11+1 Art Exhibition

Curator： Wang Bei
Art Director ：Luo Fei
Art Mentor：Alfred Vaagsvold

Artists：
Alfred Vaagsvold, Ding Aichun, Wang Wei, Yan Wan, Zhi Xinke, Zai Pengfei, Zhong Yuting, Ester Haslund-Gjerrild, Zhang Jin, Yang Hui, Li Zhiyang

Guest Musician：Rune Alver

Opening：
2017-4-29 15:00——17:30 Shun Cheng Shopping Mall
2017-4-29 20:00——22:00 TCG Nordica

“11+1” Art Exhibition will be hosted together by TCG Nordica Culture Center and Shun Chen Shopping Mall.

The exhibition will be in two parts, each will be exhibited in Shun Chen and TCG Nordica.
For the part in TCG Nordica, curator arranges each artist’s artwork in each specific area, at the end, the exhibition will be as a group of small solo exhibitions. Artists could freely show their characteristics in the specific area, and magnify their art language to the most. In TCG Nordica, it is mostly an experiment about art language and form, such as image and sound. Rune Alver, a Norwegian pianist will play piano to interact with an installation from Alfred Vaagsvold, a Norwegian visual artist, as well as 10 other artists.
For the part in Shun Chen, it is more about the audience, the venue. It is an experiment about the relation between venue and artwork. The curator puts more concern into how audience would see the artworks, how the artwork would interact with the open space, what it’s the safe distance for the artwork in an open space, and how to guide the audience to the exhibition actively.

Exhibition duration:
TCG Nordica: April 29th – May 20th, 2017
Shun Chen: April 29th – May 30th, 2017

There are 11 artists joining this exhibition “11+1”, the oldest is in his 80s, the youngests are in their mid 20s. They work with different art forms, which are paintings, installations, multi-materials, and sound.
“11+1” is my understanding of this exhibition, as well as the combination. Eleven artists join this exhibition. “One” refers to individual, which is each artist, each audience, each artwork, and each dialogue in this exhibition. This is why we host this exhibition together with Shun Chen. In my opinion, audience is of the same importance with the artwork, artwork stands among audience, and audience connects with the artwork, this is the reason I plan this exhibition. – Wang Bei
The vision of TCG Nordica is “Stimulating reflection of human worth through various art forms”. This is also the reason we cooperate with Shun Chen. We present art in various ways, through various art forms to invite audience to experience art and to sense it.

The exciting opening ceremony will focus on the well-known Chinese composer Bright Sheng and his piano work My Song performed by the Norwegian pianist Rune Alver. Bright Sheng lives in New York and says about his work: “My Song” (m’ai-sang) is the folk music and dance of my native land.
The opening ceremony will also contain famous Norwegian music like In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Griegand Ballade of Revolt by Harald Saeverud.
2nd May Rune Alver will give a concert lecture about his life and music with images from his native country. There will be a conversation with Chinese folk musicians as well and some musical examples.
6th May there will be an exciting concert containing Chinese and Norwegian music, classical and modern, including duets with Chinese folk musicians.

Stigma, Alfred Vaagsvold, 199x300cm, Aclylic on Paper, 2016

Stream, Ester-Haslund-Gjerrild, 50X60cm, Aclylic on Canvas, 2017

23rd Stair, Li Zhiyang, 120X150cm, Oil on Canvas, 2016

Prologue
By Wang Bei
2017-04-16

“11+1” is my understanding of this exhibition. “One” refers to every individual, which is artist, audience, even artwork and dialogue in this exhibition.
Alfred Vaagsvold is a Norwegian artist who works with multi-materials, painting, installation, and performance art. This time he adds sound into his installation, makes the artwork more open to the audience. The other ten artists are younger, they are in their mid 20s. They live and work in Kunming. I invited them to join this exhibition because of their openness and experimental artwork. Their artworks, from the form to the dialogue, make me observe and reflect on the influence that big data has towards art in our time.
When we talk about exhibition, we often talk about artist, artwork, art history and etc. Perhaps other than that, we could also pay attention to the exhibition venue and audience. When I planed for the exhibition this time, I thought more about the connection between the exhibition itself and the venue.
An artwork displays in a space, visual art is visual only when audience sees it.
When one is in an exhibition hall to see an exhibition, that is definitely different than knowing the exhibition from paper. I always believe that exhibition is present. The present lies on atmosphere, lighting, artwork, and dialogue about the artwork. Without these elements, exhibition can be only expressed by words. Words about the exhibition can clarify the theme. This is part of it, and wholeness couldn’t be shown.
TCG Nordica venue
When I invited artists, I tried to invite those who are very different, from theme, art language, and form. Each of the eleven artists has one wall to display. He or she could offer idea of how to arrange the artwork and to arrange it themselves. Audience can watch the artwork on one wall alone, or the whole venue. I’d like to invite artists to identify themselves, and let audience to sense the art language of each artist.
Shun Chen venue
People identify the function of a location and then remember it. When they mention certain place they will associate the place with the function, for example, gallery is for displaying artwork, and clothing shop is for shopping clothes. This is not the first time that shopping mall displays artwork. When art comes into a commercial open space, how would the audience see the artwork? In my opinion, artwork can be most consumed in the process, meanwhile to win lots of audience. Other than the function of a shopping mall, I’d like to observe that how the artwork influences people when it is displayed in a public area. Vise versa, can artwork be influenced when it is showed in a public and open area. Would the way of arranging art and seeing art be changed? Would the passiveness of visual art be changed? I’ve got many questions, only can be answered through the exhibition.

One day wake up in the morning,Wang Wei, 40x50cm,Oil on canvas, 2015