Beijingartist Wang Gongxin and Platform China Contemporary Art Institute are pleased to present Relating opening on June 5th, 2010 at 3pm at Platform China Contemporary Art Institute- Space A. The show comprises two main works, a video installation titled Relating__It’s About Ya composed by 9-channel projectors broadcasting a series of video that begin with the sound “Ya” - a computer controls all the videos in order to guide the audience to watch them in the sequence as set by the artist. The other work titled Relating__It’s About A Dream presents an installation comprising 200 Mp4 showing 100 sleeping men and 100 scenes and objects. Accompanied by the sound of someone’s snoring, the images with the sleeping men gradually change from very blurred to more distinct, and the scenes and objects turn from positive to negative.
Through these two works, Wang Gongxin would like to continue a “transcendental” exploration of the language of video. The word "transcendental" we use here is different from the "transcendental theory" used in philosophy, it is also not the same as Emerson's "transcendence". Although the two terms are actually the same word, the concept is totally different. In these theories it refers to a kind of mysterious power, something unknown, metaphysical, definitely not what Wang wants to pursue and intends to convey with his work. The kind of "transcendence" he is looking for is another thing and it’s easier for people to assume it. To be able to assume and discover what is delivered beyond visual images it’s necessary to have a personal point of view. “Transcendental” refers to a universal image that subconsciously exists in our minds but people never realize its existence. Hence, Wang Gongxin is trying to use a visual language to explore it and find a way to express it in terms of image information.
He represents this subconscious reality or existence to stimulate a response and understanding from the public. Expanding or actually improving his previous visual experiences and language, Wang Gongxin turns a personal experience into a common experience. He lets the crowd, through his own critical path, bring into play their thinking and imagination and to reach the realization of what they couldn’t otherwise.
Utilizing the process of “relating”, he shows to people another way of looking at things. He doesn’t want the public to think that he is elaborating a new concept for “relating” things, but he wants them to realize that, when they see his images, they can use this path, the one of “relating”, to enter and explore his artworks.
In the process of questioning the possibility of “transcendence” there were many uncertainties, and Wang Gonging feels that this is exactly what he wanted.