In cooperation with the NRW-Forum Düs-sel-dorf, the Kunst-hal-le Düs-sel-dorf is pre-sen-ting the world’s first re-tro-spec-tive by the Chi-ne-se pain-ter Liu Xiaodong. The dou-b-le ex-hi-bi-ti-on tit-led "Slow Home-co-ming" fea-tures pain-tings as well as pho-to-graphs and films by the ar-tist, one of the most fa-mous re-pre-sen-ta-ti-ves of con-tem-pora-ry art in Chi-na.
In his oeu-vre, Liu Xiaodong shows mo-ments and sto-ries from hu-man li-fe as well as si-tua-ti-ons and land-scapes wi-th an out-stan-ding im-me-di-a-cy and ex-tra-or-di-na-ry em-pa-thy. A fa-mi-ly, a re-fu-gee boat, farm la-bo-rers, or the red light di-strict—his sub-jects are va-ried, and the ca-su-al brush-strokes and in-ten-se co-lors lend them a gre-at li-ve-li-ness and cap-ti-vat-ing rea-lism. As an ar-tist he is com-mit-ted to the un-re-stric-ted va-rie-ty of cul-tu-res and the di-ver-si-ty of sub-jec-tivi-ty, which has oc-ca-sio-nal-ly led him to co-me in-to con-flict wi-th the sys-tem.
Liu Xiaodong on-ly de-picts what he sees wi-th his own eyes, smells wi-th his own no-se, and hears wi-th his own ears. At the be-gin-ning of each work, he spends ti-me wi-th the sub-jects in their dai-ly li-ves be-fo-re por-tray-ing them. This par-ti-ci-pa-to-ry di-men-si-on of his ar-tis-tic prac-tice, which has ta-ken him to Ti-bet, Thai-land, Ja-pan, Ita-ly, the United King-dom, Cu-ba, Ice-land, Ne-pal, and Green-land, and so-on al-so Ber-lin, is ac-com-pa-nied by jour-nal no-tes and pho-to-graphs. In ad-di-ti-on, along-side his pro-jects, he crea-tes films that ap-proach the va-rious to-pics from the per-spec-tive of the mo-ving image.
The ar-tist en-coun-ters the stran-ger wi-th the ut-most open-ness, so as not to suc-cumb to the de-cep-ti-on of clichés or pre-for-med opi-ni-ons. He is a pain-ter of mo-dern li-fe who ad-dres-ses the ques-ti-on of the hu-man con-di-ti-on as well as glo-bal is-su-es that are di-rect-ly lin-ked to it such as de-mo-gra-phic shifts, en-vi-ron-men-tal cri-sis, and eco-no-mic uphea-val.
Curated by Heinz-Norbert Jocks, the double exhibition Langsame Heimkehr (Slow Homecoming) is a world premiere and the first exhibition dedicated to the enormous complexity of Liu Xiaodong's oeuvre. On display are works from 1983 to 2018, around 60 paintings, sketches, photographs, overpainted photographs, a digital painting machine, diary notes, and the internationally acclaimed black-and-white avant-garde film "The Days" (1993) by director Wang Xiaoshuai.
The NRW Forum focuses on the photographic works as well as Liu Xiaodong's digital exploration of painting and also presents the digital painting machine that Xiaodong developed with scientists.
About the exhibition
Dates: 9 June – 19 August, 2018
Venue: Kunst-hal-le Düs-sel-dorf
Courtesy of the artist and Kunst-hal-le Düs-sel-dorf, for further information please visit www.kunsthalle-duesseldorf.de.
