Hu Fang: The Theater of Life

by Hu Fang

From the very beginning, Cao Fei conveys a certain “new feeling” with a colorful, exaggerated and highly dramatic visual style. And since the turn of the century, this “new feeling” has been broken down into different features that characterize a new generation of Chinese artists in their image making: mannerism (which is related to the sense of loss and loneliness in one’s emotional life), exaggeration (related to the emptiness of artificial reality) and an idea of virtual existence (related to the confusion as to what to do in the period of transition of values). However, only few artists possess a sense of humor like that of Cao Fei’s, whose force derives from a keen understanding of the idea that “life is like a drama and vice versa.” In fact, Cao Fei is constantly reinforcing her relationship with daily life and her observation of social life while evoking a feeling of “being cool” at the same time. She has therefore developed a documentary way of expression. In her work, “Public Space: Give Me A Kiss” (2002), a middle-aged man is simply enjoying himself on the corner of a busy street, as if there were nobody else around. He dances day after day, and although his positions and movements are rather amusing, he has an extremely serious expression on his face. Another work, “Father,” consists in observing the whole process of her father making sculptures of revolutionary figures. With this film, Cao Fei has tried to iron out some of the creases in her personal history. Although these images can even be described as being “traditional” or “anti-cool,” they are the organic components of Cao Fei’s image world. This reflects Cao Fei’s strong interests in revealing the fantastic, absurd forces that exist in the process of urbanization, and the relationship between individuals and society. This creative dynamic is destined to upset certain categorizations of image styles.

 

The project she will present in the Sydney Biennial 2006 originates in a collaborative project with Siemens entitled “What Are You Doing Here?” In her encounter with the OSRAM factory, a subsidiary of Siemens, in Foshan, Guangdong, she was sensitive to the value and position that man had within the huge production system. She came up with the idea of realizing an artistic project based on exchange and communication with the factory’s employees occupying different positions and duties by means of questionnaires. By throwing up the question “What are you doing here?” to the employees, she collected their dreams, and presented them through visual ways such as experimental theater and video, thereby allowing people to see how art can turn a production system that exists in reality into a “theater.” For her, this project can be used to further explain how increasingly widespread globalization has influenced man’s understanding and realization of life values in the Pearl Delta Region, and even in the entire Chinese society. Therefore, this artistic project can also serve as an excellent platform for us to observe how Cao Fei’s “new feeling” blends into specific social space-time.

 

Text: Hu Fang

Curator and Critic .Vitamin Creative Space.Guangzhou.China.

 

Translate by Yu Hsiao-Hwei