Interval of silence

Artists: Ai Weiwei, Cang Xin, Chen Lingyang, Dai Guangyu, Hanbing, He Chengyao, He Yunchang, Huang Rui, Jin Feng, Li Luming, Sheng Qi, Wen Pulin, Yang Fan, Zhang Dali, Zhang Nian (in alphabetical order)

Curator : Dai Guangyu

"Interval of Silence" indicates a temporary pause. In music, there must be a pause when it’s needed. The musicians’ gift tells us the pause is wonderful and the next note will be soul-stirring because of the pause, which is important for the essence of music! The interval - is for making the subsequent continuation significant.

Certainly, for the artistic and cultural activity, to excessively devour our thoughts and actions and blindly follow the tide’s pace will necessarily restrict the independence of dignity and take away the effectiveness from the only enterprising spirit in human spiritual life for which people may praise themselves. Nowadays, almost every artistic organizational system and event worked out and implemented according to the international standard gains the utmost profit from the operation and control through a kind of “good” and “normal” order. For example, the surging double-year exhibition and the excessive layout idea artistic exhibition digs out everything from the artists’ brains, and what is left for the world is the superfluous gusto, indiscriminate concept, empty form and the pallid thought, etc., which simply reaches the extreme extent. In fact, many artists with normal mind know the inside story, but all of them fear that their frustration phobia of unsuccessfulness will exactly be controlled by the manipulator. Failure means to be out, so everybody has to respect and follow the success law established by the hegemony order. Nowadays, art has been placed under house arrest for a long time and the artists have been hijacked as well. The brainwashed artists are just like the dope-takers who have entered the illusion state and a kind of Shamanistic impulse makes people can’t help twitching. Now, the collective excrement after qualm is piled up like a mountain.

How to cope with the “good” and “normal” artistic and cultural activity implemented under the manipulation by the mighty system? If our mind is still sound and independent, the rest can give us a chance to think anew.

The “Interval of Silence” Artistic Exhibition is such an attempt. The presentation of interval of silence actually foretells that many unknown new things may come into being, and we think the temporary pause is a fantastic idea. The pause itself is of a progressive tense because the pause is ready for starting afresh.

Based on such a starting point, the artists invited to participate in the exhibition don’t need to consider any organizational system, mode or subject, the work submitted by everybody is just his topic. The “Interval of Silence” Exhibition is like the Round Table Conference in which they meet, communicate, converse and gather together. It’s a sort of really open, dynamic, self-refreshing and independent artistic activity as well as the demonstrating work to restore the artists’ imagination and creativity.