Summer is finally here, which means I've left the smoggy streets of Shanghai for the good ol' U.S. of A! It will nice to have a two month break from my adopted hometown to chill in my real hometown (NYC!!).
    But before my husband and I got to New York, we spent an exhausting but revelatory week in the Midwest (my first time in the area, not counting Chicago!). While he had meetings with clients, I immersed myself with as much art as the heartland could offer. Our first stop was Minneapolis (well, our real first stop on our journey was Vancouver, but that was for a wedding). We stayed in the Mill District, where the city had repurposed the old mills (where Gold Medal, Pillsbury and other iconic brands were based) into condos, cultural centers and public parks. I was immediately enamored with the city. The riverfront area was beautiful and people were friendly. We unfortunately did not have much time but we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Walker Art Center and the Sculpture Garden. I've included some highlights in the slideshow above but the following works really stood out for me:

Shown here is Kim Beom's hilarious instructional video Painting 'Yellow Scream' (2012). It shows the artist in a Bob Ross-like set up, showing viewers how to paint a piece he calls Yellow Scream. With each application of yellow paint, he moves close to the canvas and lets out a primal scream for as long as the brush is on the canvas. So many issues are at play here - Asian identity, critique of Korean culture, the performative aspect of painting - but nothing beats the unbridled joy and humor of this piece.  

Here's my husband standing in Kiki Smith's installation Kitchen (2005). I didn't manage to get to a very clear image of the piece but it was a beautiful shrine to domestic life that also felt a bit like a prison. Notice the statue of the little girl longing to leave.

This is a still from an unsettling video by Nathalie Djurbery. I wasn't made to play the son (2011), shows two male figures dismembering and desecrating a larger female figure, all done in Claymation, or rather, Play-do-mation. I bet even those who are used to torture porn in film will be disturbed by the graphic nature of this piece. It was hard to look away.

    We left Minneapolis just as quickly as we arrived, capping our visit with a quick stop to the Mall of America. Driving though Iowa on our way to Kansas City, I marveled at just how much space there was. Living in China, you forget how big the world can be. 
    We arrived in Kansas City a day later to record temperatures (over 100 degrees F!) so our first day in KC was spent in our air conditioned hotel room. I needed to rest up for my big day of visiting artists' studios. My friend Christina had put me in touch with her friend Jill Downen, who had just started a residency in KC. Jill was kind enough to arrange and put me in touch with the director of Studios Inc., even though she herself wasn't available to meet me. 
    I thought I was going to visit just two or three artists but my day turned out to be more of an adventure that I had planned for. The director, Colby Smith, picked me up at my hotel in a big white van; he informed me that the truck was purchased from an old P.I. agency that went under in the nineties. Colby is a wild-eyed man who is never at a loss for words, making him the perfect guide for my whirlwind tour of the city's art scene. We sped through the Crossroads art district, which was vast, much bigger than anything we have in Shanghai or even in Beijing. Crossroads is an integrated part of the city, located downtown and not separated into an art ghetto like M50 or 798 is. There were hundreds of galleries (of which I visited none of) and lots of boutiques and cafes. 
    Studios Inc. is located just at the edge of Crossroads in what used to be a tannery. Christina had mentioned that Jill had it the jackpot with her studio and she was right. It's a pretty amazing space. Unfortunately for all you artists out there, the residency is open only to Kansas City residents. 
    It would take too long to describe all the artists that I visited so in the interest of time, I've given very brief descriptions of the work I saw with a link to their website wherever possible; there are also several images in the slideshow at the top of this page.

First up was Barry Anderson. I was fortunate to catch his show, The Janus Restraint, in the exhibition space at Studios Inc., as he was actually preparing to take it down. The show consisted mainly of video installations and sound pieces; I was especially drawn to his kaleidoscope pieces, which reminded me of fractals in nature.  

Next up was Garry Noland, whose recent works were textile-like tapestries and "drawings" made from tape and contact paper. He was the longest resident at Studios Inc. (5 years I believe), although I believe they are finally setting time limits on the residency program. He talked at length about the Midwestern art scene and about his children; his daughter, Peggy, is also an artist and fashion designer.   

Jill Downen wasn't around but I was still able to see her pristine studio. She works mainly in plaster and wood but in her hands, these common materials possess an uncommon beauty. Colby was excited about her filing cabinet, as was I. Each drawer revealed little vignettes; some were abstract while others, like the one in the image above, had a tangible narrative. This particular drawer actually reminded me of Huang Kui's work from a couple of years ago, when he chronicled his debilitating accident from a fall through a wooden floor.

Before lunch, Colby showed me his own studio, which was a maze of just STUFF. Pack rat isn't exactly the word I would use, although most people would call him that. He just seems to find every object in the universe amazing and that energy is contagious; I wanted to explore every nook and cranny of his studio to see what treasures abound. His graphic "canvases" of found objects were my favorites (shown in the slideshow) but really, his studio itself was a thing to behold.
    We had a quick lunch at an artist-run café (I think everything in the Crossroads area is "artist-run"), where we met Peregrine Honig. Colby described her as the most established artists in the KC area; I found out later that she was on the first season of that Bravo show Work of Art. I've only seen two episodes on a plane from season 2 but cannot find the DVD set in Shanghai. Amazing, since most DVD shops in China have EVERYTHING.

Her studio was just around the corner from the café (and from her lingerie boutique, which I didn't have time to visit). It was modest compared to the cavernous spaces at Studios Inc. but still filled with treasures! Here she's shown holding up a limited edition silk scarf she designed; the writing isn't clear but it says "sucker". Not exactly a G-rated item. She has these amazing little taxidermied fawns (that I wasn't allowed to photograph but I've linked to) placed under glass, that were actually actual unborn fetuses. Morbid but sweet at the same time, which I guess describes the artist and her work.

Next door was David Ford's studio, where we were greeted enthusiastically by his adorable dog Romeo (here he is at left in an absolutely picture perfect moment). His projects have taken him around the world; the doll heads in the slideshow were sourced from a village in Guatemala. His work reminds of MadeIn Company/ Xu Zhen, especially this piece that's featured on his website:

       We headed back to Studios Inc. to meet more artists. Matthew Dehaemers is an unassuming, modest guy, the complete opposite of his elaborate installations.

Most striking was a large-scale tire shaped lantern structure made of Japanese paper (shown in slideshow). His studio was strewn with models of previous and upcoming works, many of which would be public installations. Here he is above demonstrating the movements of one such piece.

Next up was Dylan Mortimer, a clean-cut guy who explored the intersection of religion and popular culture, especially hip-hop culture. If I remember correctly, he wanted to be a priest when he was younger but became interested in public expressions of faith and how art could add to that dialogue. He had many pieces in his studio that I loved; I was particularly drawn to his prayer booth, which was installed on the streets of New York City, and his blingy hip-hop medallions with slogans like "Amen bitch" and "Who created your ass?". Above he is demonstrating the mechanisms of his portable church pews and lecterns painted to resemble those Caution signs that janitors use.

My last stop at Studios Inc. (but not my last stop of the day) was the painting studio of Robert Josiah, which, as you can see from the image at left, was the neatest I've ever seen for an artist! He was one of the few artists I met that day who worked in a more traditional medium. He did not have many large paintings up but he had many lovely sketches, some of which were part of a project he initiated with a friend to only draw with his left hand. It allowed him to be looser in his approach and get another perspective on his art. I think all artists should do something like this at some point in their practice, especially if they feel blocked.

I was exhausted at this point but Colby had one last stop for me, his own home where he keeps his extensive collection. It was mainly made up of artists who had passed through Studios Inc. but he also had antiques like a dresser-sized radio from the 1950s and C.S. Lewis' piano (!). His energy levels throughout the day was impressive (thanks to many many cups of coffee) but that energy went up ten-fold when he showed me the works in his home. He was clearly a big fan of every single artist that graced his walls and it was impressive the amount of enthusiasm that he expressed talking about these works. I think that was the best part of the day, having someone who just absolutely LOVES his job and all artists take me around. It made for an amazing experience. Plus, he had the sweetest dog (whose name eludes me now!) who was just the perfect ending to a great day.

    My brief descriptions don't do justice to all the artists I visited but at least I can introduce you to new artworks. I encourage you to click on the links to each artists, there's so much more to them than what I've written here! I'm now in New York City and I'm sure there'll be many more posts to come this summer as I explore the never-ending art and culture options of my hometown. The Midwest was fantastic but it's always great to come back home. Stay tuned!

Last Wednesday I headed up to the Taopu area to visit some artists' studios and hopefully get some inspiration for this new project I'm hoping to initiate with Randian. Tagging along was Randian's Daniel Ho and new intern Nicolletta and my artist friend Alexander Oleksyn. 
    Our first stop was the Hero Pen Factory, where there is a sizable cluster of artists with studios. We were greeted by Qiu Anxiong and his wife outside his studio. I've known Qiu Laoshi for many years but this was my first time visiting his studio (he's been here for a year and a half). There weren't many new works in his studio as his time in the past couple of years has been taken up with Museum of Unknown activities and exhibitions. Museum is a loose group of artists and related practitioners (musicians, designers, etc.) that organize unorthodox exhibitions in and outside museums. Qiu Laoshi was hoping to bring a show last shown at the Arrow Factory in Beijing to Shanghai. The idea was to set up a lending library of artworks. None of the artworks exhibited would be on sale but anyone can borrow pieces if you leave a personal item behind. We still spent some time in Qiu Laoshi's studio, despite the lack of new works, as none of the others had seen his 2006 video, "New Book of the Mountains & Seas", which he played for us. I've seen it numerous times and it still hasn't lost it impact. 
    We went next door to Zhang Fei's studio, who was working on new sculptures that were intriguing but I would need to see the final result before I can form a solid opinion on them. I do like his technique for creating the solid structure of the pieces. He took colored paper, soaked them, and then crushed them together so they become a substantial mass. We then went to Liao Fei's studio, where we were greeted enthusiastically by his adorable little dog. He was working on several new pieces, including a series where he was investigating light. He paints the same scene at different times of the day, each canvas getting progressively darker. He also had others works that remined me of Mo Yan's work. He currently has work up at MoCA at the +Follow show. 
    The artists then invited us to join them for lunch at the factory canteen. Their studios are located in a working factory and there are still workers in the complex and the canteen is still up and running. The last time I ate at a canteen was in Beijing in 1986. You go up to a window with your own bowl and utensils, order from the selection of food they have and pay with tickets, not cash (Liao Fei was kind enough to supply us with tickets). The food was good, just simple home-style cooking, but as usual, I ordered too much! There is a large trench sink outside where you can wash your bowls and discard leftover food (we guessed this is then fed to pigs).
    We then joined Hangfeng in another building where his studio was. Hangfeng has been away for three months so there wasn't much to see in his studio but we did stop by Maya Kramer and Wu Ding's studio. It was my first time seeing Maya's studio (which she shares with her boyfriend artist Jin Shan) and I was pleasantly surprised. Previous works that she has shown at OV Gallery and Aike Gallery didn't do much for me so it was a treat to see these new works that she's preparing for a solo show in New York this fall. She had molded a feather out of charcoal (beautiful!) and tie dyed traditional xuan paper. Very cool. Wu Ding likewise did not have a lot up but we sat with him for a while because he kept pouring us tea. We had a nice discussion about tea and how he prefers pu'er (which we were drinking) over tie guan yin (which is Daniel's favorite) because tie guan yin has become so popular that the quality has gone down considerably. The more you know...
    We then rushed over to Taopu proper to visit MadeIn Studio, where Alexia had two young artists waiting for us. Before we met them, we got a sneak peak of MadeIn's new work for ArtBasel Hong Kong in May. I was sworn to secrecy so I can't say much and won't post any images. I will say that I gasped when I saw the work and it made me VERY excited, giddy almost, to see the final product. Elsewhere in the studio were canvases with thick white oil paint applied with baker's icing bag. They looked delicious. Here is a close up view of a pink and purple version that is currently up at ShanghArt's H-Space:

On to the artists. First up was Lu Pingyuan, who most recently had a show at the Goethe Open Space. For this show, he hung his entire wardrobe in the space and had two assistants on hand that would constantly wash his clothes in a machine installed in the wall. He's very much a conceptual artist in the vein of a young Xu Zhen (you can see why he works so closely with MadeIn). He's also created works that came with its own container, sort of like a coffin, which acts as both a display and storage unit. 
    Next up was Xia Yunfei, a VERY young artist (born 1989!) who's still learning and exploring. He showed us some performance pieces which were amateurish and naïve but he himself admitted that he is experimenting and figuring out what works for him. His paintings and drawings on the other hand were wonderful. They were dark, primal works that reminded me a bit of Anselm Kiefer. Xia Yunfei himself is quite genial and chipper, very unlike his paintings. Unfortunately I don't have any images on hand, as he was presenting them on Powerpoint, but I think he has a bright future. Our last stop was Ding Li's studio. He's part of the TOF collective and he organizes many exhibitions with them. He's much more established than the young artists we met throughout the day so he might not be ideal for the project (we want to stick with young, unknown artists) but it was still interesting to see the man behind many projects that I'm familiar with. 
    Daniel and I have plans to see more studios but not before we firm our plans and have a clearer objective for our project. I met with Lorenz from ShanghArt Gallery to bounce some ideas off him and he gave some very good advise that I will be following. Sorry I can't be more explicit in what those ideas are but once I have a concrete proposal, Ill be sure to share with everyone.