Being Theoria
4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art
2022.10.18 – 12.4
The 4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art is scheduled to open at ZhejiangArt Museum on October 18 of 2022. The theme is “缓存在/Being Theoria” .
Connecting and weaving multiple thoughts, the theme conveysinspirations that the curatorial team acquired from “fiber/textile” and in turnthe redefinition and re-interpretations of “art” : The way that “art” – as a special product of unique behavior andimagination-occurs and exists may be essentially distinct from that of stable,solid materiality in real life (such as “products” and “merchandise” ), whichis a kind of “Being Theoria”.
Liao Fei’s work “One Way Sculpture 1-5″ is exhibited at the ” Text/ Texture” section, and “Chanting till Disappearance” at the special program “Pure Reason”.
One Way Sculpture 1-5
Cable tie, Variable size ｜ 2017-2022
(Courtesy Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art)
As a material, the cable tie itself determines its extension which is to extend outward from its connectionpoint which forms the property of half lines. To fasten the tie, one must align it with the one-way buckle. If fasten inthe wrong direction, it could be easily pulled out, which would lead to an unstable structure.
The shape of the space formed by the cable ties is unlimited: any kind of change brings a new shape. However, due to the properties and limitations of the material, its extension structure is limited.
In this work, I deduced from one cable tie, which gradually developed to 2, 3, 4, 5… cable ties. Through themethod of exhaustion, all possibilities in permutation and combination of cable ties are presented. Although thecable tie is a man-made object, given the unknowability of the object itself, the coexistence of finite and infiniteman-made objects may become a way to know the object.
Here, the shape of cable ties is like a certain type of “text”. And as the number of cable ties increases, theearly subtle changes would make enormous differences in the final result. There is a view regarding the symbolicsystem of civilization as the combinations of fixed letters which, however, in the very beginning, are just severalmeaningless lines just like the cable ties.
Taking place from 30 September to 4 December 2022 at the Hangzhou Museum, as a special project of the 4th Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art in 2022,“ Pure Reason”invited 12 worldwide artists/groups to create works in the museum’s open-air and indoor non-exhibition spaces around the Five Dynasties “Jingyin Temple” stone pagoda pedestal housed in the collection of the project partner Hangzhou Museum.
The artist oreated this work in response to the re-main of a stone pillar excavated from the former Jingyin Temple. The form of the work is a reference to the style of the seal, and on top of the acrylic board is the inscription “Chanting tilldisappearanoe”. The words are superimposed sequentially and the parts where they intersect are marked in gold. As thesuperimposition of words, fewer parts of the intersection are left behind.
Chanting till Disappearance
Wood, metal, acrylic board｜160 × 70× 70 cm，2022
(Courtesy Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art)
About the Artist | Liao Fei
Liao Fei was born in Jiangxi in 1981. He graduated from Shanghai Normal University in 2006. He is now based in Shanghai.
His recent solo exhibitions include: “Depiction”, The Cloister Project, Shanghai, China (2021-2022); “Is everything a contingent occurence”, OCAT Shanghai, China (2021); “Res Extensa”, Vanguard Gallery X O Art Center, Shanghai, China (2018); “Plain”, Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai, China (2016); “Perspective”, YveYang Gallery, Boston, USA (2016); “The Equater”, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, China (2016).
He also participated in the following group exhibitions: Warehouse Story VIII ̶ On Your Mark!, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, China(2022); “Silent Thunder”, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China (2021); “Dis-/Continuing Traditions: Contemporary Video Art from China”, Salamanca Arts Centre, Stamania, Australia (2021); “The C”, Tank Shanghai, Shanghai, China (2020); “ANNEALING”, Shanghai Museum of Glass, China, (2020); “In the Open or in Stealth̶The Unruly Presence of an Intimate Future”, MACBA Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (2018); “Botanic Project, Busan Museum of Art”, Busan, Korea (2018); “Frontier:Re-assessment of Post-Globlisational Politics”, OCAT Institute, Beijing, China (2018); “The 5th Huayu Youth Award”, Huayu Art Center, Sanya, China (2017); “Today’s Yesterday̶Anren Biennial”, OCAT, Chengdu, China (2017); “The New Normal: China, Art, and 2017”, UCCA, Beijing, China (2017); “Why Not Ask Again: Arguments, Counter-arguments, and Stories”, The 11th Shanghai Biennale, Power Station of Art, China (2016‒2017).
