Panorama: Serendipitous Encounters of Worlds

“Panorama: Serendipitous Encounters of Worlds” is a multi-year project that brings together a large-scale art exhibition and the urban landscape. The concept of the “panorama” was important to the initial construction of the museum space, which emphasizes the juxtaposition of the exhibition and its urban setting. Visitors move between views of the exhibition gallery and views of the city from the air, so the works of art are part of both the exhibition and the urban space. The spatial dislocations of multiple times, spaces, and regional cultures, which are comprised of space (in the architectural sense) and works of art, are connected to the subtitle of the show: “Serendipitous Encounters of Worlds.”

“People who live in the world are constantly shaping the world based on their surroundings—whether they be realities or dreams. People are caught up in these many worlds, and no one can be left behind. In the art world, artists are all realists, actively creating dreams and occasionally forgetting themselves. Here, visitors can look at art and occasionally look down on the entire city. While reveling in the urban panorama, you will come to appreciate the art around you—the experience is a blend of the real and illusory, true and false, believable and doubtful. Our grasp of the world is decided by our grasp of ourselves. Are we innocent bystanders or directly involved? Is this the real world or nirvana? All of this is related to how we manage our relationships with others.” This was how Wang Yamin, the exhibition’s curator, poetically explained the experience of viewing the exhibition. He puts himself in the viewer’s shoes, discussing the exhibition as a viewer would. Hovering outside the self reflects the exhibition’s uncertainty, another element in this show. During the nine-month exhibition, Wang Yamin and the G Museum team will present a series of public education events focused on the subject of the city. These mobile lectures and dialogues become part of the exhibition, creating truly meaningful encounters between conceptions of the world.