art world. The State of Things: Brussels/Beijing recalls the famous Paris/New York (1977) and Paris/Moscou (1979) exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou that explored the key cultural spheres of influence of modernism 30 years ago. Luc Tuymans and Ai Weiwei's project subtly shifts this model towards the future, with Brussels as an important, but complex, new pole of attraction in Europe and Beijing as one of the most powerful centres of the 21st century.
In the summer 2010 the exhibition will travel to the National Art Museum of China in Beijing (to be confirmed).
The artists
Belgium: Francis Alÿs, Carla Arocha/Stéphane Schraenen, Sven Augustijnen, Guillaume Bijl, Dirk Braeckman, Vaast Colson/Dennis Tyfus, Jef Cornelis, Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Wim Delvoye, Danny Devos, Robert Devriendt, Patrick Everaert, Jan Fabre, Dora Garcia, Geert Goiris, Johan Grimonprez, Kati Heck, Ann Veronica Janssens, Bernd Lohaus, Ives Maes, Benoît Platéus, Boy & Erik Stappaerts, Ana Torfs, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Jan Van Imschoot, Vanessa Van Obberghen, Jan Vercruysse, Gert Verhoeven. China: Chi Peng, Ding Yi, He Yunchang, Jing Kewen, Kan Xuan, Li Dafang, Li Zhanyang, Lin Tianmiao, Lin Yilin, Liu Wei (°1965), Liu Wei (°1972), Liu Xiaodong, Lu Qing, Shang Yang, Shi Guorui, Shi Jinsong, Sui Jianguo, Wang Luyan, Wang Xingwei, Xia Xiaowan, Xu Zhen, Yan Lei, Yang Fudong, Zheng Guogu, Zhou Xiaohu.
Still Life
Chinese Contemporary Photography
Adou, Hong Hao, Hong Lei, Huang Lei, Li Yongbin, Ling Hua, Mo Yi, Qiu, RongRong & inri, Ruan Xiaorong, Xing Danwen, Xiong Wenyun, Zhao Liang.
October 18, 2009-January 24, 2010
In this photographic exhibition the concept of "still life" must be understood as referring to a selection of meditative images of Chinese reality. In terms of form, Huang Lei's serene objects, the surreal compositions of Hong Lei, with their quotations from classical Chinese art, and Ling Hua's sketch-like symbolism most closely resemble what we know as the still life. But Xing Danwen's maquette pictures should also be seen in this light. Minimalism, repetition, and conceptualism are the working methods of Li Yongbin, Mo Yi, and the artist duo RongRong & inri. Ruan Xiaorong, Xiong Wenyun, Zhao Liang, and Adou, on the other hand, create images of their personal vision of rural and urban landscapes that viewers will not easily forget.
This exhibition presents a selection of 120 photographs by 13 photographers and
is produced by the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing.
Wu Wenguang: My Village
In the presence of Wu Wenguang and villagers
November 15, 2009, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Filmmaker Wu Wenguang is a pioneer of the New Documentary Movement in China. In 1994 he and his life partner Wen Hui set up the Living Dance Studio. For the film project My Village 2006 he travelled to the Chinese countryside. He taught villagers to make their own films, guided them, and oversaw the final result. Four films emerged, which turn the spotlight on daily life in China — as seen, for the first time, through the eyes of the people. Not the story of metropolises like Shanghai and Beijing, but that of villages where, after the Cultural Revolution, a quiet revolution took place, in the direction of more self-government. Language: Chinese. Subtitles: English.
Kunqu Opera:
Tang Xianzu’s dream on dreams
December 5, 2009, 7:30 p.m., December 6, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
With a rich history of 600 years, and recognised by UNESCO in 2001 as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity, Kunqu is the oldest existing form of opera in China. It is characterised by its melodious song accompanied by flute, its music, the fact that the actors sing while dancing, the grace of its ballets, and its repertoire. Roles in Kunqu opera can be divided into five typical parts: Sheng (young male characters), Dan (female characters), Jing (male characters with painted faces), Mo (middle-aged or elderly male characters), and Chou (comic characters).
Tang Xianzu’s Dream On Dreams is a delicate portrait of the Four Dreams of Tang Xianzu, focusing on good manners, feelings, buddhism, and taoism. Tang Xianzu, who lived under the Ming dynasty in the 16th century, was one of the most famous and talented Chinese playwrights. The Peony Pavillion is often considered to be his masterpiece. This is a new Kunqu opera production by the Zuni Icosahedron company after the work of Tang Xianzu. It is interpreted by the Jiangsu Kunqu Opera House, based in Nanjing and considered as the best Kunqu company. Language: Chinese. Subtitles: French/Dutch.
Wim Delvoye, Twisted Jezus 300, Polished Bronze, from The State of Things.
Tangshan Shadow Puppetry (c) DR-GR. |
