Chambers Fine Art is pleased to announce the opening of Cement - Marginal Space in Contemporary Art on July 3, 2002. The participating artists have been selected by Feng Bo-yi, an independent curator who was one of the organizers of the controversial exhibition "Fuck Off" held at the same time as the official Shanghai Biennale in 2000.
China is a country in political and cultural ferment. In the great cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in the provinces, life is being transformed, most obviously on the physical level by the demolition of many old buildings and the construction of the new. Without the material "cement" none of this could take place. As Feng Boyi has written:
"As a manufactured material, cement symbolizes the ideals of modern society. In the past twenty years of the China open-door policy, the use of cement in architecture has physically revealed transformations in the process of modernization and urbanization". Showing works of art in various media, the exhibition uses both the term and the concept of cement to represent urban transformations and conflicts in contemporary China. It explores the relationship between human beings and history, nature and current society. The exhibition is not merely an architectural exhibition. It is a group show in which cement is the unifying element."
Among the participating artists the architect Chang -Yung-ho is widely known for his innovative architectural projects in Beijing and elsewhere. Ai Wei-wei, who first captured public attention with his drastic reconfigurations of traditional Chinese furniture has become an influential figure in the contemporary art world in China, after an extended stay in New York. Wang Qiang, Gu Xiao-ping and Wiang Jin-hao represent a younger generation of artists.
Working in a wide diversity of media and of different generations, the artists grouped together under the metaphorical title Cement convey a vivid picture of the artistic vitality of contemporary China.
*Catalogue Available
前波画廊于2002年7月3日开始举行题为《混凝土：中国现代艺术的边缘空间》的展览。参加本次展览的艺术家均由独立策划人冯博一先生挑选。冯博一所策划的最引人注目的展览是与2000年上海双年展同期展出的“不合作方式”。
中国正经历着政治和文化上的转型。无论是在北京、上海，还是在其他省市，人们的生活都在发生激烈的变化，而最明显的转变就是拆除旧房屋，建设新楼房。如果没有混凝土这种建筑材料的存在，这些物理转变都不可能发生。正如冯博一所写到：
“混凝土”已成为我们这个时代现代化理想的象征，尤其在中国改革开放的20年间里，更显示了中国现代化过程的物理性变化。”本次展览“即试图借用混凝土的概念，以多媒介的表达方式从城市的变迁现代文明的冲突中探讨人与历史、人与自然和人与当代文化生态环境的关系。”
参加这次展览的艺术加包括建筑师张永和，他在北京和其他等地所设计的新型建筑享有国际盛誉。艾未未在纽约生活工作一段时间后回到中国。其早期艺术品中运用了中国古典家具的轮廓和造型，引起了强烈的公众反应，也对中国现代艺术有着重要的影响。王强、顾小平和王家浩是年轻一代的艺术家的代表。
《混凝土》以象征性的手法将不同年龄、使用不同材料的艺术家联系在一起，生动地体现出中国现代艺术的多元性。
*前波画廊为此展览出版了展览图录