Chinese Wall, a photo from Zuid Holland, Sud

Photographer's Note

Through the Wall (2016) – Song Dong (1966)

Through the Wall is an installation by the Chinese artist Song Dong and could be admired in the Highlights collection of museum Voorlinden. in Wassenaar.

This wall is not an impenetrable barrier but gives access to an infinite, boundless secret corridor inside the wall. I will reveal the secrets of this interior of this Chinese wall the coming posts.

The wall is 4.5 m high and 9 meters long and is made up of dozens of doors and frames that originate from the old walled Hutong neighbourhoods in Beijing.
These historic neighbourhood - where Song himself grew up and still live - have been demolished in favour of new construction since the 1990s. The installation is also inspired by the ancient Chinese Yíngbì or Zhàobì: a screen wall that was placed in historic architecture in front of an entrance to ward off evil spirits.

Song brings together contradictions in his art: he unites tradition and modernity, past and present, Taoist philosophy and concepts from contemporary art. The notion of the wall is a recurring concept in the work of the artist. His home country of China, his youth and his parents also play a major role in his work. Due to the poverty the family experienced during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, his parents had to make do with what was available. That is why Song uses all kinds of daily found objects in his art. In this way he interweaves personal, historical and political elements in his art. (info museum Voorlinden)

◄ Picture 1: ► Mirroring in the Wall.

◄ Picture 2: ► Leaving the Wall

◄ Picture 3: ► Looking at the Wall

The best way to view the pictures is to use the links above.

holmertz, ikeharel, papagolf21, Energysavingelk, pierrefonds, jhm, Royaldevon, Fis2, pajaran, jean113, worldcitizen, jemaflor, mcmtanyel, macjake trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

lousat (130061) 2019-12-11 2:29

Hi Rob,once again a very original post in your collection of contemporary artists that make the source of their works of genius. Really a great idea this recovery of pieces of facades from the native quarter of this Chinese artist to create a large wall full of openings and windows, almost a metaphor on the eternal debate on creating or not creating walls in the world to tackle the problem of immigration . Great post built with the usual pattern, with the main photo forcing you to observe the two WS to better understand. Congratulations and thank you for your work, always precious and good day.Luciano

holmertz (92938) 2019-12-11 2:31

Hello Rob,
I had the good fortune to find a hotel in a former private housing complex in a Beijing hutong in 1986, while there were still enough such places left to be a normal part of the city. But I can't recall seeing anything like this. But what a fantastic idea for an installation. Regardless of any deeper thoughts about the project it just looks like great fun. There are so many shapes, colours and reflections to watch from the different sides, and looking at those men in photo #2 it was obviously fun to be inside too. You have made another fascinating contribution to TE.
Best regards,
Gert

papagolf21 (152601) 2019-12-11 2:41

Bonjour, cher Rob,
Ce mur à secrets et aux couleurs variées est très intéressant et surprend. La visite du corps intérieur doit être également passionnante.
Merci de nous faire connaître des artistes et des œuvres inédites.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Energysavingelk (6667) 2019-12-11 3:24

Hello Rob!

I remember having taken a shot resulting in a similar impression, at least when looking at its thumbnail. It was a wall hanging made from felt - measuring 1,50 m in width - and impenetrable, of course.
This is outstanding for the artist's concept as well as for the photographer's reception. Would have been much less without the four persons.

Have a nice advent!
Sven

Silvio1953 (205890) 2019-12-11 3:39

Ciao Rob, lovely composition with beautiful graphic, excellent clarity, dine details and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

mkamionka (61366) 2019-12-11 4:42

Hi Rob,
great presentation of this extraordinary installation.
Interesting that you can actually walk into it.
Nice series of photos showing it from various angles.
Very colorful work!
Very well seen and captured,
M

jhm (203133) 2019-12-11 5:13

Dag Rob,

Spreek men hier van kubisme, of geeft men dit toch een andere naam.
Uw foto is zeker geslaagd, scherp en goed spel met de kleuren.
De diverse kaders zorgen natuurlijk voor een mooi spel
Goed fotowerk mijn vriend. Bedankt.

Groeten uit Vlaanderen,
John

BennyV (32570) 2019-12-11 5:27

Dag Rob

Altijd leuk om een foto uit de Voorlinden te zien. De collage van deuren en ramen is erg kleurrijk en doet aan vroege abstracte kunst denken.

Wel vind ik het een beetje jammer dat er behalve de fotograaf nog andere mensen in beeld gebracht worden. Je foto had nog veel sterker geweest met enkel die ene fotograferende man beneden onderaan.

Groetjes
Benny

Royaldevon (75584) 2019-12-11 7:15

Hello Rob,

Oh ... I like this!
It is so vibrant!
Which ever way you look, you see patterns, windows, secret entrances.
This would have been a great asset to a nursery class (I hope you don't think that is ridiculing art!). The children would see a magic bus, a palace, secret homes and would love to pick their favourite colour as an entrance.
For me, that is what is so exciting about it. Maybe, I am just a big kid at heart!
But, who could be miserable looking at this!

Thanks for sharing this,
Bev :-)
Wish I had been for a new outfit! I can't really afford things in Harvey Nicks, unless they are in the sale!

Sergiom (117241) 2019-12-11 7:27

Bonjour Rob

Je suis certain que si Trump décidait de faire un mur semblable entre les USA et le Mexique ce serait plus accepté surtout que les couleurs sont chaudes et qu'on voit au travers.

Amicalement

Serge

kasianowak (15848) 2019-12-11 8:49

Hi Rob
Very colourful and graphic image, so eye-catching even in the thumbnail format. But it's when you click on the thumbnail you find the real treat - the silhouetted people at the bottom.
It goes to my favourites.
Best wishes
Kasia

Tue (82360) 2019-12-11 9:36

Hallo Rob,
Dat is een heel mooie en kleurrijke verzameling Chinese ramen. De kleuren zijn lekker fel en gaan mooi samen. De spiegelingen van de bezoekers zijn een leuk extra detail. Dit is meneer de ex-directeur van Voorlinden dan mooi vergeten te noemen bij de best werken van de afgelopen tien jaar.
Lars

Fis2 (155762) 2019-12-11 9:46

Witaj Rob!
Wow so many windows :)
Very interesting installation.
Artists have ideas.
Good framing, colors and light.I like it WS too.
Well done.
Good evening.
Krzysztof

pajaran (102782) 2019-12-11 11:22

Pozdrav.
Interesantni pogledi i trenuci ...
Interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Interesantan zid Chinese artist Song Dong.
Dobar rad sa fotografijama u radionici, lepo pokazano, dobro uhvacen trenutak sa posetiocima.
Zelim vam sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greeting.
Interesting views and moments ...
Interesting and good text ...
An interesting wall Chinese artist Song Dong.
Good work with photos in the workshop, beautifully demonstrated, well captured moment with visitors.
I wish you all the best.

Miguel82 (47108) 2019-12-11 11:47

Hallo Rob, the visitors can enter inside that amazing artwork. It composed of many colored windows and doors. It looks like a mosaic. The mirrors create a pleasant effect. The squares and rectangles are aesthetically arranged together. Fine colors, good sharpness, instructive photo note, regards.

jean113 (22131) 2019-12-11 12:48

Hello Rob, what a fantastic installation. I would love to see this for real.
All three shots are amazing. A wonderful recycling of the doors and frames, and so vibrantly coloured.
Thanks for sharing, regards Jean.

worldcitizen (14310) 2019-12-11 17:05

Hello Rob,
What a great exhibit! I love all the shapes and colors. Your main photo is a wonderful composition, with those reflected figures on the bottom to break up all the colored panes. The WS photos are helpful to understand the entire work of art. Very nice. :-)

Gerrit (59968) 2019-12-11 18:32

Hello Rob,
Een indrukwekkend en zeer kleurrijk kunstwerk. De toeschouwers die je er doorheen ziet werken erg vervreemdend.,
Groet, Gerrit.

Nicou (193806) 2019-12-11 21:29

Hello

quel mur chinois superbe quel graphsime et géométrie avec toute ces différentes couleurs ces encadrement très originale image et compo splendide
bravo et amitié
Nicou

ifege (32433) 2019-12-11 22:35

Hi Rob
The title had me confused at first as it doesn't look particularly Chines. the text explains all. A good one, especially with the people behind the glass.
cheers
Ian

jemaflor (135520) 2019-12-11 23:40

Hi Rob,
Great artwork, congratulations for the artist. Well photographed, good rendering for colors and interesting effect with the view of few people, tfs.

rychem (72179) 2019-12-13 7:32

Great installation! The idea is very creative and the result breathtaking
regards Ryszard

abmdsudi (88621) 2019-12-13 19:27

Hi Rob
Squares, rectangles and colour combo makes for a great abstract, whereas human figs gives some ideas of dimension. So well framed and presented.
Best regards

ChrisJ (160138) 2019-12-13 23:06

Hi Rob

A kaleidoscope of colour, with good sharpness and saturation. I like the effective tight framing with no wasted space. The self portrait at bottom right is a bonus and acts as a focal point. Tfs!

emka (152388) 2019-12-14 14:43

Hello Rob, Without the description, it would be difficult to understand and appreciate this installation. Great idea to use these frames of the old windows and doors. I suppose that originally it was just the ordinary glass and it was replaced by these colourful glasses. I was in Beijing the year before the Olympic Games and stayed just in a hutong. it was a great place. Later they were demolished for the new metro lines or modern buildings. What a shame.

Kind regards MAlgo

PiotrF (52330) 2019-12-15 11:50

Hello Rob,
A nice composition with installation by the Chinese artist Song Dong. Great picture from museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar.I like nice colors and good quality. Thank you for informative note.
Fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

mcmtanyel (58830) 2019-12-18 22:24

Hello Rob,
Three fantastic views of this work of art. I must confess the main entry makes the installation look bigger than the other two photos do. I love the colors and the repetitions in the main entry. 👍🏻👍🏻
Regards,
MT

macjake (96157) 2019-12-19 3:42

Hi Rob
no worries about you not liking the large Mosque in Abu Dhabi, architecture - like photography - is SO subjective. Just like Art hahaha...you know how I feel about that :) This is the type of TE post where the WS are vitally important. Great to have the main post being more abstract, while the 'answer' is presented in the WS. this main post is great, its as if we're viewing a large life size game of TETRIS :) awesome
cheers
Craig