“This Future Of Ours” opened at Red Brick Art Museum in Beijing on April 10, 2016. The exhibition is jointly curated by Wu Xiaojun and Xia Yanguo and it has received academic support from Wang Zhiyuan. The exhibition features the works by thirteen artists, as well as the ongoing “Fly Together—The Shijiezi Village Art Project.” These works are very significant in terms of how one could reflect on and intervene into the multifaceted reality through the language of contemporary art. They do not only embody unique explorations in terms of artistic language, but they also have the sense of presence and they are deeply rooted in China’s current reality in terms of their subjects, targeting on local and specific issues.

The press conference was hosted by the director of the exhibition Jin Hua, Yan Shijie from the Red Brick Art Museum, Judith Neilson from the White Rabbit Gallery in Australia who provides sponsorship for this exhibition, Academic Chair Wang Yuanzhi, curators Wu Xiaojun and Xia Yanguo attended the opening ceremony.

Yan Shijie, Director of Red Brick Art Museum said that: “We are standing on the international vision to choose the young artists for the exhibition, and we paid more attention to the practice of the young and middle-aged artists who unfold the artistic practice of the sense of presence in China. Only blended in the land, dialogued with the land, one can find, or he can be moved, and express himself.” It does not only include some local artists, but also “the Village of Time” deducing a continuous long play of contemporary art, such a kind of unique dialogue between Chinese farmers and artists, is actually real stories taking place on the land. Speaking of the exhibition theme, the curator Xia Yanguo said,the focus of “This Future Of Ours” was actually the present, rather than the future, and they wanted to examine ways of considering the present reality from the perspective of the future. In the latest three or four years, Chinese artists especially the middle-aged and young artists did not imitate the Western artists in terms of creative language, method, content and theme any more, the artists of today had begun gradually forming their own features, and there were some unique characteristics. In “This Future Of Ours”, it has indicated a more open-minded way of seeing the world that was not based on existing identities. All of the participating artists came from China, yet this did not mean that the questions they raised just concerned a certain area or population within China. These artists’ thoughts and perspectives on reality provided possible ways for viewers to understand, approach, and intervene among the broaders of social reality.

Academic Chair Wan Zhiyuan put forward a question? at the opening about the collection of contemporary Chinese art, “Starting from the Ullens to Uli Sigg, and now the White Rabbit Gallery, the influential Chinese contemporary art collections had always been collected and researched by the Western collectors, why didn’t they happen in China?” The White Rabbit Gallery in Australia has continuously focused on Chinese contemporary art and contemporary artists. Judith said, “There are many outstanding artists in China, but they do not have a chance to showcase their works, I hope that it is just a starting point for the cooperation today, and it also becomes a part of the history, we sail from this place, and then there will be a series of cooperation.”

In addition to the works of the individual artists, the exhibition also offers a “Fly Together – ShiJieZi Project”, which is an ongoing dialogue between Chinese farmers and contemporary art, and a happening real story.

About the exhibition

Title: This Future of Ours

Artists: Chen Xinpeng, Duan Jianyu, Feng Li, Guan Xiao, Ju Anqi, Li Binyuan, Li Jinghu, Liang Shuo, Lin Ke, Shi Qing, Tao Hui, Wang Wei, Xin Yunpeng, Fly Together – ShiJieZi Project

Hosted By: Red Brick Art Museum

Sponsor: Judith Neilson

Academic Presider: Wang Zhiyuan

Co-Curators: Wu Xiaojun, Xia Yanguo

Exhibition Director: Jin Hua

Opening: at 16:00, April 10, 2016

Duration: April 10 – June 10, 2016

Venue: Red Brick Art Museum

Text edited by Lin Jiabin, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO, Photo by Red Brick Art Museum.