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Canadian Art

Red Flag: Asia Major

Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal Mar 3 to Jun 19 2011
Gao Brothers <em>Sense of Space – Wake</em> 2000 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal Gao Brothers Sense of Space – Wake 2000 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Gao Brothers <em>Sense of Space – Wake</em> 2000 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

The sprawling 798 Space in Beijing is a powerful symbol of China’s rapidly changing art community. At the beginning of this century, only a handful of art galleries could be counted in China; today, the 798 district houses over 300 exhibition spaces. Its massive namesake building is a relic of mid-century politics: built as a factory by East German architects in the 1950s, its current purpose is a mark of major change in the country’s cultural landscape. Starting this week, “Red Flag: Contemporary Chinese Art in Montreal Collections” highlights these changes and promises to represent Montreal’s unique perspective on an art community that is bubbling half a world away. One highlight of “Red Flag” is sure to be TV No. 6, a 2000 work by the Gao brothers and the final work in their series The TV. These works examine the role of television in China, which is controlled by the state, and in this work, Zhen Gao sits nude on top of a glowing, blank television set. He has a dated newspaper in his hands, his eyes are closed and his head is thrown back. Interestingly, though this work can be read as a critique, the Gao brothers often assume the role of transmitters themselves by making work about China for a Western audience. Well known internationally for their performances and performance-based photography, the brothers have earned an even wider reputation in recent years for their sculptures—one of which, a large bust of Lenin with a “Miss Mao” balancing on top, caused some controversy when it was installed as part of the current Vancouver Biennale. Overall, “Red Flag” is well positioned to both challenge and complement the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal’s blockbuster showing of some more traditional fare: “The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army,” also on view to June 26. (1380 rue Sherbrooke O, Montreal QC)

Danful Yang <em>“Fake” Armchair</em> 2007 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Danful Yang “Fake” Armchair 2007 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Gao Brothers <em>TV No. 6</em> 2000 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Gao Brothers TV No. 6 2000 Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

This article was first published online on March 3, 2011.

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