As a prologue to UCCA’s upcoming 2013 exhibition “ON | OFF: China’s Young Artists in Concept and Practice,” SEE / SAW presents many of the individual artists to be included in ON | OFF within the context of Chinese contemporary art’s most recent collaborative efforts. For this iterative project, which examines the production processes and decisions involved in creative collaborations, fourteen invited artist groups will rotate in and out of a shared space. Selectively juxtaposed, the collectives each independently conceive week-long exhibitions, many of which occur outside of their allotted space. In focusing on the concept of the “group,” SEE / SAW explores notions of co-dependence and reaction, and viewers are encouraged to observe how the exhibition’s weekly reincarnations may or may not play off one another.

Participating collectives include Double Fly Art Center, A Diaodui, Museum of the Unknown, Zuzhi, North Village Independent Workshop, Irrelevant Commission, 8mg, TOF, Art Praxis Space, LVXIAO, Nanshan Painting Group, GUEST, Hexie Baroque, and Cell Art Group.

Throughout the ON | OFF exhibition period, UCCA will hold a series of public programs in which different artists and collectives are invited to join dialogues themed around ideas of self-organization and self-expression.

On December 4th, we invited young artists fromGUEST, HEXIE BAROQUE, and Cell Art Groupto our join our dialogue, hosted by curator Bao Dong.

This series is sponsored by Mercedes smart

GUEST

Lu Pingyuan, XuQu, and Zhao Yao form GUEST, a collective founded at the end of 2011 and existing between Beijing and Shanghai. The members believe that “the audience is the institution,” resulting in works that are often metaphysical, experimental, and experiential.

Hexie Baroque

Founded in Beijing in 2011, Hexie Baroque uses aspects of Baroque-era culture and early capitalism as starting points for building a metaphor for contemporary China and the problems that arise in periods of rapid transition. For this exhibition they display urban landscapes—sensory works representing their recent research.

Cell Art Group

Cell Art Group, founded by Dong Xun and Than Young (Liao Wenchao) in Chongqing in 2011, will carry out a series of performances that are part self-promotion and part practical joke, including guerilla-style sticker dissemination, brand promotion, and silent political protests. Documentation of the performances is displayed in the exhibition space.

Zhao Yao (Guest)

Wang Quan (HEXIE BAROQUE)

Liao Wenchao

Dong Xun (Cell Art Group)

Lu Pingyuan, XuQu, and Zhao Yao form GUEST, a collective founded at the end of 2011 and existing between Beijing and Shanghai. The members believe that “the audience is the institution,” resulting in works that are often metaphysical, experimental, and experiential.