I always appreciate the effort that goes into placing works in stairways, and here artist Yukio Fujimoto’s (b.1950) sound installation dresses the space into an experiential aural expanse where the different sound sources ? a number of keyboards ? emit different chords or change sound according to movement on the stairs.

Overall the exhibition presents a coherent and stimulating experience that relies more on the nature of the artistic practices than on the egos of the artists. The cohesion of the vision is confirmed by Jiang, who says: “I proposed the idea of ‘the unseen’ in late 2009 and started to look for co-curators. I eventually invited Jonathan Watkins in 2010. Coincidentally, he is based in Birmingham too, but I have to keep saying that the choice was not made for geographical convenience. Instead, we have very similar visions for this project. I don’t have any problems in particular within the collaboration with my co-curator; however, we did experience some challenges in communicating with the museum. Possibly, I have been in England for too long.”

A Kunsthalle-style exhibition, with no loud confrontational or political disputes, the Fourth Guangzhou Triennial also succeeds in the Grandview Mall despite those sorts of venues usually being disappointing. It is exceptionally intellectually and aesthetically satisfying, even the non-aesthetic commercial exaggerations made by Li Wei (b.1981) in I’m Lovin’ It (2012), a multiplication of the McDonald’s logo plastered everywhere in the mall in different sizes ? to the extent that, the artist told me, people entering the fast food chain (there is a McDonald’s in every mall in China) seemed to be very confused whether they’d arrived at the right place or not.

The Unseen approaches what are proven values in art making and art appreciation by gathering clear narratives, the beauty of the simple gesture, direct concepts and post-modern preoccupations implemented into artistic expressions that relate to the journey of man, life and death, issues of one’s identity within a now globalised world and its subtle relationship with nature. The exhibition relies on intuition paired with the development of artistic knowledge in presenting works that all acknowledge the fact that something was and always will be above us and under, before and after, but it is worth capturing some of the meanings of life, society and the passing of time in the process. It is an exhibition that clearly aligns its ambitions with feasibility and draws on the curators’ experience of handling space and their established relationships with the artists. As dry as it sounds, it shows that in a time when curatorial practices multiply, formality and going back to basics in handling a visual coherence and establishing a convincing narrative is a remarkable achievement, to be especially appreciated in Asia.

Artists: Ignasi Aballi, Giovanni Anselmo, Vladimir Arkhipov, Angie Atmadjaja, Felice Beato,  Thomas Bewick, Alice Cattaneo, Chen Chieh-Jen, Ruth Claxton, Michael Craig-Martin, Du Yun, Marcel Dzama, Harold Edgerton, Dan Flavin, Ceal Floyer,  Yukio Fujimoto, Gao Shiqiang, Franz Gertsch, Graham Gussin, Ham Jin, Ham Kyungah, Han Kyung Woo, Hu Yun, Huang Ran, Sofia Hulten, Ann Veronica Janssens, Jiang Zhi, Tim Johnson, Kan Xuan, On Kawara, Lee Seungae, Leung Chiwo, Liu Wei, Li Wei, Vladimir Logutov, Lu Yang, Lutz and Guggisberg, Madein Company, Miao Xiaochun, Francois Morellet, Kingsley Ng, Timur Novikov, Trevor Paglen, Cornelia Parker, Katie Paterson, Giuseppe Penone, Susan Philipsz, The Propeller Group, Josef Robakowski, Jadwiga Sawicka, Jonathan Schipper, Shen Shaomin, Shi Jinsong, Dayanita Singh, Sui Jianguo, Tan Ping, Ron Terada,  Amikam Toren, Tu Weizheng, Rikuo Ueda, Wang Yuyang, Xiao Yu, Zhang Dali, Zhuang Hui
The Grandview Project (Grandview Mall): Colin Chinnery, Graham Gussin, Guest, He An, Li Wei, Madein Company,
The Propeller Group, Tof, Wang Jianwei, Yang Zhenzhong , Zheng Guogu, Zhou Xiaohu, Zhuang Hui and Dan’er.
Opera House Project: John Cage, Du Yun & Claire Chase, Katie Paterson, Tashweesh

©2012 PIPELINE Magazine
www.pipelinemag.com