un_natural

In this exhibition, the very traditional passion of Chinese intellectuals towards nature is displayed in an “un-natural” way. Materials from Formica usually seen in kitchens, laboratories, or fast-food restaurants are here deployed by 14 Chinese architects and artists to build forms of furniture, space, as well as artifacts without any defined purpose.

We choose the theme “un-natural” to rethink ecology and sustainability issues through synthetic material.  Environmentalism often misleads people to prefer natural materials, ignoring the truth that some such materials cannot be replenished. The ethical or aesthetic value of a material can always be argued, but the need for and reality of a lifestyle, maybe un-natural in today’s synthetic environment, is inescapable.

Furthermore, “un-natural” is a revisit to the unique subject of nature in Chinese literati tradition such as stone connoisseurship. Although object finds is replaced here by art work, the passion to interpret nature remains alive in this exhibition.