Do you love it?You don't get it, do you! All you see is a very fine, highly accomplished carved wall.
Well, what if I show you a couple of pieces in close-up?
Get it now?
Well, what if I show you a couple of pieces in close-up?
Get it now?Still no? All you're seeing is highly accomplished carved copies of various famous paintings? Well, that's obviously because you don't know what's being protested here, so let me share:
It's all about this rather forlorn-looking building that once housed The Museum of Modern Chinese Art.
Only the structure remains!
It was originally built in Dafen to house a mighty collection of Modern Chinese Art. But why choose a flood-prone gully? Probably because, in people's minds the concept of Dafen and Art were firmly entwined, but also, I suspect, with the high-minded intention of inspiring local artists to create for themselves by showing them truly fine pieces of originality. Nice idea, right?
However, this is China! Naturally, the inevitable happened.
You'll recall that, several years back, the world deservedly went wild for modern Chinese art, and the price of paintings skyrocketed: like the Yue Minjin "Jesters" I almost bought for U$6,000 at Schoneli gallery in 2003 only two years later sold at auction for US$16 million. (Keith was so cross and shouted "Why didn't you FORCE me to buy it!")
If you read my first blog entry about Dafen, where I posted an old letter about my dear friend Margaret and me finally discovering this village, you'll know what happened. How we were there and saw it with our own eyes! That we went into the Museum and stumbled across an army of armed Red Guard packing the entire contents of the museum into crates! And that we were chased out with loud shouting, swearing and machine-gun waving! And how, when we went into the village to ask what was happening in the Museum no one knew a thing and kept insisting the paintings were right there, just across the way!
In that letter, I also predicted that they'd be very angry when they found out, but, as far as I know, no one raised the slightest protest ... so, when I saw this wall on Sunday, my heart soared!
"Shoot those poisoned arrows!"
And see those empty spaces on the wall of the Museum? Those used to be filled with copies of famous paintings. And it's those famous paintings which are herein reproduced, carved in stone on this wall.
Do you love it now?
I was so deeply heartened when I saw this, I went on a hunt to find the artist. And because I really don't want to get anyone into any trouble ...
... here's a photo of some random stranger I met on Sunday in Dafen!
Random Stranger!
Leonardo would sooo approve!
It's all about this rather forlorn-looking building that once housed The Museum of Modern Chinese Art.
Only the structure remains!It was originally built in Dafen to house a mighty collection of Modern Chinese Art. But why choose a flood-prone gully? Probably because, in people's minds the concept of Dafen and Art were firmly entwined, but also, I suspect, with the high-minded intention of inspiring local artists to create for themselves by showing them truly fine pieces of originality. Nice idea, right?
However, this is China! Naturally, the inevitable happened.
You'll recall that, several years back, the world deservedly went wild for modern Chinese art, and the price of paintings skyrocketed: like the Yue Minjin "Jesters" I almost bought for U$6,000 at Schoneli gallery in 2003 only two years later sold at auction for US$16 million. (Keith was so cross and shouted "Why didn't you FORCE me to buy it!")
If you read my first blog entry about Dafen, where I posted an old letter about my dear friend Margaret and me finally discovering this village, you'll know what happened. How we were there and saw it with our own eyes! That we went into the Museum and stumbled across an army of armed Red Guard packing the entire contents of the museum into crates! And that we were chased out with loud shouting, swearing and machine-gun waving! And how, when we went into the village to ask what was happening in the Museum no one knew a thing and kept insisting the paintings were right there, just across the way!
In that letter, I also predicted that they'd be very angry when they found out, but, as far as I know, no one raised the slightest protest ... so, when I saw this wall on Sunday, my heart soared!
Damn, it's good! If you don't get it, that's just because you aren't aware that this wall points directly towards the wall of the former Museum in a way known in Feng Shui as "poisoned arrow".
"Shoot those poisoned arrows!"And see those empty spaces on the wall of the Museum? Those used to be filled with copies of famous paintings. And it's those famous paintings which are herein reproduced, carved in stone on this wall.
Do you love it now?
I was so deeply heartened when I saw this, I went on a hunt to find the artist. And because I really don't want to get anyone into any trouble ...
... here's a photo of some random stranger I met on Sunday in Dafen!
Random Stranger!Leonardo would sooo approve!
Hate that new post-flood plinth!And they're even using the Museum to display new original work by Dafen artists, which is something to be highly commended, although, apart from two seriously good artists, they're really not so ... no, no, let's be encouraging here: it's a start!
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