Museum of Contemporary Art – Reflection of Minds

by Cori Huang

The Fall 2010 exhibit "Reflection of Minds" at the museum of contemporary art displayed an array of work from young artists in an attempt to show what the younger generation in China is thinking about. Upon entering the museum, we were greeted by the curatorial statement, which talks about a "lighthearted mocking" and "the insistence of enjoying life" conveyed through the works. After perusing the actual works on display, I found that most of it dealt with very dark qualities. Artist Xiao Jiang's paintings, for instance, depict scenes from movies particularly dark street corners with a single eerie light. They capture lonely and somewhat creepy atmospheres devoid of people. Only Lu Pingyuan's work showed a slight hint of lightheartedness. His whimsical vehicle, crafted almost haphazardly from wooden strips, tissue paper, and foil reflect a child-like quality. The milk drawings also convey a sense of wonder and experimentation. The artist's unconventional medium, milk baked on paper, is even somewhat whimsical. However, the faded drawings and sadly nonfunctional craft are also depressing, almost pitiful. The disjointedness between the curatorial statement and the actual works themselves show some sensitivity to censorship, where what is written and said aloud is not always what is displaye