china beats presents :: Hedgehog

Founded in 2005, this Beijing-based indie trio clearly belongs to the small clique of revered veterans in China's emerging alternative music scene. Over the last years, Hedgehog (刺猬) has established its credentials as an exciting underground outfit and won scores of devoted fans, playing all major music festivals in China and also touring overseas (US, Australia).

Praised for high-powered live performances, the dynamic band is currently one of the most successful acts of premier Chinese indie label Modern Sky.

The sixth and latest album of band members ZO (guitar & vocals), Fun (bass) and Atom (drums & vocals) dates from April 2014 and is entitled 'Phantom Pop Star (幻象波普星)'.

Musical references? Well, the three have named Nirvana, The Clash, Spacemen 3, Fugazi, New Order and Joy Division as shining examples. If you fall for indie rock / noise pop / psychedelic rock or however you wish to tag the sound, there is a chance you might like this troupe from the Chinese capital.

By the way, with the song 'Star Shine (星光)' below and the other tracks on 'Phantom Pop Star', Hedgehog shows a more dreamy pop side - in stark contrast to earlier albums that were decidedly much noisier affairs. If you are interested in buying the digital album / CD or want to check out the trio's discography, visit the Bandcamp site.

A review of modern art :: 'CHINA 8'

Su Xinping :: On the Run, 2010 :: Oil on canvas :: 250 x 250 cm ::

© Su Xinping

                                                                                                                                     

The largest-ever institutional exhibition of contemporary Chinese art worldwide, entitled 'CHINA 8', is indeed a matter of superlatives in every respect:

As many as eight cities across the German Rhine and Ruhr region are taking part, nine museums in total are playing host, 120 artists were invited to have their works shown and a whopping 500 works of art were assembled altogether.

Why 'CHINA 8'?

The title of the exhibition is owed to the fact that eight cities are involved and that the number eight is known to be the most auspicious in China. This mammoth cultural highlight even beats the forerunner that took place in Berlin back in 1993, when the so-called 'China Avant-garde' exhibition was met with a lot of fanfare as the first larger show of modern Chinese art outside the country.

General artistic responsibility for the ambitious project 'CHINA 8' is shared by Walter Smerling (spokesman for the curatorial committee and Director of the MKM Museum Küppersmühle), Ferdinand Ullrich (Kunsthalle Recklinghausen) and Tobia Bezzola (Director of the Museum Folkwang Essen).

The main partner and consultant on the Chinese side is the internationally experienced curator Fan Di'an, President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Zhang Xiaogang :: Big Woman and Little Man, 2012 :: Oil on canvas :: 140 x 220 cm ::

© Artist / Courtesy of Pace Beijing

During the mega-event 'CHINA 8', virtually all genres, styles and artistic approaches can be explored in depth, be it explicitly modern paintings with a traditional touch, alternate forms of calligraphy, irritating sculptures, imposing large-scale installations, up-to-date photography, mindful conceptual works, experimental object art or daring sound and video art.

Each of the participating houses has its own focal point, ranging from the themes 'The Panorama of Painting - Emerging and Established Positions' (Kunsthalle Recklinghausen), 'Tradition Today - Chinese Ink Painting and Calligraphy' (Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen), 'Models of Irritation - Installation and Sculpture' (Kunstmuseum Mühlheim an der Ruhr), 'New Figuration - Narrative Sculpture' (Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg), 'The Vocabulary of the Visible World - Painting' (MKM Museum Kuppersmühle für Moderne Kunst Duisburg) to the subjects of 'Works in Progress - Photography from China' (Museum Folkwang Essen), 'Overview - Views of China' (NRW-Forum Düsseldorf), 'Paradigms of Art - Installation and Object Art' (Osthaus Museum Hagen) and 'Arrested Time - Video and Sound Art' (Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl).

Lam Tungpang :: Land Escape No. 12, 2014 :: Acrylics, charcoal, stickers and plywood :: 244 x 400 cm ::

© Courtesy of the Artist

                                                                                                                                      

Several of the most prominent and internationally successful artists have been attracted to exhibit their latest creations, but this doesn't mean that newcomers were overlooked.

The curatorial team tried to strike a balance between celebrated icons of the contemporary Chinese art scene and younger up-and-coming artists.

Besides acclaimed masters such as so-called 'cynical realist' Fang Lijun or equally famed Yue Minjun who both belong to the small faction of established and highly valued top-sellers in global art markets, visitors can discover still lesser known protagonists such as Yuan Yuan or the artist collective MADAHA.

The lion's share of the works on display date from the time around the turn of the millennium and scrutinize the dramatic economic, social and cultural transformations shaping present-day Chinese society.

Drawing on widely divergent forms of creative expression, recent phenomena such as endemic alienation, deeply felt cultural loss, frantic urbanization, crass materialism and consumerism or environmental degradation play a major role in portrayals of the country and its vast population. 

As usual, not everyone is pleased with the artistic concept and selection process in preparation of the illustrious mega-event.

Critics have raised doubts about the overall quality given such an overwhelming mass of artists. The curators have also been blamed for not having included truly controversial artists (whatever that's supposed to mean) and that many of those represented in the show have been living in Germany for a rather long time.

In the same vein, there were concerns that the prime Chinese counterpart, Fan Di'an, might not be the man open to politically provocative positions inside the Chinese art world (for an example of critical comments in the German press, see here).

(And in case you are wondering if the German side considered an invitation to enfant terrible Ai Weiwei, yes, they did, but bad boy Ai declined the offer, apparently not being overly enthusiastic about group exhibitions.)

Huang Rui :: Four Yellow, 2014 :: Oil on canvas :: 125 x 300 cm (4 parts) ::

© Courtesy of the Artist

Anyway, if you happen to be in Germany sometime between May 15 and September 13 (beware: The show 'Overview - Views of China' in the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf only runs to August 30!), don't miss this rare opportunity to see a spectacularly large number of modern-day works of art from China!

Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin :: A focus on smart cities

Model of Wuxi New District © Steve Jurvetson / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

The largest Asia-related series of events in Germany, the Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin are going to take place from May 18 to May 29. Since 1997, this important forum of dialogue has been devoted to the exchange between Europe and Asia in fields vital to both regions, exploring crucial challenges in economics, politics, science, culture and society.

Organized by the Asia-Pacific Forum in concert with the Berlin Senate's Department for Economics, Technology and Research and with Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH, a variety of lectures, talks, business meetings, conferences, workshops, cultural events and an illustrious trade show (Metropolitan Solutions) have been incorporated targeting diverse audiences.

Participants in the Asia-Pacific Weeks traditionally hail from the sectors of business, politics, academia and culture, such as large and medium-sized companies, ministries, associations, universities, research institutes, media outlets and artists. China-specific events and attendees from the country are always fairly well represented in all sections of the programme.

This year's main focus is, again, on the trendy concept of smart cities (the major topic in 2013, too, but then with a different angle). The official flyer reads:

'Around the globe, more and more people are moving to the city. 

City life seeks to combine high population density with high technological penetration and a high quality of life. Urbanization and the effects of the climate change and demographic change all require intelligent, far-sighted solutions - in Berlin as well as in the rapidly growing cities of Asia. Climate protection, resource conservation, sustainability and citizen networks are the top priorities. 

The creation of organizational framework conditions and a network of decision-making processes in cities delivers the conditions smart technologies require to thrive. 

The Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin 2015 will focus on smart cities and in particular, the urban challenges facing Berlin and the high-growth cities of Asia. 

The participants will be presenting models for intelligent networking and city management optimization, as well as urban technologies of the future from the fields of energy, mobility, resource and environmental management, recycling management and digital infrastructure. 

The main focal areas of the dialogue with our Asian partners is the interdependence between smart cities, the green economy and sustainable development.'

(For the complete programme and registration, see here.)

An extensive cultural programme accompanies the event and the PR China is positioned prominently with its 'China Experience (Ganzhi Zhongguo 感知中国)' series.

Devised by the Press Office of the State Council and the Chinese Embassy, the country presents itself via dance and song performances, martial arts demonstrations, film screenings, culinary delights and various introductions to traditional Chinese culture and art (have a look at the brochure - sorry, in Chinese and German only - here).

Bored on Saturday afternoons? Meet 'Lucky Cat'

In case you don't know what to do with yourself on a Saturday afternoon, why don't you tune in to this really charming show on London radio art station Resonance FM (renowned for its very fine programmes way beyond the usual mainstream entertainment on most airwaves - wholeheartedly recommended!).

The lovely radio show in question, named 'Lucky Cat', is presented by 'DJ, broadcaster and East Asian culture connoisseur' Zoë Baxter who is quite deeply into eclectic, rare and vintage sound material not only from the Middle Kingdom.

Every Saturday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm (UTC+1), Baxter shares gems of her incredibly diverse vinyl collection of Chinese and East Asian music including reggae, blues, Shanghai divas, Chinese reggae, Chinese folk, J-pop from the 60s or Indonesian fado.

The sound selection is, well, highly unconventional and always surprising: think Burmese or Korean punk alternating Cantonese opera, recordings from Hong Kong in the 60s, movie soundtracks or red-hot contemporary Shanghai chanteuses.

Obviously, vintage music is Baxter's passion and it shows.

Besides, the broadcaster has always been extremely enthusiastic about East Asian (especially historical, especially Hong Kong) film industries as well as wider art scenes; she regularly presents outstanding cultural events and prominently features all kinds of must-see productions. Interviews and live performances enliven the programme even more.

At the beginning of every 'Lucky Cat' series, you can learn a few sentences in Chinese if you are an aspiring language learner and for the foodies among you (and who doesn't crave Chinese & East Asian cuisine?) there are easy recipes for mouth-watering dishes at the end of each show.

(In case you are not around for the live broadcast or you have missed a 'Lucky Cat' transmission, no problem at all, the series is also available on Resonance FM's Mixcloud page.)

Tune in and have an hour of fun!

By the way, the radio show is accompanied by Zoë Baxter's 'Lucky Kitty' blog where you can find her podcasts with playlists, announcements, additional information and, last but not least, recipes for lots of delicious meals.

And if you want to know more about the presenter, have a look here.