Breaking Forecast: 8 Key Figures of China’s New Generation of Artists opened this Tuesday the 17th at UCCA. The exhibition is funded by LVMH group the conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, MOET and Hennessy. This is the second time UCCA has teamed up with a fashion giant; last year Christian Dior worked with the highest grossing Chinese artists to create their blockbuster show.

UCCA chose a group of young and mid-career Chinese artists who they believe have made a significant impact on Chinese contemporary art. Although the exhibition is beautiful and grand, some of the chosen artists, in my personal opinion, are not quite fore-runners in their medium.

The main hall was quite breath-taking, literally. As you walk into UCCA the overwhelming aroma of fresh ink invades your senses. The gigantic waterfall made by artist Qiu Zhijie spouts out Chinese black ink. This ink is synonymous with Chinese painting.

This cow hide amalgamation of architectural fragments made by Liu Wei caught my attention. The work includes old relics from Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity in addition to contemporary alters of faith/power such as the US Treasury, the American-Mexican Border, Guantanamo Bay, the CCTV Tower and the GM headquarters.

This rather unsettling installation is by the infamous Sun Yuan & Peng Yu. Although the duo are highly controversial (they have used human fat, fetuses and animals in their works) they are two of the strongest conceptual artists coming out of China. This is a small representation of their world-famous work Old Persons Home which was showcased at Saatchi Gallery in London.

I would like to end with Constellation by Chun Yun. The constant and familiar hum of electrical appliances soothes your soul when you enter the pitch-black room. The blinking lights from the mundane devices (see the installation with lights on) mimic the starry night. The mundane becomes magical.

Dior + Chinese artists at UCCA
Breaking Forecast at UCCA
Sun Yuan & Peng Yu official site