Dirty Substance 1
Wang Jianwei
汪建伟
Production date
2015
Object Detail
Media
MDF, stainless steel
Measurements
205 x 270 x 127 cm
Notes
Recent sculptural installations reveal Wang’s interest in spatial relationships and his refusal to be classified by medium, theme or, indeed nationality. Suspicious of western interpretations of Chinese contemporary art as a literal representation of Chinese society, Wang Jianwei strives to ensure that his work resists easy interpretations of this kind. The segmented forms of Dirty Substance 1 (2015) and the sinuous interlocking curves of As Though…3 (2017) suggest deconstructed post-industrial monuments made of wood, metal and rubber; they appear capable of infinite transformation, apt forms for an artist inhabiting a society undergoing constant change. These works, Wang says, were created through a similarly provisional process: ‘Every piece of my installation work is made without prior sketches: they can start from any angle, any curve, or a new tool I’ve never used before…they are also a rehearsal, a rehearsal of objects.’ Despite their strong physical presence in the gallery space, these works represent the fluxing nature of the contemporary world, as much as do his staged performances or video installations. Space, time and the in-between are Wang Jianwei’s continuing preoccupations. ‘Once you do away with boundaries and identities,’ Wang told art writer Jonathan Napack in 2006, ‘you have to discover yourself as an individual.’
Accession number
2016.156