2014.06.30 Mon, by Translated by: 路弯弯
Strong Opening at Shanghai’s Yuz Museum Amid Hiccups

“Myth/History”: Yuz Collection of Contemporary Art (curated by Wu Hung)

Yuz Museum (35 Fenggu Road, Shanghai) May 17–Nov 18, 2014

When there is word of yet another museum being opened in China by a fabulously wealthy collector, it is hard not to be skeptical. Coming after two Long Museums in Shanghai (Pudong and Puxi), the Yuz Museum, founded by the Indonesian Chinese Budi Tek, certainly took its time (four years) to come to fruition, at least by Chinese standards. Would it just be yet another vanity project by an over-hyped tycoon-cum-art-collector? With the quality of the Yuz collection on display no doubt greatly aided by having Wu Hung, the renowned scholar of Chinese art, as a curator, we can say that “Myth/History” was not half bad—pretty good, in fact.

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s work “Freedom” (2009) certainly stole the show. A hose within a steel box vacillating wildly from the water gushing forth, this meditation on control and chaos was doing an exceptional job of expressing this theme—in more ways than one, leaking all over the floor, creating lots of work for some poor wretched cleaning lady as she vacuumed up the water gushing through the seams. Apparently, leakage had already been a problem during the installation period, and the work had been shut off when we visited a week later.

Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, “Freedom”, Sheet metal, high pressure water pum, water hose, tap, 2008
孙原 & 彭禹,《自由》,金属钢板、高压水泵、水带、水龙头,2008

Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, “Freedom”, Sheet metal, high pressure water pum, water hose, tap, 2008
孙原 & 彭禹,《自由》,金属钢板、高压水泵、水带、水龙头,2008

U-Ram Choe, “Custos Cavum (Guardian of the Hole)”, brass, steel, aluminum, resin, motor, gears, custom cpu board, LEDs, 220.2 × 360.2 × 150.1 cm, 2011 崔有让《Custos Cavum (Guardian of the Hole)”, 铜,铁,铝,树脂,摩托,轮齿,cpu板,LED灯, 220.2 × 360.2 × 150.1 cm, 2011

Choe U-Ram, “Custos Cavum (Guardian of the Hole)”, brass, steel, aluminum, resin, motor, gears, custom CPU board, LEDs, 220.2 × 360.2 × 150.1 cm, 2011
崔有让《洞穴守护者》, 铜,铁,铝,树脂,摩托,轮齿,CPU板,LED灯, 220.2 × 360.2 × 150.1 cm, 2011

Mona

Mona Hatoum, “Impenetrable”, black finished steel and fishing wire, 2009
莫娜•哈透姆,《不能穿越》,黑铁和渔线, 2009

Another kinetic sculpture, U-Ram Choe’s “Guardian of the Hole,” was much more well-behaved; a metal skeleton of some kind of Paleolithic fish (inspired by the ancient Indian sculpture “Shiva Lord of the Dance”) was confined to a black metal cage and gracefully extending what looked like fine gold filigreed wings—as if on its dying breath. Equally stunning and dark was Mona Hatoum’s “Impenetrable” (2009)—what looked like a bamboo forest of ink-black barbed wire—which again highlighted this theme of calm and conflict in a kind of insidious way. Other pieces of note included Xu Bing’s “Tobacco Project” (2004), (which was hastily moved when the roof started leaking during downpours a few weeks later), and Made-In’s “Calm” (2009), the only really eye-blistering work being Wang Du’s “Enter”(2004)—a giant acrylic and resin sculpture of a mini-skirted woman showing her undercarriage—which was a big hit with the crowd who posed for snaps beside her . . . uh beneath her.

Xu Bing, “Tobacco Project — Tobacco Invention,” 660,000 cigarettes, 2004 徐冰,《烟草计划——荣华富贵》, 66万根香烟,2004

Xu Bing, “Tobacco Project — Tobacco Invention,” 660,000 cigarettes, 2004
徐冰,《烟草计划——荣华富贵》, 66万根香烟,2004

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, “Angel”, silica gell, fiberglass, stainless steel and human hair, 2008
孙原和彭禹,《天使》, 硅胶,玻璃钢,不锈钢,人类头发, 2008

Though designed by Sou Fujimoto (the brains behind the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 in London), the museum is more functional than visionary. It features large useable halls which offer much flexibility in terms of the kind of works on display, but in terms of the main lobby with its glass ramps and grey concrete, the sense of transcendence which one expects from the best contemporary art spaces is somehow lacking.

If the museum can continue to work with solid guest curators, we predict that it will be a destination in which to see a good range of contemporary Asian art, but as with many private museums, there are always the problems of funding. Let’s hope this initial momentum, can help it attract the financial support and the qualified personnel it needs to showcase what is after all a really rather respectable art collection.

Exhibition view 展览场景
(courtesy of Yuz Museum 图片:余德耀美术馆)

Zhang Huan, “Buddha Hand”, copper 2006 张洹,《佛手》,铜,2006

Zhang Huan, “Buddha Hand”, copper 2006
张洹,《佛手》,铜,2006

Huang Yong Ping, “Snake Tower”, aluminum, steel, bamboo, 2009
黄永砅《蛇塔》,竹子,铝,钢铁 , 2009

Ye Yongqing, “Big Poster”, mixed media on canvas, 1992 , 叶永青,《大招贴》, 布面综合材料,1992

Ye Yongqing, “Big Poster”, mixed media on canvas, 1992
叶永青,《大招贴》, 布面综合材料,1992

Geng Jianyi, “Interchange of Light,” oil on canvas, 1995
耿键翌, 《光的交汇》,布面油画, 1995

Song Ling, “Meaningless Choice No.1”, ink on paper, 1986
宋陵,《无意义的选择1号》,水墨纸本,1986

Chen Zhen, “Chair of Concentration”, chair, chamber pots, sound system, 1999; and Chen Zhen, “Trépied No. 2″, newspaper, wood, metal, and India ink, 1995
陈箴,《 集中精神椅子》, 椅子便壶,发生系统, 1999; 陈箴,《鼎No. 2》, 报纸,木头,金属,印度墨,1995