GOOD VIEWS at the K11: Cool Pottery, Crazy Paintings, and a neon pop-up bathroom installation
- Ally Zhu
- May 21, 2018
- 3 min read
A couple days ago, I stumbled upon a lotta goodies going on right now at the K11: the House and Universe exhibition featuring Betty Woodman’s combination of pottery and painting, Alaya featuring artist Zhao Yang’s introspective look at the human form, and a pop-up installation that bedecked a bathroom with neon lights.
Who said wallpaper had to be 2D? Above is a piece featured in the House and Universe exhibition by Betty Woodman.
Taking the escalator down to the lowest level reveals the modern futuristic "Chi K11 Art Museum" that houses the two exhibitions. With a student ID, you can get tickets to both for 60 RMB.
Duration: 19 March - 17 June, 2018 Location: chi K11 Art Museum, Shanghai
House and Universe
As American artist Betty Woodman’s (1930- 2018 yeah rip, she only recently passed way) first solo exhibition in Asia, House and Universe showcases some of Woodman’s most famous mixed media works, including sculptures, her famous triptych vases, large installations, and canvas pieces. She is known for her curious exploration of the intersection between 3D sculptures and 2D canvas works, often dedicated to redefining pottery as a medium separate from the inevitable connection between household containers and domestic life. In turn, she also sought to redefine people’s impressions of women and their traditional roles within the home.
House and Universe Exhibition space featured more than 30 pieces of Betty Woodman's work.
One of my favorite pieces was this pillow vase –– literally a household object inspiring another. First of all, seeing an object typically associated with 'soft and squishy' portrayed with a medium that is hard and brittle is just super satisfying. It makes you want to squish the vase. Second of all, this is totally commentary on the breaking away of pottery from traditional shapes and purposes, so woohoo.
Alaya
Connected to House and Universe is artist Zhao Yang’s s (b. 1970) solo exhibiton, ALAYA ( title derived from Buddhist terminology and is a transliteration of a Sanskrit word meaning “storehouse” or “receptacle”). Through 39 paintings primarily featuring his exploration of the human body, Yang draws upon his Buddhist outlook as inspiration to explore the relationship between external conditions and our internal thoughts.
"Perhaps you have been busy your entire life, without ever reaching your ideal destination, or perhaps you have been ceaselessly climbing upward, while ultimately failing to reach the summit. In the process of painting, the artist extricates himself from habitual modes of thinking and perception and thus is able to tap fully into the essence of things from behind their illusory façades."
––––– shangart gallery (so I’m not out here misconstruing his intentions)
This piece really caught my eye: Yang had remarked that often, he found in paintings, we portray the human body in postures that are physically impossible to do in real life yet viewers do not find them odd. For example, we would not be able to lean against a surface at 45˚ and not fall, yet in paintings when this is depicted, the position does not seem as as goofball as if your friend decided to pull that move.
I also really love the sensuality that borderlines grotesque captured in his human figures that can be especially seen in the piece above. There's this very fleshy feeling to his art that also reminds me of Jenny Saville's paintings. Plus that color scheme... I had a tube of that lime green color and I used it in literally every. single. painting. I did for a year. CONCLUSION: I really like Zhao Yang's paintings.
RECOMMENDATION FOR IB ART Y1 KIDS: If you haven’t decided your final comparative study artists, Zhao Yang is a very solid shot. His style can be compared to Jenny Saville’s and Lucian Freud’s, to name a few. Plus, he has all these profound connections to Buddhism which you can further expound on and find comparisons to other artists with. Having an artist whose art you’ve had personal contact with is highly recommended for IB so I would definitely #tapdat.
NEXT STOP: the neon pop-up bathroom installation.
This is a real gem we stumbled across on the third (or fourth) floor when just wandering through exploring the K11 space. It's literally a curtained hole in the wall that could disappear any day, so definitely catch it while you can! Tickets are free as long as you follow the K11 WeChat account and show them a receipt of some form of expenditure in K11 the-day-of (we presented our museum tickets).
For you instahoes: it's pretty great for pics.
Yeahhhh, bring a photographer :).
Woooo...Get high on art!
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