Where:
Lite-haus Galerie + Projektraum
Mareschstr. 4,
12055 Berlin,
Germany
When:
Thu, 12 DEC 2019 7:00 PM
Sat, 11 JAN 2020 7:00 PM
“Shanzhai” refers to Chinese imitation and pirated brands and goods, particularly electronics.
For this project, Lan Hungh chooses 7 performances, as Marina Abramovic did, but only in search of inspiration: instead of intending to keep the history straight, Lan takes these historical pieces as his “found objects” and reproduces his own experience of them. The work poses questions about the possibility of “copying” performance art and ironically reflects about the copyright of some pieces that where conceived against the market and against any idea of ownership.
This title, “Seven Shanzhai Pieces”, refers back to Marina Abramovic’s “Seven Easy Pieces”. In this work she reproduces very respectfully pieces of her choice. She asked the owners for permission and followed all copyright laws. In an interview in New York Times in early November 2005, Abramović explained her impulse for the creation of her most recent performances, stating that “she felt a strong need to preserve the memory of performances that had influenced her as an artist. ‘There’s nobody to keep history straight … I feel almost like obliged.. I felt like I have this function to do it.’ And this sense grew stronger when she began to see ideas behind many important performances borrowed or appropriated by advertising and fashion and with no credits or reference.”
Performances are sometimes risky in some ways (as the idea of Shanzhai is), but the main issue lies in the words “reproduced” or “inspired by”: In the market, it could lead to a power game or to big brands starting to sue Shanzhai companies when they get bigger and therefore more menacing (see Apple vs. Samsung). In art, styles can be copied, a concept can be copied, but, how can we judge similarities? Visually? By feeling? By concepts? By names and texts? What is the content of performance art? Can a sculptor sue a performer? Can actions be copyrighted (like smartphone multi-touch gestures)?
These pieces are not homages, they are not copies, but they are new pieces that are inspired by these respectable artists, or by works that touch Hungh. In these new pieces he puts his personality and character as he always do, and no matter how similar they are, the focus is on their differences.
The performance will be devided into two parts and will be presented during the opening and the closing of the exhibition “China Boom”, curated by Dalida Kibir, Luis Gens & Raul Alvaro
Galleries LiTE-HAUS and Pantocrátor join forces to present “China Boom!!” - an exhibition that will blow your mind! This is an exciting project that aims to bring the spirit of these brave, renowned Chinese artists - dedicated to Social Praxis of Art and environment, who raise their voices for a better world.
The exhibition features the creations of three artists:
Zhu Ye (Shanghai), Han Bing (Beijing) and Ma Yongfeng (Shanxi)
FB event of the exhibition:
https://www.facebook.com/
FB Event of the performance(s):
https://www.facebook.com/
