Shanghai Longtang-Solo Show by Hu Yang
2008-08-19 14:10
September 5 – October 15, 2008
In the 1980’s Hu Yang started wandering along the streets in Shanghai, especially the Longtang (lanes of traditional Shanghai style). Here, the way of life has changed dramatically.
The Longtang, the most common style of local residence in Shanghai, however, have almost disappeared. One critical characteristic of living in the Longtang is that there is no clear-cut boundary between public and private space. When air-conditioning, refrigerator, and television set are not available or affordable, and when cooking and watering facilities have to be shared, many daily activities of the residents, including doing laundry, cooking, brushing teeth, washing their face and even taking shower, are necessarily conduced in the shared space of the Longtang. And because the houses are very small, many family activities such as having meals taking naps, reading and playing chess are moved from indoors to the street. The specific material condition has profoundly shaped the manners, life styles and cultural habits of people living in the Longtang. In contrast to lives in the modern apartment buildings, those of the Longtang are far more transparent with very limited privacy: personal activities and family affairs are much more revealing to the sights of neighbors who are, in general, more familiar with and more intimately involved with each other.
There are neither worship for modern life, nor emotional reminiscence of time. What we seen in Hu Yang’s work are merely an outdated invitation, or a trip to the past.
Wu Jiao Chang 800 Art Zone, 800 Guoshun East Rd., #401, Shanghai, 200433, China
T: +86 21 55065989
F: +86 21 55066997
info@shanghartgallery.com
Opening hours: 1pm – 6 pm (Closed on Sunday/Mondays )
There are neither worship for modern life, nor emotional reminiscence of time. What we seen in Hu Yang’s work are merely a outdate invitation, or a trip into yesterday.
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