Words and images: Saskia Edwards
China’s modern history has been punctuated with
reformations.
At the turn of the century, the Xinhai Revolution ended
centuries of imperial rule in China. The Qing dynasty was overthrown by
rebellion uprisings across the nation.
In 1949 Mao Zedong created the People’s Republic of China -
a communist nation - an event that has ultimately shaped much of modern
China. Mao’s legacy is one of ultimate control, indoctrination and force.
Mao’s successor Deng Xiaoping reformed China to a market
economy, opening the nation to the rest of the world and infiltrating China
with Western products and concepts.
Thus, in a century, China has seen its country in a
flux of reformation and continual transformation.
The Reformation exhibition is explored through three levels
– modern forms, sex and visual illusions.
The initial level is scattered with robotics and modern
technologies. While the forms are decidedly new, the pervading ideas often
stem back to ancient mythology or historical behaivour.
As viewers progress to the middle room, the concept of sex
permeates the works. Sexual interaction in China, much like many societies, has
followed a history of particular and obscure etiquettes. From the titillation
of deformed feet, to the current one-child policy, sex in China has been
shrouded in connotations of suppression, pure recreation and shame.
These themes are apparent in works like a sculpture constructed
from bondage apparatus, video works of stylised sexual acts and anatomical
photographs of body parts.
On the
final level there is a focus on projections, optical illusions and a reshaping
of traditional art. Oil paintings on canvas have been cut out and weaved into a
chain of decapitated heads and wooden antique film apparatus projects video of
historical photographs and footage.
Overall, the White Rabbit Gallery illuminates the spectrum
of contemporary work by artists from China, a country better known for its
traditional art forms. While freedom of expression is limited in the communist
state, modern Chinese art is still prolific around the world.
A rabbit often symbolises
rebirth, sexuality and innocence. And perhaps it is these concepts that underlie
much of modern Chinese history and the work of current Chinese artists.
Visit the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale in Sydney.
(All photographs are taken on 35mm film)
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