Editor’s Note:
Yishu 66 opens with a special feature on Hans van Dijk, an important figure within the evolution of contemporary Chinese art from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. His work was commemorated in 2014 with two exhibitions curated by Marianne Brouwer, the first at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, the second at Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam. These two exhibitions serve as the catalyst for the interviews and recollections that are included in this issue of Yishu and bring added insight to van Dijk’s contributions. Many thanks go to the staff at Witte de With and Ullens, as well as the authors and those interviewed who have been so helpful in providing first-hand, never-before-published perspectives on Hans van Dijk.
The texts on Hans van Dijk are followed by an interview with Brian Wallace, who recounts his story of opening Red Gate Gallery in Beijing in the early 1990s. He, too, is a significant player in the evolution of contemporary Chinese art, Red Gate was among the first private gallery spaces to open in China. Its longevity attests to the commitment of Wallace and the quality of artists he exhibits. Both the Hans van Dijk and Brian Wallace stories provide a rich sense of those formative years and illustrate how much has changed over the past thirty years.
Ryan Holmberg contributes a text on two exhibitions in Mumbai that have direct and indirect references to China. One exhibition, at Clark House Initiative, explores the Chinese diaspora within India through the remnants of the Chinese community that continues to exist in Mumbai. The other, at Mumbai Art Room, exhibited artists from Hong Kong and India and presented work that addressed India-China relations from diverse perspectives. This text enters into relatively uncharted territory with respect to China and its relationship with other Asian regions.
The final text is an interview with Wang Jianwei about his exhibition, Time Temple, which was commissioned for the Guggenheim Museum in New York. This incisive discussion reveals an artist who is not shy about taking a provocative stance on what it means to be an artist and about the process of making art.
Keith Wallace
Image (top): Hans van Dijk in Andreas Schmid’s studio, Berlin, 1991. Photo: Andreas Schmid. Courtesy of Andreas Schmid.