Letters on art credit crunch article
Following various queries regarding the below paragraph in this article Urs Meile Gallery asked me to publish their statement below which follows the quote. Very enlightening.
“Gallery Urs Meile, one of Beijing’s major galleries, shrugged off worries about sales. According to the gallery’s Nataline Colonnello recent works in the show by Wang Xingwei have been booked, or are not for sale. Early next year the gallery plans a shock art performance by the artist He Yunchang, already blinded by an earlier performance. He plans to “remove an important art of his body, and create an object. It might eventually kill him,” Colonnello said.”
Statement from Urs Meile Gallery:
——–
Evidence proofs that He Yunchang is not blind from a previous performance. The performance “Eyesight Test” (2003) was an event in which He Yunchang fixed his eyes on a 10,000 w light for 60 minutes to purposely weaken his vision. As expected, in that occasion He Yunchang suffered a loss of sight which is something absolutely different from a condition of blindness.
In fall 2009 Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, is planning an important one-man show by He Yunchang: the exhibition will feature a selection of earlier works by the artist, as well as some new works resulting from a recent performance (August 2008) that was held behind closed doors and out of the sight of the public. The above-mentioned performance did not jeopardize the artist’s physical condition more than a common cosmetic surgery and did not affect any vital organ. The performance was not more dangerous than other performances the artist did in the past, as for example “Cast” (2004), in which the artist decided to stay in a cement block built ad hoc for 24 hours, or “Dialogue with Water” (1999), where He was hung upside down from a crane and cut the river behind with a knife for 30 minutes, causing to himself 1cm deep cuts in both arms. He Yunchang’s performances deal with existential questions and are generally aimed to willingly stress and weaken the artist’s physical and psychological condition. Each of the performances by He Yunchang requires a detailed planning, psychological and physical preparation, as well a recovery period that can vary in time. Being highly individual expressive instruments, He Yunchang’s performances are not aimed to create shock in the public or cause a sensation in the press. The target of Galerie Urs Meile is is to create an exhibition that is representative of the high quality works by He Yunchang.
——–