GUEST, a new collective established for the purpose of this exhibition but already active on other projects, comprises five of China’s most convincing young talents: Li Ming, Lin Ke, Lu Pingyuan, Xu Qu, and Zhao Yao.
Here, GUEST presents itself in the form of a circus. The works draw influence from the theatrics and fantastic disorder of a carnival. Clowns relay humorous tidbits to visitors, acrobats maintain precision and symmetry, and a piece of meat has been tamed. The works are meant to evoke at once blank faces and raucous laughter.
Their seemingly chaotic logic is a kind of breakthrough-new and original but also ‘breaking down’ the role of the audience and established ideas about how art can be encountered and read.
In this smart series of artist lectures, GUEST artists Zhao Yao, Lu Pingyuan and Xu Qu explore different elements of their exhibition and approach in order to answer, what is it that they really want to break?

*Reservations required.
From Tuesday to Friday 11:00-18:00 please call +86 10 5780 0200 to book. Please note that you can only book 1 seat at a time.
Members can also book by emailing: members@159.138.20.147(Email bookings are reserved for UCCA members only.)

Guests:

Zhao Yao(member of GUEST, UCCA exhibiting artist)
Lu Pingyuan(member of GUEST, UCCA exhibiting artist)
Xu Qu(member of GUEST, UCCA exhibiting artist)

Zhao Yao, a member of GUEST, (b. 1981, Luzhou, Sichuan province) graduated from the Design Arts department at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2004. He began participating in group exhibitions in 2003, including “Entry Gate: Chinese Aesthetics of Heterogeneity” at Shanghai MoCA (2006) and “No Soul for Sale” at the Tate Modern (2010). His solo exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, and installations include “51m2 No. 3: Zhao Yao” at Taikang Space (Beijing, 2010) and “I Am Your Night” at Beijing Commune (2011). Zhao Yao lives and works in Beijing.

Lu Pingyuan, a member of GUEST, (b. 1984, Jinhua, Zhejiang province) graduated from the China Academy of Art’s Shanghai Institute of Design in 2007. His installations, videos, paintings, and performances have been exhibited widely in Shanghai, including “Reflection of Minds” at the Shanghai MoCA Envisage Biennale (2010). Lu was also an IASPIS resident artist in Gothenberg, Sweden, and mounted a solo exhibition “Time Capsule” at Galleri Box in 2011. He lives and works in Shanghai.

Xu Qu, a member of GUEST, (b. 1978, Suzhou) graduated from the Nanjing Art Institute in 2002. After finishing graduate studies at Braunschweig University of Art in 2007, Xu completed “Meisterschüler,” a postgraduate program under Professor John Armleder. His work, which includes performance and video, has been shown in Europe and China; exhibitions include “XXQQ record 3:22” Art Recorders, Art Basel 39 (2008) and “51m2 No. 11: Xu Qu” at Taikang Space (Beijing, 2010).

Sponsor: Smart