wang qingsong: follow me

chinese artist and photograph wang qingsong is currently presenting his work as part
of 'china - contemporary revival', an exhibition at the palazzo reale, milan, italy.
on display is a selection of more than 180 art works including paintings, sculptures,
installations and videos by 50 contemporary chinese artists.
on now until february 7, 2010.


close-up of 'follow me' photograph by wang qingsong, 2003
image by designboom

the artist's statement:
as economic development takes top priority in china's national policies, the country has changed,
and its people have changed even more. everyone appears full of aspiration and seems satisfied
with the achievements of reform and rapid development, which are expressed in the chinese slogan,
'one change a year, one big change in three years, and one unidentifiable transformation in five years.'
capitalism has 'modernized' our formerly agricultural country. in the last two decades, the economic
reform has witnessed significant achievements-for example, being selected to host the 2008 summer
olympic games and china's entry into the world trade organization, both of which bring it into much
closer contact with other countries. this rich contemporary china provides me with a huge resource
for artistic inspiration. to sing highly of this new, sweeter-than-honey life of glory, i use theatrical techniques
and let the camera narrate true and understandable contemporary stories.


'follow me' photograph (120x300cm), 2003


detail
image by designboom


detail
image by designboom


'home' photograph (120x250cm), 2005

'i built up demolished walls of an old house. it reminded us of being allured to find treasures
from rubbish when we were young. i threw in a lot of garbage, including daily waste,
electrical trash, chemicals, and etc. until now, i am still not sure if the demolished houses
can be excavated to find some treasures. probably bigger profits can be created from demolition itself,
which are so popular in china when new high buildings replace the old houses' wang qingsong.


detail of 'home'
image by designboom


detail
image by designboom