3 December 2004 – 13 February 2005
Beijing based artist Song Dong uses performance, photography, video and installation to explore ideas of transience, perception and the ephemeral nature of existence. His works are acute observations and critiques of the current political, social and economic changes that are transforming China into a freewheeling capitalist environment. Rather than making a simple commentary, Song Dong’s work is more inward looking, reflecting on personal circumstances and philosophies to help him relate to the “outside worldâ€.
While Song Dong has exhibited worldwide, Water Works is his first major solo exhibition in Britain. Using the theme of water, the show groups some of his most important works. These include Stamping the Water, a series of 36 photos documenting his performance in a river near Lhasa where he used an ancient stamp of the word “water†to comment on the political and social effort of branding, marking and owning the river.
The exhibition will also feature Writing the Diary with Water, a diary he began in 1995 where he regularly writes with water on a stone, which then evaporates leaving nothing but the memory of the action. The performative aspect of the piece shifts the importance away from documentation, focussing on the experiential element of writing.
Water Works has been curated by Alessio Antoniolli
Song Dong’s preview marks the launch of Chinese Arts Centre’s First Birthday Celebration.
