Zhan Wang
My Personal Universe
Outer: November 26, 2011–January 8, 2012
Inner: February 4, 2012–February 25, 2012
Curator: Jérôme Sans / Assistant Curator: Paula Tsai
Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA)
798 Art District, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu
Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100015
On Saturday, February 4, 2012, The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) celebrated the opening of My Personal Universe Inner, the second facet of the spectacular solo show by acclaimed Chinese sculptor Zhan Wang. This tour-de-force of super-high-definition video, sculpture, installation and documentary explores the innermost secrets of the human imagination and the outermost reaches of the cosmos.
The first facet of the exhibition deals with the visible, or outer, universe. Six oversized super-slow-motion video projections show an enormous boulder being blasted to bits with dynamite. The carefully-planned explosion, which took place in China’s Shandong province, was recorded from six different angles with high-definition digital video cameras capable of capturing the blast and its aftermath at 2000 frames per second. The result is that we are able to witness, with astonishing clarity, an event that evokes the earliest moments of our universe. The videos are complemented by stainless steel “rock fragments” modeled from actual blast debris, and a documentary that reveals the complex universe of social and human relationships—the teamwork, humor, frustration and bureaucratic red tape—behind the making of My Personal Universe.
The second facet of the exhibition deals with the invisible, or inner, universe. For this, Zhan Wang has created an installation of over 7000 stainless steel rock fragments suspended in midair throughout the exhibition hall, their distribution approximating the path of the debris in the first millisecond after the explosion. Using these visual cues, we are encouraged to delve into the universe of our own imagination and ponder the connection between ourselves, the artist and the universe as a whole.
By juxtaposing the cold science of what is real with the joyous alchemy of what is possible, Zhan Wang illuminates the cosmos that surrounds us all, as well as the universe that lies within.
Also showing currently at UCCA:
“Curated by Zhan Wang” / Tang Yuhan: Interior Divination
November 26, 2011–February 10, 2012
Curator: Zhan Wang / Assistant Curator: Paula Tsai
Kolkoz: Parallax
November 26, 2011–February 10, 2012
Curator: Jérôme Sans / Assistant Curator: Joy Bloser
Apichatpong Weerasethakul: For Tomorrow For Tonight
November 26, 2011–February 10, 2012
Curator: Jérôme Sans / Assistant Curator: Joy Bloser
The Zhan Wang: My Personal Universe exhibition is supported by LOUIS VUITTON. “Curated by Zhan Wang”–Tang Yuhan: Interior Divination is sponsored by Bloomberg. Kolkoz: Parallax is presented in cooperation with Ambassade de France en Chine and Institut Français de Chine. Apitchatpong Weerasethakul: For Tomorrow For Tonight is presented in cooperation with Tang Contemporary.
