Ark Fongsmut, Residency in Shanghai

Ark Fongsmut is a curator residing in Bangkok. In November 2006, Fongsmut came to Shanghai for a residency with BizArt to conduct research.

As result of his experience in China, artists Luo Yongjin and Huang Yuanqing were invited for a residency and exhibition in Bangkok.

“One afternoon last autumn, I took a rowboat trip in the West Lake in Hangzhou with photographer Luo Yongjin, Hnag Mingshi, Jiao Jian and his girlfriend. Taking this cruise was like an escape from the fussy life of big city like Shanghai. Those familiar symbolic images such as the Forbidden city, Mao Zedong and the political satiric images in Chinese contemporary art are no longer the only representation I can find. Visiting the studios of the above artists, I realized that Chinese contemporary art has various visual developments far away from the images of the so called “international Chinese art”. I realized that there are artists here who do not speed up to follow the current trend of Chinese contemporary art. Their speed harmonizes with their life and their art responds to a deeper reflection on the contemporary cultural and social situation in China.” – Ark Fongsmut