Imprint / CAFA Art Museum
“Imprint” constituted in a unique large-scale installation featuring the use of a single medium – the artist’s signature bas-relief wall carving technique – that sought to address the interplay between tradition and modernity in a fast-changing urban environment.
Comprising a total of 70 pieces carved into freestanding plasterboard structures, the exhibition endeavoured to expand on one of the fundamental premises behind Vhils’ work: the act of working with the city itself as the prime material while focusing on the concept of reciprocal shaping – by which both the city and its citizens develop a shared character.
Featuring an array of individual portraits and urban life scenes, “Imprint” took the reality of Beijing and its citizens as a starting point in order to explore the processes at work in any large city around the globe. Working as a sample of the myriad stories that breathe life into the city, it spoke of how individuals are affected differently by the urban environment and social context they live in, each displaying a unique imprint. However, if the portraits and scenes spoke of individuality and uniqueness, the recourse to mass-produced materials used in construction all over the world stood as a sharp contrast, speaking of uniformity and homogenisation.
Imprint
solo exhibition
CAFA Art Museum – China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
30 June – 23 July 2017