Read the following excerpt from the Philadelphia Art Alliance's website and write a personal response to the exhibit. You may use your own experience of viewing the exhibition to explain your response.
Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen: The Way of Chopsticks
-The Philadelphia Art Alliance (http://www.philartalliance.org/exhibition/song-dong-and-yin-xiuzhen-the-way-of-chopsticks/)
Created by two of China's most acclaimed contemporary artists, the Philadelphia Art Alliance's 2013 centerpiece exhibition will transform the historic Rittenhouse Square mansion into a three-story, multimedia installation that invites viewers to contemplate the similarities and differences between American and Chinese family life. The Way of Chopsticks is supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The Mindspring Foundation, and The Asian Cultural Council.
Inspired by the PAA's history as a private residence, Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen have collaborated with their 11-year-old daughter, Song ErRui, on an installation that will turn the historic Wetherill mansion into a three-story multimedia exploration of modern family life in China. The exhibition traces the evolution of family dynamics from the 1960s and '70s China of the artists' youth, when large families were the norm, to the increasingly globalized present day where only children, like their own daughter, are fast becoming the majority.
“Early in their lives, the artists grew up largely disconnected from the West; in the China of their childhood, families were large, and individuality was suspect,” says PAA curator Sarah Archer. “Their daughter’s 21st-century Chinese girlhood is vastly different: Song ErRui is bilingual in English and Mandarin, an avid basketball fan, and, thanks to her parents’ occupation, a sophisticated world traveler. The Way of Chopsticksaddresses this fascinating generational divide with aplomb, referencing objects we encounter on the smallest cultural scale — the household — to explore a story that is shaping their entire nation.”
In addition to a free public opening reception (Thursday, September 12, 6-8 pm) and a series of artist talks, food tastings, gallery tours and family workshops (more details follow below), The Way of Chopsticks will be accompanied by a scholarly catalog including essays by Professor Eileen Boris, University of California–Santa Barbara; Professor Wu Hung, University of Chicago; Philip Tinari, Director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; and an interview with Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen by Philippe Vergne, Director of the Dia Art Foundation, New York.
About the Chopsticks Series
Since 2001, the Beijing-based artists have collaborated on a signature long-term conceptual art project that balances the importance of independence and partnership: they create singular large-scale chopstick sculptures, built according to certain agreed-upon parameters, but completed in isolation. Neither artist knows what the other will do until the final sculptures are revealed and joined together. The artists believe that chopsticks serve as an ideal metaphor for family: neither one can function, creatively or as parents, without the other.
About the Artists
Song Dong has been a prominent figure in the Chinese art world since the early 1990s when he first came to attention through performances such as Breathing. His practice embraces performance, installation, video and photography, but the references are always highly personal, based on his own life experience and that of his family. Recent important exhibitions include Waste Not (2009) based on his mother's possessions accumulated over a lifetime and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); and The Wisdom of Poor People 2005-2011, exhibited at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), Beijing, in 2011.
Yin Xiuzhen was one of China's first female artists to gain recognition in the early 1990s. Conceptually oriented and active in performance and installations throughout China and internationally, Yin Xiuzhen's work concerns family and daily life experience in Beijing. Although she works in many media, she is widely recognized for her use of textiles as in Collective Subconscious at MoMA, New York in 2010, and Portable Cities (2001-present). She also represented China at the Venice Biennale in 2007.
The Way of Chopsticks has been supported by Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Mindspring Foundation, and the Asian Cultural Council.
The Way of Chopsticks: Song Dong ＋Yin Xiuzhen is represented by Chambers Fine Art in New York City and Beijing.
At the Philadelphia Art Alliance/ Expedition there were some interesting artworks that made you think about things and its deeper meaning. The artists Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen who are married and has a daughter who also participates in there artworks work together and travels to different countries. They made a chopstick series art where neither of them saw each other's artwork until it was finished, the chopstick series is significant to families. A family can't function if they're not together. At the expedition they were chairs split into two, one side from the lady's point of view and one from her husband, which was interesting. It wasn't hard to figure out who made which art work because they were hints of things a woman would do or how she would design her artwork, and same for the man.
ReplyDeleteIn the exhibit Song Dong and Ying Xiuzhen: The way of Chopsticks, at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, there were many interesting artworks. The art works in the exhibit were very interesting because everything had a deeper meaning, other than what was really there. It was also interesting how they transformed everyday items into wonderful creative pieces of art. The way that Song and Ying incorporated their daughter, Song ErRui into their artwork was very intriguing because it shows how much it means to the mother and father to have their daughter be a part of their works of art. The overall message that is represented by all of the artwork in the exhibit, one half of something can not work properly without the other half, is really nice because it is true, especially with a family. In a family, no one can function as a parent without the other parent. My overall experience at the art exhibit was amazing because all of the artwork had a special meaning and that made me look beyond what was actually in front of me.
ReplyDeleteSong Dong and Yin Xiuzhen uses the chopstick as a meaning for the artwork because they know one can not function without the other. An that's the way they feel about their family/relationship and the end of the project both Dong and Xuizhen see they both represented their daughter Song ErRui in someway. Which shows no matter how different each others view of their family is she's part of that one world they share together. This is why the sculpture was not revealed until the end because it showed their independence and also the partnership that's shared between them both. There is never one without the other which is the true definition of a family.
ReplyDeleteHusband and wife, Song Dong and Ying Xiuzhen, both express their ideas of how one thing cannot work without the other half in their art exhibit: The way of chopsticks. As I walked through the exhibit the first time, I noticed that there were clearly two versions/sides of every object in the room. One half of a refrigerator would have built in pieces of wooden frames while the other half would be fixed up with lots of woman's stockings. It didn't take long for me to assume which side the husband created and which side the wife created. The husbands side would be made up of the little windows that were bordered with wood. My guess was that that was his side because people or society usually think of men to be able to build things and create them in a sturdier way than a women. The wife's side had more of a feminine touch to the pieces she had created too. She used stockings to fix up the same pieces of furniture that her husband had as well. By the end of the exhibit,I realized that the pieces portrayed the ideas of how chines families were suppose to act or be. In the short film on the 3rd floor, the husband had a clip of his daughter trapped in a closed space,which seemed like a long time, to show the idea of how females were suppose to stay home while the male had to go out and work. The exhibit was very intriguing to me and it made me think of how things work better when they are together, not only in items but in people as well.
ReplyDeleteTwo of China’s most acclaimed contemporary artist created the Philadelphia Art Alliance’s 2013 centerpiece exhibition. The exhibition will make views question the similarities and differences between American and Chinese family life. The point of the exhibition is to “trace the evolution of family dynamics from the 1960’s and ‘70s … to the increasingly globalized present day where only children … are fast becoming the majority.” The artists used their own childhoods as well as the one of their own daughter as an inspiration. When both artists were growing up “families were large, and individuality was suspect,” according to PPA curator Sarah Archer. Their daughter who is growing up in the 21st century has a vastly different childhood than her parents. The work of art is used to represent the drastic change in Chinese family life and show how it is slowly becoming more and more like American family life.
ReplyDeleteThe Philadelphia Art Alliance's 2013 centerpiece exhibition is a eye opener on a personal level for people of all ages. The transformation of the historic Rittenhouse Square mansion into a three-story, multimedia installation, had a combination of both beauty and brutal symbolic masterpieces that touched the views heart, provoking arguments and reactions bringing awareness on a issue that threaten a nation. The way of chopsticks has many aspects of art like: performance, film, sculptures and photography, all of the different Technics used in the exhibition provokes more reactions and opinions, because even though the artists based the exhibition on their own life experience and their family it can apply to many things and situations, not only the similarities and differences between American and Chinese family life as proclaimed in the article, "Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen: The Way of Chopsticks". The exhibition was deeper than that of only culture and family, it also touched on certain roles and restrictions that society puts on an individual. The topics that are being presented in the exhibition are a worldwide phenomenon that has played out in history and is seen all the time. Topics like gender roles and an unfit government are a few of the topics that were presented on the exhibition. The reason why the exhibition is so touching is because it applies to many things and makes the viewer question the very foundation of human evolution and the reason why things are the way they are. Even though it's based on a older time people still struggle with similar problems without even knowing it. The exhibition leaves the viewer with questions, the most importing being: why are those problems still part of our society? What can be done to make it better?
ReplyDeleteSong Dong and Ying Xiuzhen, both express their ideas of how one thing cannot work without the other half in their art exhibit: The way of chopsticks. As I walked through the exhibit the first time, I noticed that there were two sides of the room one the husband made and one the wife made. However you can tell which side is which because now in like people think of men to build things in a more man fashion than women and women make things in a more fashionable way but in the end of the exhibit when putting the pieces together i realize it showed how Chinese families were suppose to act.
ReplyDeleteIn the Philadelphia Art Alliance exhibit there were many interesting artworks created by a couple named Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen. The way they represented their daughter Song ErRui into their artwork was interesting because it shows how family is a meaningful thing in their artwork. Each of their artworks represents an important event, For example the baby represented how back then in China couples can only have one child, if they have more than one they have to get rid of the baby. I found this event very terrifying because comparing to now and then, back then many terrifying things lie this happened. Overall its interesting how you can learn many meaningful things from a couples artwork.
ReplyDeleteIn the Philadelphia Art Alliance there were many different types of art worked made by a couple in Beijing. There was a piece of art work where there was different types of shirts stitched together to make a bigger picture. There was a big suitcase that caught my attention because it was made up of different types of fabrics. There was a baby laying around that symbolized that you can only have one child per family. I found that interesting because families in the 21st century are able to have more than one kid but in China back then they were only allowed to have one child. What also caught my attention was how Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen made artwork from their perspectives at home. They had different pieces of furniture split in half to show how they see things. Dong and Xiuzhen wanted to show how dysfunctional a family will be without one another. The exhibit was made to trace the evolution of family dynamics from the 1960’s and ‘70s. Song ErRui, their daughter who joins in their art work, is growing up in the 21st century has a very different childhood than her parents.
ReplyDeleteIn the The Philadelphia Art Alliance exhibit there are many art pieces that were created by Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen to show how they see art in there perspective. In there artwork the married couple wanted to incorporate there daughter to represent her. There daughter who was Song ErRui there artwork is unique and different because they showed there own view on it and in this case it was showing there love and devotion towards there daughter. There artwork not only did it show there love for there daughter but it also showed many events from Chinese culture that effected there life. A way of life that's different in our nation this exhibit shows so many life changing events that can touch a persons heart.In the museum there were artworks created by hand, films,photography each aspect has a different meaning which depends on how you see it within each artwork there's a story that's waiting to be discovered like a mystery. this museum showed me that art can be done many ways as long as your heart is in it and you can express what your trying to show to your audience. Which in my view the couples have maintained and this was a great experience to witness the life history behind there creations. As well as knowledge on how people before us had to live a terrifying life in china to have a part in society even if that meant them abandoning there child most of these cruel events that our society had back then still exists today and this exhibit shows all that.
ReplyDeleteThe Philadelphia Art Alliance defined uniqueness, a type of uniqueness that serves as an inspiration to many museums and art galleries within and out of China. The brilliant idea by Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen to collaborate with their 11-year-old daughter, Song ErRui, on an installation that will turn the historic Wetherill mansion into a three-story multimedia exploration of modern family life in China was a surprise I encountered at Philadelphia Art Alliance. The exhibition traces the evolution of family dynamics from the 1960s and '70s China of the artists' youth, when large families were the norm, to the increasingly globalized present day where only children, like their own daughter, are fast becoming the majority. The Art work displayed sent different questions and ideas swimming in my head it helped and allowed me compare and contrast the way of life or culture of China, American and Nigeria from the 19’s till date and because of the unique Philadelphia artwork I realize that the world is similar in the sense that we all have different cultures that have inspired what we are now and who we will be in the future.
ReplyDeleteSong Dong and Yin Xiuzhen are Chinese artists who create unique artworks dedicated to their daughter, Song ErRui. These artworks are displayed in the Philadelphia Art Alliance Exhibit. In each artwork created by Song and Yin, love for their daughter is put into it. Their artworks don't only show love and devotion for their daughter, Song ErRui, it also honors their Chinese culture. In the Philadelphia Art Alliance exhibit, there are different types of artworks. Film, photography and hand made works are some of the many different types of works displayed in this private house. Most of the artworks have meanings behind it. There, you will find a room where there's a dead new born baby. This baby symbolizes the ways which Chinese parents had to get rid of their "extra" child. A mixture of emotions arise when you're there.
ReplyDelete-Wendy Miguel
When traveling to the Philadelphia Art Alliance, I discovered a new and unique type of art. The Chinese art from husband and wife Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen, showed me a creative twist to art as it there would be one half of an object created one way and another half created differently. They also used their young daughter to show that when they were growing up as children, they had a different life style as their young daughter is growing up today. When the PPA curator Sarah Archer says “families were large, and individuality was suspect,” she is explaining that the life styles from back then are different than now. The couples daughter is growing up in a very complex era.
ReplyDeletein the trip to the Philadelphia Art Alliance I seen some very interesting pieaces of art there from a husband and wife duo named Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen. There were very unique and different from eachother. they used the same item and made it look totally different at the which I thought was amazing. they love there daughter so much they did a movie of her showing that even when your alone you can be so creative. This shows how their love for art is just as important as family.
ReplyDeleteSong Dong and Yin Xiuzhen, two of China's most acclaimed contemporary artist use The Philadelphia Art Alliance's space and their daughter for their collaborative series, 'The Way of The Chopsticks'. The series explores family life in China and how single children will be affected by the change in family. A film that I saw during the exhibition conveyed a message of a lonely child without siblings, which included the artists's daughter. In the same film there were two directions that it went in, each side made by the artist. They use their creative differences to create one series that is saying the same thing. In this way, they tell us what the exhibit is trying to say about family. That families may have different ways of going about things within themselves, but they are usually, if not always of the same page. The exhibit, also told the story of two people who know China and Chinese families different. The artists make two different chopsticks, that have their own personal touches. They wanted to tell a story of a traditional China through their eyes and did it with their art.
ReplyDeleteBased on the following exempt from the Philadelphia Art Alliance website and based off my own experience of viewing the exhibition two fairly recognized contemporary artist Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen metaphorically use the idea of chopsticks in their artwork 'The Way of the Chopsticks' to show how together as artist and as parents, they balance each other out. Their artwork showcased the idea that one can't function without the other. During the exhibit i started to understand the message their artwork was sending. During the exhibit i viewed the rooms and saw that in some cases everything was symmetrically divided and in other cases i saw how the rooms were split in half showing patterns that seemed more womanly and on the other side i observed patterns that seemed more manly. During the exhibit they also used their daughter; she was featured in a video that helped me perceive the message of being lonely
ReplyDeleteAccording to the excerpt, Song dong, Yin Xiuzhen and their 11 year old daughter collaborated in the project "the way of chopsticks" . Through my personal experience, their collaboration was confusing. Each were showing a deep meaning withing their parts on the project. Yet the phrase "neither one can function, creativity or as parents, without the other" expressed how without each others individual perception of the project, the project wouldn't even make sense.
ReplyDeleteSong dong and Yin Xiuzhen were two Chinese artists who worked together in the project "the way of chopsticks" . They showed to anyone were viewing the artwork that they were a balance of each other. From my point of view the artists made the house as a reflection of what they thought of the world. The house had two halves , One feminine side and the other half was very masculine . There was a room were there was nothing but huge pieces glasses and the reflections were big and fun to look at . There was another room were we viewed a movie clipping of a little girl was throwing away her clothes . The house helped me to understand Song dong and Yin Xiozhen's perspective of the world
ReplyDeletePeople say women are smarter than men but in reality they have there own different ways of performing certain tasks. In the article "Men and Women Really Do Think Differently" it says that our brains have two types of tissue, gray and white matter. Men tend to think a lot more with their gray matter while women think more with their white matter making them think faster than a man. It has been discovered that men have 6.5 more gray matter then women and women have 10 times more white matter than men. Studies show men are better in mathematics and women are better at language skills. Both sexes think differently and do certain things differently but they still have the same results. Men and women have different perspectives on certain things such as style or parenting because a women's brain is more complicated then a mans. In certain cultures the man is seen as the most dominant in the family and makes the "money decisions" and the woman is more" nurturing" and does all the chores.
ReplyDeleteThe chopstick project represents how certain families from certain need each other in certain situations. In a chinese family the father would need the mother to survive and vise versa. Song, the father made his art work similar but at the same time different from his wife Yin. Yin would mark her artwork with legs hose or stockings to represent the difference in the artwork. the chopstick had each ones personal traits for example they let their daughter be apart of the project she decided to add her lion tubby bear which would represent a little girl. Neither the wife or father talked about the project to each other, to shows how much a family need one another to flourish and survive. Knowing that china population is so big there was only one child per family and in one of the rooms in the project had an aborted baby in a bathroom stale to what people were dealing with back then ... to them family is everything
ReplyDeleteOk well the chopsticks representing the mother and the farther, they both needed each other in the world of visions. On the farther side of the visionary purpose he uses lenses to see different things that make it what it is. On the other side the mother of the family needs passion love and confort which would represent the (lace threading) and the cotton stitching which would show compassion and development. the split chairs two different visions of life itself and representation of the issues that was provided and the life that is lived bye the mother the farther and the daughter.
ReplyDeleteThis is kinda confusing to me but its a song called chopsticks or something and the song is talking about how their daughter is growing up to be something wonderful like a daughter they always wanted and talking about how their family history made it to be great and successful and now the daughter is not changing to something that changes their family history and the daughter is just following what the parents want for her and they made a song for her to show her how wonderful she did called chopsticks
ReplyDeleteThis exhibit shows How you cant just use one chopstick because without the other one chopstick is useless. The chopstick created by the daughter could represent the centerpiece one thing the was in both videos was the daughter. The Daughter represents not only the center piece but she also represents modern time. She represents the new generation of china because early in her parents lives they grew up disconnected from the west of china. In the article above it says how she likes basketball and she thanks her parents occupation and how is allows her to travel the world she can do things and travel places that her parents could never imagine as a child. Personally i think that the exhibit was truly a creative place things that you would think about but could never do in the museum. The museum was fascinating a real museum in a house i think that the level of creativity was off the charts and it was really a pleasure to be there
ReplyDeletethis exhibit was very artistic and it really needed alot of thinking to figure out what it really meant. i think it meant that things in life really need a partner that one thing cant do without the other if they were to be seperate it would make absolutely no send and not work out. and even if the two things have totally different personalities and different outlooks ion life together they could be a really good match. ex you cant eat with one chopstick but if you have two you cant eat.
ReplyDeleteThe exhibit we saw when we went to Philadelphia , showed live sculptures of chopsticks made out of different materials. Chopsticks made out of things like wood, spoons, pantyhose, etc. It showed how you need both chopsticks in order to use them , one doesn't work without the other. It also showed how the guy and the women viewed things for example , the two split chairs that were in the exhibit showed how the women saw the chair & the other how the guy viewed the chair. The exhibit was a nice artistic place with interesting sculptures and models .
ReplyDeleteIn the Philadelphia Art Alliance, there were several pieces created by Song Dong and Yiu Xiuzhen to show the different perspectives of life. In a film they created, Song and Yiu used their daughter to portray these different perspectives. In one of the pieces of artwork, there were two chopsticks, one created by Song and one created by Yiu. One chopstick showed how things show their purpose and the other showed compassion. I think these two chopsticks were put together because these two perspectives created a very well-rounded, yet open mind.
ReplyDeleteThe exhibit we saw in Philadelphia showed sculptures that seemed to look very real of chopsticks made out of different materials. Some materials they were made out of were wood, spoons, pantyhose and dust. The exhibit showed a nice asortment of interesting looking sculptures and models.
ReplyDeleteAt the Philadelphia Art Alliance, I was introduced to a new art technique use by a couple who interpret art in different ways. When watching the film i notice it was based on there daughter and that she represents the new generation. The reason why is because before in china you were only allowed to have one child which relates to the baby that was lying around in the house. Also the couple created chopstick in different forms using different materials and I believe. It represent there family because you can't do much with just one chopstick you need the other one so it can be completed and I believe that's why they use there daughter when working with art because they are a family.
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