Get It Louder 2010

Nina Boys
Contemporary Art and New Media in China
Blog Entry
11.4.2010

In doing research for my midterm paper I had the opportunity to
visit the "Get It Louder 2010" exhibit which explored the theme of
"Sharism." According to its promotional information, "Sharism
examines the increasingly convoluted relationship between public and
private realms and touches upon issues of collaboration, individual
agency and collective action while serving as a site for negotiating
communal space, both virtual and real." This theme was more overtly
apparent in some works than others but as a whole the exhibit was
compiled of work by young talent, both Chinese and international, that
demonstrated a modern take on the experience of living in a rapidly
changing and technologically driven world and the tensions that arise
from it through a variety of new media. One piece that vividly
portrayed these tensions was a series of photographs taken by Beijing
artist Jiang Pengyi entitled "The Uncovered City" which focused on the
urbanization craze happening in China without regard to external
environment or culture, as if the rapid rate at which his country is
developing is causing a rift between past and future. The photographs
of half-bulldozed buildings with tokens of Chinese culture scattered
about left a lasting impression that modernization is not all
progressive and the sentiment that there is truly is something at
stake. A light instillation called "Scattered Coordinates" by Yao
Chunghan which was essentially a matrix of lights with motion sensors
that were triggered and illuminated the lights as you walk through it.
The sound of the switching of the lights as well as the visual
sensation created a dialogue between the physical of the audience and
the technology it was surrounded with, commenting on the state of
modern society. There was a quote that accompanied this piece that
said "I like to stand watching the overwhelming media information
being wasted away like wind and ocean" that exemplified, along with
other pieces of various media, the concept of "sharism," which left me
more conscious of my surroundings than I had been upon entering the
exhibit.

Get It Louder 2010

Joon Nam
Get It Louder 2010

Get It Louder  2010 was held from October 22 to November 7 at Shanghai
800show this year. Based on the idea of Sharism, the goal of the
exhibition was proclaimed to express today's online sharing
communities and practices.
Ok, ok, putting all the fancy introductions aside, the actual
exhibition was not as impressive as I hoped it to be. With the daring
theme called "Sharism", I expected to see more varieties of medium and
creativity. However, my impression after my visit on the opening day
was that it was just another art exhibition, albeit with younger and
newer artists. Certain works like "The Uncovered City" by Jiang Pengyi
or "Controlled Experiments" by Alice Wang were interesting, yet the
rest, to me, were mediocre. As we have been discussing in the class,
perhaps China's modern art is starting to lose the energy it has had
in the 1980's and early 2000's as it settles from an avant-garde into
a mainstream. Even though the show promised an ambitious goal, I feel
that it did not deliver just quite right.

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Shanghai art world this week

Much is happening this weekend in the art world, and we do not want you to miss any, as they will also be feeding the classroom and your midterm papers.

Thursday October 21st:

// Sun Xun solo show opens at Minsheng Bank Museum

// Friday October 22nd

Get Louder opens.

Schedule of events:

http://www.getitlouder.com/EnNewXQ.aspx?ID=85

//Saturday October 23rd

Shanghai Biennial opens from 3 pm onwards 

www.shanghaibiennale.com/

Also, Johnson Chang's China- India show opens (West Heavens). (see details below) 

Venue 1. Ground Floor, 128 West Nanjing Rd; 

Venue 2. 79 & 107 South Suzhou Rd (The Bund, south end of Wai Baidu Bridge)

// Sunday October 24th

4 pm , Who Cares? 16 Essays on Curating in Asia- Book Launch by Michael Lee (also a Sh Biennial participant)

at OV Gallery . 19 Shaoxing Road . Shanghai

http://arthubasia.org/archives/who-cares-16-essays-on-curating-in-asia/

630 pm

"By Day, By Night, or Some (Special) Things a Museum Can Do"

Rockbund Art Museum, 20 Huqiu Lu (close to Beijing Lu, near the Bund)

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OPENING OF WEST HEAVENS EXHIBITION

come meet the artists, our venue hosts and friends,

23rd October Saturday, SHANGHAI

16.30 - 18.30 Viewing at Venue1: 128 West Nanjing Rd (across the street from Shanghai Art Museum)

18.00 - 20.00 Opening & Cocktail Reception at Venue 2: (Chapel) 107 South Suzhou Rd (on the Bund, south bank of Wai Baidu Bridge)

                                18.30 OPENING CEREMONY at Venue 2

(buses will transport visitors between the venues from 5.00 to 7.30 pm)

West Heavens Exhibition: Place·Time·Play: India-China Contemporary Art

Dates: 23rd Oct to 20th Dec 2010

Venue 1. Ground Floor, 128 West Nanjing Rd; 

Venue 2. 79 & 107 South Suzhou Rd (The Bund, south end of Wai Baidu Bridge)

Lecture/Forum: West Heavens India-China Summit on Social Thought 

(Lecture Hall, Shanghai Art Museum, 325 West Nanjing Rd. Shanghai)

Dates: 7 lectures/forums from 24th Oct to 18th Dec, 2010.

          Please see website for details.

First Lecture by Prof Sarat Maharaj on 24th October Sunday

(Lecture: 10 to 12.30 am; Forum: 3 to 6 pm) Reservation call 021-63272829 ext 200

Simultaneous Interpretation Provided for Lectures in Chinese and English.

 

Get It Louder

A not-to-miss event for you all- a show featuring the youngest talents
across fashion, music, and arts-  plus all the talks below. Yes, it
will be a very busy weekend, and you should all get ready!
http://www.getitlouder.com/EnNewXQ.aspx?ID=85

Get It Louder

2010-10-22  Friday

Sharism Forum
AM 10:00 – AM 10:20 | 800 Show Theater

Introduction

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM

Introduction and Framing, Ou Ning

Session 1: THE WORLD OF SHARING

Moderator: Ou Ning

10:20 AM - 11:00 AM

Isaac Mao, Sharism: Open Up a New World

11:00 AM - 11:30 PM

Hu Yong, Citizen Jounalism and the Revolutionary Scene of the Netizen

11:30 PM - 12:00 PM

Q&A with Ou Ning, Isaac Mao, & Hu Yong

SESSION 2: THE FREEDOM STACK

Moderator: Jon Phillips

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Mike Linksvayer, eval("freedom_stack.push(culture)") || The Creative
Commons Solution

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Nate Prodromou, Building the Federated Social Web with Status.Net,
Diaspora, Google and You!

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Li Gong, Successful Sharing at Mozilla Created Firefox

2:30 PM - 2:55 PM

Panel discussion, Jon Phillips, Mike Linksvayer, Evan Prodromou, Li Gong

FEATURE: ART TALK

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Philip Tinari, Art and the Information Edge

3:25 PM - 3:45 PM

Fu Xiaodong, Get It Louder and Sharism in the Art Scene

Session 3: THE SCIENCE OF SHARING

Moderator: Christopher Adams

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Jack Qiu, The Sharing of Mobility and the Mobility of Sharing: Beyond
Class Boundaries

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Brianna Laugher, Clash of the Encyclopedias - Is Competition Good for Sharing?

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Gino Yu, The Science of Sharing: Sharism as a Way of Life

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Q&A with Christopher Adams, Brianna Laugher, Gino Yu and Jack Qiu

OPEN PANEL: SHARING ENTREPRENEURS

Moderator: Isaac Mao

6:15 PM - 7:00 PM

Edmon Chung (DotAsia), A Public Service & Identity Built on a Vision of Sharing

Zafka Zhang (China Youthology), Sharing With Genuineness and LOVE:
Breathe the Youth Culture and Live in the Community

Liu Yan (Xindanwei), Five Big Reasons You Should Start Coworking Today

Closing

7:00 PM
Closing Remarks

PM 7:30 – PM 9:30   | 800 Show
Opening party of 2010 GIL Shanghai

2010-10-23  Saturday

AM 10:00 – PM 11:00  | 800 Show Theater
Artist Talk: LVXIAO——Double Pleasure: Understanding and Sharing
Da Guo Li, Host: Fu Xiaodong

AM 11:00 – PM 12:30  | 800 Show Theater
Artist Talk: A Sense of Narrative——3 Minute Group and Chen Zhou
Chen Zhou, Host: Fu Xiaodong

PM 1:30 – PM 3:00  | 800 Show Theater
Designer Talk：Practice, Practice, Practice
David Leven, Rama Chorpash from Parsons The New School for Design

PM 2:00- PM 4:00  | Black Box
Liu Waitong

PM 2:00 – PM 4:00  | 800 Show Theater
Writer's Talk: Stories and the self
Hari Kunzru, Host: Eric Abrahamsen

PM 4:00-PM 6:00 | Black Box
Tso Shoying

PM 4:00 – PM 5:30   | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Crossing the Mountain

PM 5:30  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Yang Rui

PM 7:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Chasing Cats and Cars

PM 7:20  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Flower in the Pocket

PM 9:00  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Liu Chengda

2010-10-24     Sunday

AM 10:30 – PM 12:30  | 800 Show Theater
Literature Talk: The Private and Public in Poetry
Liu Waitong, Tso Shoying, Host: Eric Abrahamsen

PM 2:00 – PM 4:00  | 800 Show Theater
INS Shanghai Declaration on Inauthenticity
Tom McCarthy、Simon Critchley

PM 7:30 – PM 9:00   | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Karoy

PM 9:00  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Zhanna Issabayeva

2010-10-25  Monday

PM11:00 – PM 12:30pm  | 800 Show Theater
Artist Talk: Why "forget art" ?
Ma Yongfeng, Host: Fu Xiaodong

PM 2:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Living in the Nanking Road

PM 3:50  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Rough Poetry

PM 4:40  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: The High Life

PM 8:30  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Soundless Wind Chime

PM 10:20  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Kit Hung

2010-10-26  Tuesday

AM 11:00 - PM12:30  | 800 Show Theater
Artist Talk: Museum of Unkown
Liao Fei, Host: Fu Xiaodong

PM 2:00 – PM 4:00  | 800 Show Theater
Designer Talk：1+1+1
Rich Brilliant Willing, Host: Aric Chen

PM 4:00 – PM 6:00  |  800 Show Theater
Literature Discussion:The Future Tense
Lu Yang,Chen Wei, Hosts: Eric Abrahamsen

PM 7:00  |  800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema:Tape

2010-10-27  Wednesday

AM 11:00 – PM 12:30   | 800 Show Theater

Artist Talk：The Story of Double Fly Art
Zhang Lehua, Host: Fu Xiaodong

PM 2:00 – PM 3:00  | 800 Show Theater
Odyssey: Architecture and Literature Press Conference
Ou Ning,Lu Nei,Zhu Xiaofeng(architect)

PM 3:00   | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: The Seventh Medical Ward

PM 3:45  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Farewell, Beijing

PM 6:30 – PM 8:30   | 800 Show Theater
Literature Discussion: Curse of the post-70s
Ren Xiaowen, Lu Nei,Zhou Zhou, Chen Wei, Host: Eric Abrahamsen

PM 8:30  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Crossing the Dust

2010-10-28  Thursday

PM 2:00pm – PM 4:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema：Falling from the Sky

PM 4:00 –PM 6:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema：A Song of Love, Maybe

PM 6:30 – PM 8:30  | 800 Show Theater
Writer's Talk: Visible Cities
Hosts: Tina Uebel,Eric Abrahamsen

PM 8:30  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Huacho

2010-10-29   Friday

PM 2:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Clouds of Yesterday

PM 3:40  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Japanese Anna

PM 4:10  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Aria

PM 7:30  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Three Small Animals 1、2

PM 8:20  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Martian Syndrome

PM 9:45  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Xue Jianqiang

2010-10-30  Saturday

AM10:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Happy to Death

AM 11:40  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Hu Lifu

PM 2:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: 607

PM 2:15  |  800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Oxhide Ⅰ

PM 4:05  |  800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema: Oxhide Ⅱ

PM 6:20  |  800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Liu Jiayin

PM 8:00  | 800 Show Theater
GIL Cinema：Er Dong

PM 9:30  | 800 Show Theater
Conversation with the Director: Yang Jin

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Propagandas Speak Louder than Words

I loved the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center. I have always believed that propagandas are the most influential and persuasive forms of communication. They are so powerful that they can sway the whole country and that country's way of life. I remember as soon as I landed in Shanghai or Beijing and starting walking through the streets, I realized propaganda still exists strongly in China. Mao's pictures appear to be everywhere you turn. His power still lives on strongly today despite the other leaders that followed. I found this to be so interesting because that is not the case in the U.S. We don't post pictures of past presidents everywhere and idolize them as part of our everyday lives. This is still an unsolved mystery to me. This fascination and idolization that seems to live on forever. After looking at these propaganda posters, I realized that propagandas were perhaps one of the main driving tools that in the past helped China foster unanimous thinking and bring the country together under one desired reaction.

It was very interesting how during especially the Maoist period, the foreign powers were depicted as evil wolves getting stomped on, getting pushed off a cliff, etc. Not only did specific characterizations of entities foster the desired reaction from the people but also, the use of size and color were effective as well. For instance, during the Big Leap Forward, a Chinese worker/peasant was on a big, robust horse while a UK person was sitting weakly on a small black bull. Furthermore, during the Cultural Revolution, a quick glance at the propaganda posters made it clear that there was a lot of red everywhere to foster the support for Communism under Mao's rule.

But my personal favorite were the Dazibao posters. They say actions speak louder than words. And this was a fantastic example. The description of such posters: "Soaked wit blood and tears" could not have described these posters any better. Because the posters' intent were to denounce or criticize somebody according to Mao's ideas, these Dazibao posters emitted an aura of great anger and even fear. Fear seemed to show strongest through the double written pieces. The boldness of the responder/challenger as well as the fear of getting caught in action could be seen clearly through these posters. These posters made China's history come to life in my mind. China's history no longer remained as something I had just read about in books and lectures.