Meet Elsewhere

2019.06.08 - 2019.08.04

Artists: Chen Shangchang, Li Mo, Zheng Hongxiang, Wu Shuang, Zhu Kai, Zhu Ma Yu Jiang, Zhang Xin, Zhang Xin

In this exhibition “Meet Elsewhere”, proceeding from their own creation motives, the artists will refactor and interpret the conflicts of "exotic" and "local" in the rapidly developing Chinese city, Shenzhen, as well as the situation of "elsewhere", in the background of globalization and the interlacing of Chinese and Western culture and art. The concept of "elsewhere" is adapted from Milan Kundera's novel "Life is Elsewhere". The "elsewhere" here represents the utopian hope of the ideal life of Czech young people in the context of the prelude to the drastic changes in eastern europe. "Elsewhere" is also reflected in the film "Almost a Love Story", which reflects the difficult years of a pair of young people from the Mainland working hard in Hong Kong in the early 1990s. After the Economic Reform and open up, with the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, countless young people with dreams came to Shenzhen. For them, Shenzhen is "elsewhere" and a sign of confrontation against their current situation. Their vitality stems from their longing for "elsewhere" and their pursuit of an ideal life.

This time, the works of different artists "meet" in Shenzhen. Through art, they constitute their own understanding of Shenzhen. This city, for the artists, is another "elsewhere", adulterating their complex emotions and the perception of another urban morphology, as well as the empathy for their current situation.