LIU DING

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"I Simply Appear in the Company of Other Things" 2009

"I Simply Appear in the Company of Other Things" 2009

mixed media
5 pieces, from left to the right:
72.5 x 65 cm (photograph); 29 x 40 x 4 cm (wood print);
32 x 39 x 34 cm (sculpture eagle), 100 x 18 x 25 cm (plint)
121 x 52 x 5 cm (Chinese scroll, ink on silk); 22 x 30.5 x 4 cm (woodprint Wang Guangyi)
Installation Art Basel Miami Beach, USA, 2009


Artist Statement:
" I Simply Appear In the Company of Other Things"

In this ongoing series of artworks, I search for, choose, bring together, borrow and purchase the works of other artists, made at different times and coming from a variety of sources. They could be woodblock prints, photographs, sculptures, ink wash paintings and so on. Instead of creating something completely new on my own, I give each of these works a frame or a plinth on which I sign my own name. In doing so, I claim my own identity as an artist by appearing in the company of these works of other artists. Their juxtaposition is not entirely coincidental, but rather a decision based on careful consideration. In appearance, they are not harmonious or unified, but rather collide with or appear irrelevant towards each other. They reflect the complex position I find myself in. The process of choosing works for this project is one of constantly contemplating and fighting against my own taste. The predicament I am in is not only concerned with this particular series, but can be extended to the general condition of being an artist. How does one choose to ?represent? himself or herself in public?
This project for Miami Basel also resembles a booth within a booth. In an art fair, it?s rare to see consistency between the works grouped together within one booth. Instead, galleries group a selection of works together and as a result, you see works that are drastically different and diverse, at times colliding aesthetically, being displayed side by side. It?s a temporary and arbitrary assemblage of works, brought together under one roof.

Liu Ding