2017 – CEAC

OPEN MOUTH / CLOSED MOUTH

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 16:12:40 +0000

Opening

December 16 2017

Duration

December 16 till January 6, 2018

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

Giuseppina Giordano

The Chinese European Art Center presents the first solo show of Giuseppina Giordano, a young Italian artist, which in the three months of residence in Xiamen has realized three new works that reflect upon the concept of a “non identical double”, where the double is not the duplication of the same, but the meeting with the other, and that have as a common field of inspiration the “complementary” principle.
In Giuseppina Giordano’s new works the symbols and meanings of both Western and Eastern cultures finds a new structure, a new broad and auspicious perspective.

“OPEN MOUTH/ CLOSED MOUTH” is the title of the exhibition, but it is also the first work we find when entering the exhibition space. These couples of giant black silk made inflatables are a hybrid mix of Chinese stone lions, the guardians of the temple. They almost close the access, becoming a fragile physical impediment to the exhibition. The position of their mouth, open and closed, is linked to a variety of meanings throughout Asia: in China, the temple’s guardians are a female and a male, in Japan the open and closed mouth of “Komainu” refers to life and death, exhale and inhale. In any case, they always represent a couple of opposite.

“Double gaze” is a photographic diptych printed life size of two women.
In each picture a woman knots or loosens an umbilical cord depending on whether we read from right to left or from left to right. Eve from Lucas Cranach, which was the inspirational framework for this work, becomes here a point of oscillation, something defined but not fixed in its meaning, entangling with the Chinese counterpart.

“HARD WAVES (Kuanyin and Virgin Mary staring at the sea) ” simply mixes the sea waves with those of the clothes. The statues of Kuanyin and of the Virgin Mary, that history has given us, are seen from behind and placed in such a way as to make visible the movement of their drapery: sinuous in one, straight in the other, in relation to video projection of the soft breaking of the sea waves on the beach. Kuan yin and Virgin Mary, both embodying love and compassion of a “mother par excellence”, are considered at a first glance a meeting point between Buddhists and Christians.

Gallery

DIAMONDS AND RUST

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 15:56:01 +0000

Opening

Saturday November 25 at 5 PM

Duration

November 25 till December 9, 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

MONIEK SCHRIJER

Schrijer’s work has been said to push jewellery into an intoxicating new realm, with an enthusiasm for working with meaningful and often used or discarded objects. She intuitively transforms these fragments of contemporary culture into bold and unique works.

The artworks that have been created while in Xiamen are exploring notions and elements of: memory, digital storage ownership, crypto currency and the ancient coin form, pattern, packaging, the replica and the mass produced.

With thanks to:
Asia New Zealand Foundation
Wellington City Council – Me Heke Ki Pōneke Chinese European Art Center

Double Happiness https://artjewelryforum.org/moniek-schrijer-double-happiness

Pearl Ear:https://artjewelryforum.org/node/7166

Tablet of (Herbert Hofmann Prize 2016)
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/19/fashion/jewelry-schmuck.html

Gallery

PARALLEL REALITIES

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 12:33:41 +0000

Opening

Sat Nov 4 at 5 PM

Duration

November 4 till 18, 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

Peer Veneman

Peer Veneman (b. 1952) became known in the 1980’s with colorful sculptures that somehow filled the space between abstraction and figuration. Ever since he took the liberty to make abstract and figurative works at the same time, denying the traditional gap between the two. Veneman plays with art historical traditions and is known for his unconventional applications of materials. Other constant factors evident throughout all his work are his refusal to do the same thing twice and the elaborate execution of all his work. During his residency in Xiamen, he experienced the totally different environment as very liberating. All works in the exhibition are “Made in Xiamen”!

Found Materials
Peer Veneman chooses unusual materials, preferable those which have no value. Thus he made sculptures from braided baskets found in thrift stores and flea markets. By covering the stacked baskets with pigmented resin (in itself a simple action), he transformed a bunch of dismissed items into a work of art.

Likewise in ’21 Hanging Sculptures’ found material is the starting point. In this case: metal wash-drying pendants Veneman bought on a market in Xiamen. This hanging sculpture summarizes some of his first impressions in the city: laundry hanging to dry everywhere, the Chinese inventiveness, and the color gold.

All Veneman’s sculptures made from found materials originate from his aversion of nowadays predominant consumerism and its throw-away culture. They are humorous as well though. And as Veneman immediately admits, his own works are ultimately commercial objects too.

Photography
Although Veneman is known for his sculptures, he has always made photographs. Of landscapes, architecture and the detail, that is usually overlooked. The photographs in the exhibition all show his technical skills and tendency towards perfection. Nevertheless, Veneman’s photo studio in Xiamen consists of a cardboard box, self-made aluminum film holders and a collection of the simplest materials: lumps of crystalline sugar, superglue and plastic mesh that he finds on the beach.

Installation with a Painting
The average time spent by museum visitors, looking at a painting is between 3 and 17 seconds. ‘Installation with a Painting’ (2017) requires more time and effort. The base for the painting is an old-fashioned slide of a garden on which the artist
applied some modeling paste with glass pearls straight from the can.
Only after looking under a microscope, the fascinating pattern became visible.
He photographed a series of these images. One of them is meticulously painted
by 罗银泉 (Luo Yinquan). Peer Veneman finds it important that the name of the
painter is known so that his contribution does not disappear in anonymity.

Gallery

EXHIBITION-OEY TJENG SIT

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 15:27:58 +0000

Opening

30/09 2017

Duration

30/09 till 28/10 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

OEY TJENG SIT

Oey Tjeng Sit, whose name means Yellow Clear Solid was born in Purwokerto (Java) at the foot of the Klud Volcano, that erupted just at the time of Oey’s birth. Born in the Year of the Dragon he found himself released of the duty to take care of his parents; that is why – after visiting high school in Bandung – he traveled to the Netherlands in 1938 in order to study pharmacy. Twenty years later he opened Apotheek Oey (Oey Pharmacy) at the Prinsengracht opposite the Anne Frank House. He took away the pills and potions out of the window display and started a small art gallery there. One of his nicknames was a ‘Dragon Man with a Dada Passion’ who showed the art work of colleagues and friends which gave him another epitheton: ‘the nestor of Amsterdam window art’. Oey’s work as an autodidact is characterized by a wide artistic range of disciplines: after a period of surrealistic drawings and paintings he started making wood and linoleum cuts, collages, assemblages and editing books through his own editorial ‘The Finger Press’. In his collages, often together with Chinese ink and brush, as well as in his installations he used frequently news papers, of which he wanted to extend their short life, tied as they are to daily actuality. The newspaper was a source for many questions for Oey ‘Can we measure the weight of printed news?’ and ‘What contains more wood than newspaper letters?’ ‘If there is an order, then is it a temporary one.’

Oeys oeuvre – light-hearted, playful with a subtle feeling for the hidden esthetic quality of daily life – can be a longlasting confirmation of these words.

Gallery

Rolling Snowball 10, Datong, 2017

root — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 08:48:37 +0000

Opening

Saturday September 23, 2017

Duration

September 23rd till October 7th, 2017

Location

Yungang Art Museum in Datong, Shanxi

Artist

“Power of the Image” is a part of the series of activities of “The Wild of China”, which is the brand of “Public Relations of Image” created by China Public Relations Association (CPRA). In 2017, the theme of the photography culture exhibition is “Fusion across Transcendence, Beauty of Datong”, which responds to the “One Belt & One Road” initiative to promote world cultural exchanges and mutual learning and understanding. This activity is jointly hosted by China Public Relations Association (CPRA) and the People’s Government of Datong. It brings together the international and domestic photographers with our photography enthusiasts. Till 2017, “Power of the Image” International Photography Culture Exhibition has been successfully held for 3 editions. It will set up the “Guest of Honor” for the first time, which is regarded as the special guest cooperation country. The countries of “Guest of Honor” will have individual Image culture exhibition areas, where will show more than 100 most influential works reflecting the country’s natural landscape, local customs and civilization achievement. Holland, Russia and Pakistan were invited as the countries of “Guest of Honor” for the first time. CEAC will present over 100 works on the exhibition as the representative of the guest country — Holland. At the same time, the delegation of Holland will attend the exhibition ceremony, which includes: the president of the Rijksakademie Janwillem Schrofer, outstanding famous artists Marjan Laaper,
Tara Fallaux and Peer Veneman, the lecturer of modern and contemporary art
at Utrecht University Linda Boersma.

The vast majority of the Dutch artists featured in this exhibition have been on
CEAC’s residency program at some point in their career. The display showcases a
variety of subject matters, styles and creative methods, and also features a
small number of video works in conjunction with photography to give the viewers
a taste of other possibilities of lens-based artistic practice by Dutch contemporary artists.

The power of a photographic image, therefore, lies in its ability to not only
record the physical world or represent an objective reality but also reflect
our inner worlds, serving as a testament to our subjective realities. Cultural
exchange can also be considered an art of perspectives. In the long history of
intercultural relations, preconceptions and old narratives were tested, revised
and adjusted through both dialogues and conflicts. In the best scenarios, we
learn from one another and seek commonality despite differences, leading to
deeper mutual understanding and greater mutual respect. It is hoped that with
this grand debut of Dutch contemporary art in Datong – one of China’s ancient
cultural cities and the start point of the Silk Road in China’s North Wei Dynasty(386-534AD),
visitors will be inspired to contemplate and appreciate with expanded perspectives
the connections between the past and the present, and between different parts of the world,
in this increasingly interconnected and interdependent world we co-inhabit.

Participating artists
AernoutMik, Emilie Hudig, Gerald van der Kaap, Guido van der Werve,
Katrin Korfmann & Jens Pfeifer, Marike Schuurman, Marjan Laaper, MarjanTeeuwen,
Peer Veneman, Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukacs, Sarah mei Herman,
Scarlett HooftGraafland, Sigurdur Gudmundsson, Sylvie Zijlmans & Hewald Jongenelis,
Tara Fallaux, Ton Zwerver.

Gallery

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ATOPOTATOS

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 13:38:17 +0000

Opening

Aug 26 2017

Duration

Aug 26 till September 23, 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

PAULO URBANO

Through her art practice Urbano explores existential uncertainty. A condition that arises when fundamental existential components are subject to uncalculated ruptures, are questioned or changed more or less drastically, more or less violently. When life is turned upside down or reality as one once knew it is altered or disputed. In her case this condition is set in motion by that her self- perception as both Swedish and Latin American settled in Sweden, is disputed through the simple question Where are you from? The question, that most often comes up when meeting a new person premises not only that she can impossibly be fromSweden but also that the place/nation/tterritory of her actual origin is singular. The relationship between her experience of being of foreign descent and her self-perception as Swedish or belonging in Sweden is also the force field which herartistic practice inhabits and problematizes. Through her artistic practice shepursues people who are in these types of situations or whose existential uncertainty she can recognize or desire to understand closer. She take interest in stories about how realities may have been and the starting point is often herself or her own inquiries. In them she finds a possible or plausible narrative rather than a singular reality. Is there such a thing as a singular Truth? Does reality not, rather, consist of several forces at play simultaneously? It may reflect isolated individuals, a group of people or a place.

The title of the exhibition Atopotatos is a reference to a passage in Plato´s Phaedrus where Socrates is characterized as atopopos which in greek means ultimately placeless, out of place. The exhibition consist of two works: a photo series entitled Reflexive Perception and the video installation Collect the (un)connected & (re)connect the uncollected.
Reflexive Perception 2013-2017 Urbano has the habit of always photographing when she travels to different places letting the camera aim at insignificant details in the cityscape instead of at important landmarks. In the small details she collects patterns, forms and shapes that becomes her palette when making an abstract spatial composition in the computer that she later photographs with analogue camera. The act of re-photographing the photomontages is to give the impossible architecture and the images life as if she had seen that image on the street. As the majority of Urbanos work the result is open for different readings and understandings.

Collect the (Un)Connected and (Re)Connect the Uncollected, revolves around an archeological hypothesis that Paula Urbano originally comes from Scandinavia and that her ancestors were present in the geographical region called Sweden already during the Bronze Age. With archeological artifacts from the Swedish History Museum and recently published research, the artist tells an alternative story of origin where she seeks her origin in Scandinavia. The main reason for Urbano to work in China is to do research for a new work. While working with Collect the (Un)Connected and (Re)Connect the Uncollected she surprisingly discovered that according to the DNA test made within the work she is 10% East Asian and the region marked is todays China. During her stay CEAC´s residentcy program she is exploring her unknown heritage.

Gallery

CLEAR DREAMS OF A NON SPECIFIC BODY

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 13:24:24 +0000

Opening

July 22 at 5 PM

Duration

July 22 till August 6, 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

NANDA RUNGE

Where figurative artists often tell a story, Nanda Runge only creates the setting for a story. As a two-dimensional decorator for an imaginary play. The structure of the paint with which Runge works creates the illusion of a wrinkling water surface in which we see the buildings reflected. Light and shadow therefore play an important role in Runge’s work. Material usage creates an exciting contrast between the organic image language and the actual strict lines of the (office) buildings and interiors that are displayed with it. As a result, the buildings acquire a poetic dimension.

The use of ink, as well as the combination of dizzy and straight lines, reminds us of Oriental calligraphy. The white paper surface is always visible and therefore becomes part of the work. It reinforces the somewhat lost character of the settings. Also in color use the work is usually sober. Reflecting on light colors, the buildings appear to be blurred in the sunlight in the middle of summer. However, there are also signs that sharply end up with an ink black night and get something spooky. The works usually based on self-made photographs and focuses on the translation of the global composition: the works consist largely of contours and without many details. This makes the work almost abstract.

Field of interest is that China is currently one of the world’s richest countries, on its way becoming world leader. Bank Buildings radiate power. Earlier, she made a series of work titled ‘Very Important Buildings’ dealing with the world of politics and lawmaking. Among others, the United nations building in New York City and the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels. Through the method of accidentally shooting places, to be used in Xiamen, there was an intuitive image of the growing economy in China. The underlying force to this wealth seems to be the one party communist high efficiency and practical touch of Chinese. By developing six lanes flyover roads and residential sky rises at a very vast pace, improving infrastructure and realizing enormous concrete structures, a futuristic city arise. Constructed by a huge body of manual labour working in obsolete looking techniques putting up skyscrapers of astonishing height. Workers manually paving the miles land old sidewalk making it appear as new.

The title originated from the translation of ‘concrete’ in Chinese, which consists of two characters that mean ‘specific’ and ‘body’, or even ‘clear’, only in a sentence with for example, the word ‘build’ clarifies that the characters mean ‘concrete’.

Made possible by:
Vleeshal Fonds Kwadraat

Thanks for support by purchasing the special edition:
Anneke Assen, A. Beenhakker, Annemiek Fanoy and Erik van In, Conny de Lange, Ida Doorenweerd and Leo Faase, J. van der Laer, Kees Wijker,
Monique Wilschut and Bas Peeperkorn, Nelleke Philipo, Tom van den Berge and Joyce van Elzakker, V. van der Willigen, William Verstraeten.

For help and donations:
Bram de Jonge, Ferial and Paul Kwant, Joke Midavaine, Hans Bommelje, Hedi Hornstra. Koos Midavaine, Katinka Jesse, Anne-Marie van Sprang, Matty Bakker, Liesbeth Minderhoud, Antoinette Slagboom.
Nicole Bianchet for renting and making good use of my studio.

In Xiamen:
May Lee and Ineke Gudmundson of the CEAC
Haitao, Anneke, E

Rolling Snowball 8, Xiamen, 2017

root — Sat, 20 May 2017 09:22:49 +0000

Opening

May 20 at 3 PM, 2017

Duration

May 20 till June 18, 2017

Location

Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre

Artist

The American writer and scholar Erik Davis says “artists are uniquely placed to … creatively participate in the larger cultural process of re-engineering subjectivity, of pushing the envelope of experience”. Almost a precursor to that process is artists actively seeking to re-engineer their own subjective reality and pushing the boundaries of their own experience. And some artists achieve that by encountering a different culture.

Since 1999, the Chinese European Art Center, deeply rooted in its home base on the subtropical island of Amoy, has served as a home away from home to more than 300 artists and creative professionals from all around the world. For 18 years, CEAC has been fortunate to be a part of the life-changing, perception-altering journeys of some of the world’s most brilliant creative minds. Witnessing the familiar becomes unfamiliar and vice versa for those who engage in CEAC’s work, it was decided from the very beginning that liberation, transformation and growth through inter-cultural dialogues are at the core of CEAC’s organizational mission.

Home is not only a physical location but also a state of mind – a sense of belonging. It is sometimes necessary to step out of your comfort zone to gain a wider perspective on where you’ve come from as it is only then that our assumptions are re-examined, our sense of identity renewed. The intellectual and emotional gymnastics that accompany such experiences can sometimes lead to an intensely satisfying aesthetic experience – the aesthetics of elsewhere.

Similarly, traveling does not have to involve changing your physical location. It can happen in the minds, here and now, for those who are curious about what the world has yet to offer, about alternative ways of seeing and being.

This exhibition celebrates the endeavor of the explorer of embarking on a journey of discovery, of both the world and oneself. It is also hoped that it may inspire curiosity and stimulate meaningful exchanges of ideas and points of view in this increasingly interconnected world we live in today.

Artists
Aernout Mik,Axis Group,Cathelijn van Goor,Christine Moldrickx,Emilie Hudig,Eva Spierenburg,Fahrettin Orenli, Fiona Tan,Guido van der Werve,Gustav Meist,Jens Pfeifer,
Jia Zhixing,Jin Jing,Josefin Arnell,Juliaan Andeweg, Kan Xuan,Katrin Korfmann,
Kong Delin,Marije Gertenbach,Marike Schuurman,Marjan Laaper,Marjan Teeuwen,
Meiya Lin,Mercedes Azpilicueta,Nick Renshaw,Nie Li,Pan Feifei,Paul Kooier,
Pauline Curnier Jardin,Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács,Phil Bosch,Pieter Holstein,
Robbert Weide,Sarah Mei Herman,Scarlett Hooft Graafland,Sigurdur Gudmundsson,
Sylvie Zijlmans & Hewald Jongenelis,Tamar Harpaz,Ton Zwerver,Wei Na,Yang Jian,
Yang Zhifei,Yang Zhiqian,Zhang Ya,Zhang Zhenxue,Zhong Zheming.

The exhibition will be opened by Mrs. Marjo Crompvoets, Consul General of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands in Guangzhou.

Gallery

THE NINE GUARDS WAITING & WATCHING

Wed, 10 May 2017 12:56:32 +0000

Opening

21 till June 10, 2017

Duration

May 21 till June 10, 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

Ton Zwerver

Chinese European Art Center is pleased to announce Ton Zwerver’s solo exhibition.

Artist Statement:

Four months ago , I came in Xiamen with some luggage and a sewing machine I brought with me.

My idea was to make some works out of textile. The last period of time I had made some works with masks that I used in performances. During my stay in Xiamen i worked on two projects.

Wugao is a deserted village. I worked there together with Kong Delin an artist based in Xiamen. Together with the Axis art group he invited me to make works in the village. I made temporary sculptures, based on the objects and spaces and stories i found on the spot. Temporary sculptures that I photographed and printed.

Together with the Axis Art group I also worked in Houtian where i made some works in an abandoned house that was in renovation, I made a “sculptural intervention” with the material i found in and around the space. In 2016 during my exhibition at C&H Art Space in Amsterdam with photoworks and objects , I made an intervention in the exhibtion space titled: ”a guided tour”. 5 performers who were wearing masks used all the objects that were exhibited in the gallery in a ritual way and replaced them. They made new combinations and used them as instruments. After 20 minutes performance the character of the exhibiton space was transformed as well context of the objects in the space.

My intention is to create a work with an open character.The work does not give clear answers, but shows recognisable elements that generate questions.

For my exhibition in CEAC, I made 9 masks based on different cultures and designs. The nine masks are in balance with the stucture that is floating in the space.

Gallery

TOWER OF MODERN

Tue, 09 May 2017 12:22:16 +0000

Opening

Saturday April 29 at 5 PM

Duration

April 29 till May 13, 2017

Location

CEAC (Xiamen, China)

Artist

HARRISON SEE

As a modern global community, we build higher and higher, ever fighting the challenges set upon us by the laws of nature. Every year as humanity collaborates they reach new limits in engineering, construction techniques and material technologies; literally taking our cities to new heights. Though what it is the true cost of our urban expansion? The 828-meter-high ‘Burj Khalifa’, for example, took over 330,000 cubic meters of concrete and 39,000 metric tonnes of steel [1]. Would these same materials that were invested into such extreme grandeur be better spent on schools or affordable housing? Though it may seem impractical to compare a school to the world famous Burj Khalifa, they are both constructed from the same pool of global resources, yet each serves very different social functions.

When staring in awe at these shrines of human development it is easy to forget that somewhere else there also lies a tower-sized hole; an invisible anti-tower amalgamated from the many sites where resources have been removed from the earth. Therefore, I have illustrated a world where towers and anti-towers exist side-by-side. A place where the connection between these positive and negative structures is not diminished through the use of countless technologies, materials and professions. Instead existing a more direct and primitive relationship between the gathering, processing and assembly of resources. With reference to the cautionary tale ‘The Tower of Babel’ [2], I have used paint and sculpture to create my own Tower of Modern, generating an ethical discussion of contemporary resource usage.