Yves Netzhammer: Refurnishing Thoughts
Swiss artist Yves Netzhammer will present new solo exhibition “Refurnishing Thoughts” at Fosun Foundation Shanghai, running from August 13 to October 7, 2017. This will be a duo solo with Chinese artist Qiu Anxiong, who was the residency artist of Pro Helvetia Shanghai in Winterthur, Switzerland in 2014. The two artists have intensively exchanged and jointly created the work “Tableau No.1”, combining drawings and fictional characters. This time, a dialogue between Western new media animation and Chinese ink-based film, the exhibitions explore the paradoxes facing modern society in both China and the West alike. They each consider the plight of humanity and modern civilization through experiential, immersive video works. This exhibition also breaks down the traditional boundaries of the exhibition space, with a rolling broadcast of short films by both artists displayed on Lujiazui’s Citibank “Bund Star” LED screen. This link, bridging the Lujiazui architectural complex and the galleries of Fosun Foundation Shanghai, engenders a metaphorical collision between contemporary art and society, one that resonates throughout the entire city.
About “Refurnishing Thoughts”
Is it true that man plans, and God laughs? The works of Swiss artist Yves Netzhammer seem to tear rifts in time within active spaces. Through an organic synthesis of painting, steel installation, and animated short film, the artist integrates and re-configures these artistic elements to playfully subvert our understanding of time, space, and the world more generally: joy and pain coexist; life and death cycle endlessly. A comprehensive presentation of Netzhammer’s work across various media, this exhibition is an exhaustive expression of his tireless inquiries into space and medium as well as his sustained interest in time, environment, and society. The works on display here include seven short animations, over thirty steel installations, and more than ten wall paintings.
For the exhibition, the second floor of Fosun Foundation Shanghai will be transformed into a “home” complete with living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Like the structure of the human brain, each section will have its own separate function. The viewer will be immersed in this manifold artistic space, composed of imaginative animated films, painterly works, simple black and white lines, and variegated blocks of color. These changes in scenery in turn structure different sensorial experiences.
About the Artist – Yves Netzhammer
Yves Netzhammer (b. 1970) currently lives and works in Zürich. He previously studied at the Zürich University of the Arts. His work combines video installation, projection, and painting, evincing a unique artistic charm.
Netzhammer’s presentation in China dates to various solo exhibitions and group projects: “The 3rd Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale”, Shenzhen (2016); “Smell of Animal” at K11, Shanghai (2013); “Nature, Fear, Entity” at Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai (2011); and “Synethic Times: Media Art China 2008”, National Art Museum of China, Beijing (2008).
Netzhammer has held solo exhibitions at major museums around the world, including in the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur (Münster, Germany, 2016); Kyiv Biennale (Kiev, Ukraine, 2015); Museum of Old and New Art (Tasmania, Australia, 2013); Kunstmuseum Luzern (Switzerland, 2011); Kunstmuseum Bern (Switzerland, 2010); Palazzo Strozzi (Italy, 2009); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2008); Venice Biennale (2007); Karlskirche (2007 documenta supporting program, Kassel, Germany); Museum Rietberg (Zürich, 2006); Kunsthalle Bremen (Germany, 2005); and Helmhaus Zürich (2003).
Select group exhibitions include presentations in the Liverpool Biennial (2010); Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (2007); Witte de With and TENT (Rotterdam, 2006); Lehmbruck Museum (Duisburg, Germany, 2006); and the National Gallery in Prague (2005).
About Fosun Foundation Shanghai
Located in the Bund Finance Center, Fosun Foundation Shanghai is a non-profit organization founded by the Fosun Group and the Fosun Foundation in November 2016. The center is designed by British design firm Foster + Partners and creative director Heatherwick Studio. The building features three layers of moving veils in appearance.
Its core mission is threefold: to promote contemporary art, connect China with international cultural systems, and foster public engagement with, understanding of, and participation in global contemporary art. Through its exhibitions and public programs, the center also offers Chinese artists an international-caliber platform to feature their work. Its roof houses the large-scale spatial installation Counter Sky Garden by renowned Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima, which is also part of the Foundation’s permanent collection.
About Pro Helvetia Shanghai
Pro Helvetia is dedicated to the promotion of contemporary cultural works of national and international interest. It also fosters co-productions or exchanges between Swiss artists and artists from other countries, in particular from countries where Pro Helvetia has a regional office.
Pro Helvetia Shanghai is the youngest of nine offices that now represents the Swiss Arts Council in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Its aim is to encourage dialogue between Swiss and Chinese cultural practitioners and institutions by supporting projects that enhance the exchange of knowledge and experience in the cultural field.
