Zhou Yan Contemporary Chinese Art Archive 周彦当代中国艺术档案
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Date
1994
Format
Photograph
Date of Exhibition Event
1994
Location of Exhibition Event
Beijing, China
Materials
Installation with table, tablecloth, urinal, lamp, and porcelain bowls
Dimensions
approx. 79 x 39 xx 31 in.
Description
This installation piece consists of a table covered in white cloth. In the center of the table there is a porcelain sitting toilet. Eight porcelain teacups line the perimeter of the table. On the wall behind the installation is text that says boldly in red "We Live in Art (我么生活在艺术中). This piece references Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" (1917). It was a part of phenomenon that art historian Gao Minglu coined as "Apartment Art", or artwork that was made to be displayed within the walls of an artist's own home. As Gao Minglu explains, Chinese avant-garde artists faced difficulties such as government interference and general lack of recognition. In response, these artists turned to intimate spaces to present their work. "We Live in Art" comments on the state of art in the contemporary time; individuals now exist, live in, a cycle of art production that "define, manipulate, and ultimately benefit from the codes and conventions of cultural production" (Gao, 163). For more information: Gao Minglu, "New Chinese Art", (San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1998), pp. 163. I(Nicole Wang '26).
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