Chen Hangfeng
-
Texts
- Artificial Snowflake, Installation, 2011
- Bubble City Bubble Life, installation, metal, bubble machine, IV drip, 2 x 2 x 2m, 2009-2010
- Cups,spotlight, wall, cups, water, mechanic device and timer, dimensions variable, 2010
- Don’t Move, cut plastic shopping bags, acrylic paint, glue, pins, board, fans, sensor, timer, transformer 120 x 100 x 4 cm, 2011
- Invasive Species: The Vegetables Chen Hangfeng text animation (duration: 4.03 mins), photo, light box, LED and controller, power adapter, dimensions variable, 2010
- It Comes and Goes
- Scattered Scenes Along Mei Creek
- Winds Blow from the West: Orchid, Cut plastic shopping bags, pins, wood board, mini fans, timer, transformer, power source, 60 x 80 (cm), 2010
Exhibitions
- Follies of a Species
November 9th, 2013 - December 21st, 2013 - Cold Comfort
February 4th, 2012 - March 18th, 2012 - Learning from the Literati 2September 6th, 2011 - October 17th, 2011
- Collective Consciousness August 6th, 2011 - August 30th, 2011
- Refracted Realities
April 9th, 2011 - May 9th, 2011 - Learning from the Literati 1September 9th, 2010 - October 31st, 2010
- Make Over January 24th, 2009 - March 13th, 2009
Winds Blow from the West: Orchid, Cut plastic shopping bags, pins, wood board, mini fans, timer, transformer, power source, 60 x 80 (cm), 2010
“The Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden” is a well-known model for the study of Chinese painting. I chose plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums as templates. The ancient artists used ink, but I use plastic shopping bags, which are cut into small pieces and pinned onto a wooden board. The drawings are based on a series of illustrations meant to teach amateurs how to draw these plants. A row of mini fans is mounted on the side of the piece, causing a periodic rustling of the plastic pieces, yet when the timer goes off and the fans stop blowing, the pieces always return to their original positions.
Plastic shopping bags have almost become a necessity of modern life, and the reflective surface is seemingly cheap. It explores the phenomenon of people blindly pursuing Chinese traditional culture and literati spirit on a surface level – something which has become a consumer trend. Here, nailing pieces onto the board symbolizes how this culture has already become a specimen or artifact. The wind caused by the fans seems to bring the plants to life. In addition, the artificial wind blows mostly from the left side, or the west, symbolizing how traditional Chinese cultural values are affected by Western civilization. Because of this, the original or indigenous becomes even more valuable – after the wind stops, the plants return to their original shape.
