I recently stumbled across this interesting art exhibition currently open in the Huangpu District of Shanghai (Cool Docks). Titled, “This Modern World? An ‘Art as Billboard’ Project”.
It is an exhibition that utilizes the language and means of the advertising industry. Yet its aim is to show how adverts have intoxicated the general public with material desire, and casued people to be bent on consuming more and more.
According the exhibition synopsis:
“Over 10 international artists will create messages and images that explore what it means to be modern in a world that is beyond modernity. Reflecting the World Expo theme of a ‘Better City Better Life’ with its yearning for the future, This Modern World will examine what global capital has done to shape an international public.
By occupying a commoditized urban space (the sign 广告牌) this project will re-examine the forgotten notion of ‘a modern world’. Using humor and irony the works are meant to surprise a public accustomed to looking at conventional advertising billboards.”
One of the artists part of exhibition that stands out is the Hong Kong born Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung with his weirdly wonderful work ‘Siddartha Obama’, which is part of the artist’s ‘In God We Trust‘ collection.
I would also recommend having a look at his creations for 60X1.com
Here are some photos taken from the exhibition curator Mathieu Borysevicz‘s flickr page, of the other fantastic work featured as part of the exhibition.
I am so glad to see that Chinese billboards have been selected as the canvases to hold such great work.
The other artists involved in the exhibition include:
– Chitra Ganesh
– Lawrence Weiner
– Yang Zhenzhong
– Olaf Breuning
– Langsland & Bell
– Eva & Franco Mattes
– Christoph Draeger
– Euan McDonald
– Lore Vanelslande
– Marc Lafia
– Heidi Voet
– Hu Jieming
– James Carl
– Jean Christian Bourcart
For further details about the exhibition click here.
