YeZhang
The theme of this exhibition ‘Your Milieu’ is often used with reference to the social world and location of artists. In the past the French ‘juste milieu’, meaning happy medium, reflected artistic forms that offered a middle ground between the traditional and the modern.
Today, creating a milieu in which different voices and experiences can find expression is of great importance, since creative people are attracted to places most conducive to creative activity
This exhibition will provide some fascinating insights into how artists see themselves and their world, and ways in which they want to show this to others. As a viewer of art, this can help us in understanding why and how artists interact as they do in particular cultural milieu, often sparked by various stimuli.
The act of making art is one of humanity's most ubiquitous activities, a kind of cultural production system in today’s consumer-driven world. If a creative milieu does not confer competitive advantages, then artists would have a strong incentive to move to the most creative places.
With this in mind, we wish ‘Your Milieu’ and all the participating artists every success.
1、This exhibition has nothing to do with meals, tables, courtesy or etiquette. Table manners refers to the etiquettes and ceremonies on the table. The term is mainly based on two points: 1. A curator and seven artists gather together at exactly the same table; 2. Most of the participating artists have overseas backgrounds and both Eastern and Western artistic concepts converge, agitate, and express themselves in them.
As the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" said: "The hardest part is actually to' ask a question'. Once you understand the question, the answer becomes relatively simple." Since the "dining table" is a specific area where everyone gathers, Isn't art the same as well? Since while "dining" one needs to pay attention to "etiquettes and rituals", why not create some? Since "raising a question" is a problem, why is "table manners" not a problem in the context of contemporary art?
This exhibition includes 22 works in various forms including paintings, videos and installations by seven artists including An Yeyunxuan, Guo Youheng, Yin Ran, Zhao Huier, Zheng Kaijia, Zhang Ye, and Zhang Yixuan. It is the golden autumn feast launched by COOLING . Therefore, from the perspective of "table manners", to cut into the discussion of the participating artists and works, not only in the formal logic, it constitutes a clear conditional frame, but also in the content logic, it is also an in-depth summary and judgment of the works, recommending, at the same time, to the audience a necessary process in the form of exhibition.
Every exhibition is a systematic evolution and advancement, and it should have sufficient active ingredients. "Table manners" is just such an exhibition that is in the process of evolution and advancement. It will provide contemporary art scenes with its own uniquely recognizable active agents. It is also a kind of etiquette and ritual in a specific context. It will establish a field of two-way relationship between energy supply and intake.
The feast has already begun. "Dig on the spot, don't slip away. Double-heartedness will confuse things"-I put Bresson's words here as an advice to the artist's friends and as a kind reminder to the audience.
