From August 16 to November 16, 2024, the M515 Art Center on Shanghai’s Chongming Island will host a unique artistic feast—“Crossing Time and Space: A Tale of Two Islands.” This exhibition is not only a companion event to "Crossing Time and Space: The Third Metaverse Art Annual Exhibition @ Venice @ Shanghai" held in Italy this April, but also a spectacular dialogue between art and history, nature and technology, resonating across both locations.
Two Islands in Sync, Art Beyond Boundaries
The “Crossing Time and Space: The Third Metaverse Art Annual Exhibition @ Venice @ Shanghai” is being held simultaneously at two renowned locations—Palazzo Bragadin Carabba in Venice, Italy, and M515 Art Center on Chongming Island, Shanghai, China. The Venice exhibition began on April 20 and will continue until December 6, 2024, while the Shanghai exhibition will run from August 16 to November 16, 2024. This global simultaneous exhibition not only crosses geographical spaces, but also represents a deep cultural exchange and integration between East and West.
Transcending Time and Space, Bridging Cultures
“Crossing Time and Space: A Tale of Two Islands” is academically guided by Lu Rongzhi, the founder of the Metaverse Art Exhibition, and curated by Zhao Siliang, an art historian from the University of Cambridge. The exhibition, themed around “crossing time and space,” uses the Italian explorer Marco Polo as a guide to lead the audience from Venice， known as the "City of a Thousand Islands”, across time and space to China’s third-largest island—Chongming. The artworks features an eclectic array of artworks, including sculptures, installations, new media, AI-generated content, ink paintings, oil paintings, and prints, showcasing a perfect combination of art with history, technology, and nature.
This exhibition has garnered support and participation from key authorities, including Italian Ambassador to China, Ambrosi; Central Academy of Fine Arts professor Xu Bing; Taipei Shih Chien University professor Lu Rongzhi; Central Academy of Fine Arts professor Fei Jun; and Phoenix Center curator Xiao Ge, among others. Their involvement provides strong academic support and authoritative endorsement for the exhibition.
Art and Technology, Interpreting the Future
“Crossing Time and Space: A Tale of Two Islands” is not just an art exhibition; it is an exploration and display of the fusion of art and technology. By integrating modern technology, the exhibition presents a world where reality and virtuality intertwine, allowing visitors to freely wander and explore the boundless beauty of history, nature, technology, and art. This exhibition not only allows the audience to experience the charm of art but also inspires them to think about the relationship between art and technology, history, and the future.
Highlight Works, Uniquely Captivating
This exhibition showcases outstanding works by several well-known domestic and international artists, each work meticulously crafted to provide the audience with a new visual and emotional experience.
- "Marco Polo" AI Immersive Film: Co-created by Zhao Bozuo, a professor at the University of Barcelona, co-founder and director of GuruLab, and the artist Xue Lei, this film uses modern technology and virtual reality to recreate Marco Polo's journey, exploring the grand history of human civilization. Through dynamic images and AI-generated music, viewers can overlook the timeline of human history and experience the powerful fusion of technology and art.
- "Life Garden" Data-Generated Image: Created by Fei Jun, a leading figure in contemporary new media art in China. "Life Garden" is based on real-life data and integrates the Chinese concept of the Five Elements with generative art, creating a virtual world. The dynamic relationships among the Five Elements generate unique life forms, offering a strong visual impact and a beautiful experience.
- "Regeneration - Carp" Sculpture: A creation by renowned artist Gao Xiaowu, this colorful carp flies proudly towards the clouds. The work uses exaggerated and metaphorical techniques to express the metamorphosis and fantasy of nature, awakening people's dreams and yearnings for the original nature.
- "Nest Building" Installation: Created by Yang Liang and his team in collaboration with HEYAN'ER GALLERY, specifically for this exhibition. The installation uses "Chongming Cloth" for material recycling, creating unique flying birds. The fabric works and closed mesh structures in the exhibition symbolize the marks of time and the cycles of nature.
- "NO.0008 Data Archive: Explorations into the Infinite" Installation + 3D CG Video: This work by artist Xie Siyuan explores the perspective of the "ultimate observer" through a combination of natural history and digital aesthetics, showcasing stories of all recognizable material forms in the universe and their related different branches of space-time.
- "∞" Ink Installation: A new work by artist Li Hao, simulating a time-space slice of the process of the alternation between new and old universes. The installation uses suspended rice paper to represent the singularity of the "Big Bang," symbolizing the expansion and contraction of the universe into the past and future dimensions.
- "Islands of Time and Space" Oil Painting: Created by artist Zhu Dan using metallic pigments, this work explores themes of history and nature through industrial materials. The reflective nature of the metallic pigments invites viewers to immerse themselves in a meditative exploration of isolated times and spaces, contemplating their interaction within the cosmic framework.
- "Voice of the Earth" Video: In this piece, artist Zhang Chong "plants" ice crystal-like flowers on plant fossils, combining them with the "Voice of Earth" track carried by Voyager 2, intertwining the beauty of nature, the universe, life, and the countless cycles of space-time.
Chinese Art and International Cultural Exchange
“Crossing Time and Space: A Tale of Two Islands” is not just an opportunity to showcase Chinese art but also a grand event for international cultural and artistic exchange. By inviting internationally renowned artists to participate in the exhibition, this event establishes an open platform to promote dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and foreign artists.
This exhibition particularly emphasizes the integration of Chinese traditional art with modern art. For example, Li Hao’s "∞" ink installation combines Chinese traditional ink art with modern installation art, reflecting the inheritance and innovation of Chinese art. Fei Jun’s "Life Garden" data-generated image work combines the Chinese concept of the Five Elements with digital art, showcasing the application of Chinese culture in modern technology.
Moreover, the exhibition facilitates in-depth exchanges between Chinese and foreign artists through various forms of cross-cultural exchange activities, such as artist talks and international art forums. This not only helps enhance the international influence of Chinese art but also provides Chinese artists with opportunities to learn about and engage with cutting-edge international art.
Rural Revitalization, Empowering with Art
As China's third-largest island and a world-class ecological destination, Chongming has been at the forefront of efforts to promote ecological conservation and sustainable development. The establishment of the Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve for Birds highlights the region's significant role in carbon neutrality and environmental protection. Additionally, the government has introduced various cultural projects, enriching the lives of local residents while fostering exchanges and cooperation between Chongming and the world, contributing to rural revitalization.
Through the "Transcending Time and Space - A Tale of Two Islands" exhibition, Chongming aims not only to showcase the fascinating integration of art and technology to audience but also to seize this opportunity to promote rural revitalization, empowering local economic and cultural development.
This exhibition has chosen Chongming Island as its venue, where its natural landscapes and rich historical and cultural resources provide an ideal backdrop. By harnessing the unique power of art and technology, Chongming hopes to attract more attention. During the exhibition, a series of art workshops, lectures, and community activities will be organized, inviting local residents and visitors to participate, bringing art into rural life, and promoting cultural exchange and integration. The exhibition will also inject new vitality into the local cultural industry, driving the prosperity of tourism and related industries.
Chongming hopes to take a solid step forward in the journey of rural revitalization, empowering local economic and cultural development through these efforts, and showcasing the potential and charm of rural areas. Art and technology are not just symbols of urban areas; they should also become important driving forces for rural development. It is believe that through the "Transcending Time and Space - A Tale of Two Islands" exhibition, Chongming Island will usher in a new era of artistic prosperity, becoming a model for the integration of art and rural revitalization.
This summer, visitors are invited to Chongming Island and experience the magical journey of the "Transcending Time and Space - A Tale of Two Islands" exhibition. Enjoy an artistic feast that transcends time and space, and feel the hope and change that art brings to rural areas, as well as the charm of cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the world.
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