Wang Kaifang’s Gold Brick in Ancient Town Pingyao
- in News
- posted July 5, 2019
by iFeng.om July 8, 2019
On July 5th, the second Sculpture Projects Ping Yao opened in Pingyao Ancient City with a history of more than 2,700 years. Wang Kaifang took the work, Besieged Gold Brick City, to the ancient city and participated in the “InBetween” sculpture exhibition with 60 more artists from all over the world.
Artist representatives 
Wang Kaifang’s Besieged Gold Brick City
Besieged Gold Brick City
4.2×4×2.4m, Titanium-coated Stainless Steel, 2019
the 2nd Sculpture Projects Pingyao 2019 was unveiled as scheduled, inviting Ulrich Loock (former Director of Art Museums in Bern and Luzern) and Peng Feng , President of the School of Art, Peking University, Curator of the China Pavilion for the 54th Venice Biennale who both served as the chief curator of the 2nd Sculpture Projects Pingyao 2019. Jin Shangyi, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association, Shao Dazhen, a well-known art critic, and GOLLIGNON, a member of the French Academy of Culture and Communication, served as general counsel of the 2nd Sculpture Projects Pingyao 2019
with the theme of “Inbetween”, Chinese curator Peng Feng believed that this “Inbetween” was not only reflected in the works they exhibited, but also existed in the ancient town of Pingyao. He hopes that the 2nd Sculpture Projects Pingyao 2019 will bring together sculptors from different countries to the center of Pingyao. Between all the ‘past’ and ‘future’, between ‘here’ and ‘there’, there will be a variety of interpretations. The connections between the relationships come together. Let the art create a historic dialogue among us, the ancient city, and the world, and hopefully that the 2nd Sculpture Projects Pingyao 2019 can reshape the historical significance of Pingyao.
Wang Kaifang’s Besieged Gold Brick City is located in the center of the Palace Square in Pingyao Ancient Town. The work consists of five pieces of gold bricks to create an attractive space. The visitors walks through it, taking pictures, interacting in various angles. Wang Kaifang said that “in-between” is the subtle state of Eastern philosophy – the chaos, the tolerance, the cross-border… The human destiny community is also the “in-between” of human beings. The only way to experience the wonderfulness of “in-between” is to put yourself into it. Walking through the work would be a fun and dangerous action, just like the space we live in, full of dangers, but people could get more joy from danger.
The space is duplicated and superimposed layers by layers. The mirrored city, nature and human beings are fragmented and mixed together. The illusionary glamour of the gold captivates us, perplexes us and lures us to find our new direction, an epitome of our current life in this era. This is the Besieged Gold Brick City, people inside yearn for rushing out, people outside yearn for rushing in.
It is worth mentioning that Wang Kaifang’s Gold Brick series are also shown in the 600-year-old Beijing Forbidden City and the Casino City Macau. Gold is the element has a near-eternal status in the development of civilization, whether it is Maya, ancient Egypt, or modern civilization. What is eternal under the change of civilization? What is the direction of evolution? The artist asked a question by the carrier of Gold Brick.
Just as Shi Yong, deputy secretary of the Pingyao County Party Committee at the opening ceremony, said: “Sculpture is the eye of the city, the history of art, and the crystallization of culture.” Sculptors from different countries tried to use their own works to create a piece pure land in the rapidly changing society. Just like the ancient town Pingyao, it seems to have cut off the torrent of history, giving us a “in-between” to talk about the ancient times and look forward.
