Serpentine Gallery presents China Power Station: Part 1 at Battersea Power Station
Co-produced by The Red Mansion Foundation
A major exhibition of Chinese contemporary art, architecture and sound
For five weeks in autumn 2006, the Serpentine Gallery took up residence in Battersea Power Station with a presentation of Chinese culture. This was the first chapter in an on-going series of exhibitions of contemporary Chinese art and architecture, organised by the Serpentine Gallery in collaboration with the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Mordern Art, Oslo.
China Power Station: Part I was a unique opportunity to visit the iconic Battersea Power Station before its planned redevelopment. It was also be the first chance to see the work of an extraordinary and vibrant new generation of Chinese artists and architects installed at this remarkable site.
Battersea Power Station echoed post-industrial art venues in China and the works on show were chosen to activate the enormous scale of its spaces. The exhibition was filled with sound and moving images, arguably the most prolific and strongest type of work being created in China at the time. There were three floors to visit and the art engaged with each of these distinct areas. Two celebrated Chinese architects defined the space, demonstrating the potential of the building.
This was the Serpentine Gallery's first large scale, off-site exhibition project. It embraced and celebrated the power of the building as well as the buoyant developments in Chinese contemporary culture.
This exhibition heralded the continuation of the Serpentine's ambitious expanded programme, devised by Julia Peyton-Jones, Director, Serpentine Gallery and Co-Director, Exhibitions & Programmes and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director, Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects. China Power Station Part I, II and III are curated by Julia Peyton-Jones, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Gunnar B. Kvaran, Director, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art.
The exhibition was part of the Serpentine Gallery's ongoing collaboration with the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo. China Power Station: Part I in London marked the first phase of the project. Part II is currently showing in Oslo and will tour to Mudam, Luxembourg, from April to September 2008, while Part III will be presented in Beijing in 2008. The project will propose a new model for showcasing developments in Chinese art and architecture and will be updated annually from 2006 to 2008.
Battersea Power Station © 2006 Parkview International
