Wang Xu
Dream Animals (Lianghui)
July 24–September 14, 2020
In January, Wang Xu packed some clothes, gifts, and a few stones in a suitcase and left to celebrate the Lunar New Year with his family back in Dalian, China. What was meant to be a month-long visit has now stretched into a seven month stay, as the US and China borders remain closed in response to the global pandemic. Mostly confined to his family’s apartment, Wang has continued work on an ongoing series of sculptures, Dream Animals, while watching the neighborhood from his windows.
Departing from his previous films exploring collaborative labor and craft in built environments, Wang first began carving the sculptures outdoors in New York City parks. The series marks a more introspective journey, inspired by visions in his own dreams. He says, “These energies appear separately in my dreams, but share a common prospect toward existence in their materialization.” Employing a variety of sculpting methods––from hand carving and extruding to felting and gilding––the responding sculptures appear enigmatic yet recognizable in their forms.
This special presentation features a new short video, Seven Star Road (2020), and a collection of poems by Wang. Paired with images from his sculpture series, it documents the passing of time during pandemic confinement and the persistence of a practice dependent on ephemeral connections between shared spaces and personal memories.
Seven Star Road, 2020, single-channel video, 12:49 min
Untitled (July)
Boiling water.
Embracing July
The farewell whistle has been blown
A concrete-hard chest,
The body, sweat, and blood of a bravery
Cast into a higher flame
Obsessed ship
Swing wildly and freely
In the center of the Lake of desire
Let’s go
The dancing bytes
and heart
Reverbing July
Accompanied by the meteor
Please don’t forget
Receding tide
Lover
and Freedom
Boiling water.
Embracing July
The farewell whistle has been blown
A concrete-hard chest,
The body, sweat, and blood of a bravery
Cast into a higher flame
Obsessed ship
Swing wildly and freely
In the center of the Lake of desire
Let’s go
The dancing bytes
and heart
Reverbing July
Accompanied by the meteor
Please don’t forget
Receding tide
Lover
and Freedom
The Forgotten horizon
The second when the sky and earth reversed
Rain came unexpectedly
To commemorate this June
A man repairs the roof
Chases the flames in time
Stubborn black melted
Asphalt smoothed
The gully in time
Lyricism from human to the heaven
Is to
Tell time
They have been here before
The Forgotten horizon
The second when the sky and earth reversed
Rain came unexpectedly
To commemorate this June
A man repairs the roof
Chases the flames in time
Stubborn black melted
Asphalt smoothed
The gully in time
Lyricism from human to the heaven
Is to
Tell time
They have been here before
Magpie on the chimney
Strengthening their nest
A man quietly climbed up the chimney
He stared at the moon and lit a cigarette
On the last day of May
Art is discarded
Take off the mask to breathe
Shouting out the answer to from the bottom of heart
In the omitted spare corner
There is a broken delicate wine glass
In the pieces of glass
Reflects the shape of tomorrow
Magpie on the chimney
Strengthening their nest
A man quietly climbed up the chimney
He stared at the moon and lit a cigarette
On the last day of May
Art is discarded
Take off the mask to breathe
Shouting out the answer to from the bottom of heart
In the omitted spare corner
There is a broken delicate wine glass
In the pieces of glass
Reflects the shape of tomorrow
Say to the bird
Say to the tree
Say to the grass
Say to myself
Say to a distant place
Say to gray
Say to nature
To say the most unnatural words
说谎四月
对鸟说
对树说
对草说
对自己说
对远方说
对灰色说
对自然说
说最不自然的话
April lies
Say to the bird
Say to the tree
Say to the grass
Say to myself
Say to a distant place
Say to gray
Say to nature
To say the most unnatural words
说谎四月
对鸟说
对树说
对草说
对自己说
对远方说
对灰色说
对自然说
说最不自然的话
March in March
Three people in a big courtyard
Waiting for an non-native language speaker
To express all
Funny strangers
One meter away
In a world outside of the senses
Outside the glass wall, on the lawn, on the ceiling
statues and art
Nothing to do with me
In an empty station
Anxious people are looking for their return train
Afraid to miss them
At such a moment
We indeed live in a spectacle
Our body is our own monument
Three people in a big courtyard
Waiting for an non-native language speaker
To express all
Funny strangers
One meter away
In a world outside of the senses
Outside the glass wall, on the lawn, on the ceiling
statues and art
Nothing to do with me
In an empty station
Anxious people are looking for their return train
Afraid to miss them
At such a moment
We indeed live in a spectacle
Our body is our own monument
Through the hospital window
Overlooking the dangerous fog
Chilly February
Closed door
Cold heart
You touch my forehead gently
I quietly comfort myself
The nervous heart gradually calms down
This is the best time
To learn to play a music instrument
Before spring ends
Before the mist dissipates
Let the music soothe the heart
And the memory
Seems to have a melody
Through the hospital window
Overlooking the dangerous fog
Chilly February
Closed door
Cold heart
You touch my forehead gently
I quietly comfort myself
The nervous heart gradually calms down
This is the best time
To learn to play a music instrument
Before spring ends
Before the mist dissipates
Let the music soothe the heart
And the memory
Seems to have a melody
When water meets ice
fog just comes out of a mountain
Starving and fleeing in panic
When I dreamed of the fog, the water condensed.
Silence
Quiet like ever-lasting night
When water meets ice
fog just comes out of a mountain
Starving and fleeing in panic
When I dreamed of the fog, the water condensed.
Silence
Quiet like ever-lasting night
The train carried the night
dragging the moon out of her exhaustion
Reflection of reeds and corn field
Receded along with the city
Escape from the torture of the sun
He said:
“I must give you a utopia”
I mumbled:
“Actually I only need a gray world”
This train was the last shelter for the losers
The train carried the night
dragging the moon out of her exhaustion
Reflection of reeds and corn field
Receded along with the city
Escape from the torture of the sun
He said:
“I must give you a utopia”
I mumbled:
“Actually I only need a gray world”
This train was the last shelter for the losers