Avant-garde artists are opening an exhibition in Shanghai

Recently, the Power Station of Art has been releasing several exhibitions in their museum to provide opportunities for international artists to show off their talent in front of the Chinese public. The Power Station of Art is a contemporary art museum established on Oct. 1st, 2012, at Shanghai, and is widely known as the largest art museum ever constructed in the city. From April 28th to July 28t , the Power Station of Art is displaying The Challenging Souls, a unique exhibition showcasing the sophisticated artwork of avant-garde artists Yves Klein, Lee Ufan, and Ding Yi.

Throughout the exhibition, several pieces of the three different artists are aligned with each other for public viewing. Yves Kein’s artwork represent the French avant-garde scene established during the 1950s and 1960s, and Lee Ufan’s artwork shows his contributions to the practice of Mono-ha (School of Things) movement through the Dansaekhwa (monochrome painting) that first emerged in the 1970s in Korea. Lastly, Ding Yi’s abstract paintings reveal how he built up a culmination of Chinese contemporary art during the 1960s to 1970s. By displaying different forms of art created by different artists, The Challenging Souls makes a solid attempt to examine the growth of the international art movement by comparing the visual languages of three artists who have presided over social changes since the 1960s.

The uniqueness of this exhibition lies in the fact that even though these three artists have different styles, motivation, and cultural backgrounds, they, individually and collectively, have invented new artistic languages, media, and art forms by challenging the pre-existing conventions and trends. By looking at the artwork that are chained to one specific theme, despite the fact that the artists were culturally and geographically segregated from each others, visitors are able to see past international artistic movements and wonderful collaborations. Those pieces that originated from different cultures, times and locations, have alike encouraged the study of avant-garde art between the west and the east, and continue to challenge visitors to reassess our relationship to art, society, and the public in a cross-cultural context. 

The Power Station of Art is also showcasing other exhibitions such as Luis Chan:PSA Collection Series, Thonik: Why We Design, and Hélène Binet: Dialoghi in this summer. The address for the Power Station of Arts is 678 Miaojiang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, 200011. For additional information, please check out this website: http://www.powerstationofart.org/en/

Featured Image – A picture of a painting created by Ding Yi – Courtesy of Ding Yi

By Amy Kang