This group exhibition juxtaposes the works of Western Old Masters with those of contemporary Chinese artists to ignite a surge of conversations bringing out the best in both worlds.
The exhibition takes inspiration from the psychological "Anchoring Effect", which transforms the viewer's judgment of the value of a work into a subtle mental game. Art history creates an indisputable status for the Old Masters, through which we can clearly perceive the value of classical art. Yet in the case of contemporary art, the criteria for judgments are always fluid in which most viewers rely on certain anchors for comparative evaluation. Thus, through the utilization of the “anchoring effect”, the audience will dive into a mirror that forces viewers to rethink the criteria and methods of thinking about artworks.
The Chinese artists participating in the exhibition include Cai Chanhuang, Tianzhuo Chen, Jing Ao, Li Weiyi, Li Yang, Pu Yingwei, Tian Mu, Xu Zhen, Yu Feifei, Zhang Ji, Zhou Yilun, and Lui & Chang. The Old Masters include Albrecht Dürer, David Teniers the Younger, and Eugène Delacroix, Jan Brueghel the Younger, Jan van Goyen, Lucas Cranach the elder, Pietro Degli Ingannati, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Philips Galle.
Chen Ruofan
Botanical Bank: 54 Objects Transplanted
2023
Stainless steel, LED, video
400 × 400 × 400 cm
55:92 min.
Commissioned and produced by aranya plein air art project 2023
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project
Haegue Yang
Migratory DMZ Birds on Asymmetric Lens - Duiitt Duiitt Vessel (Gray-Backed Thrush)
2020
Soapstone, 3D printed resin
158 × 89 × 147 cm
Installation view, aranya plein art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of the artist, Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
and aranya plein air art project
Robert Mapplethorpe
Self Portrait
1981
Silver gelatin print
58.5 × 61 × 3.2 cm (framed)
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project
© Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.
Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London · Paris · Salzburg · Seoul
Christine Sun Kim
A Permanent Tourist In A Foreign Language
2023
Inkjet printing on stainless-steel sign post
225 × 150 cm × 7 parts
Commissioned and produced by aranya plein air art project 2023
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project