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Zhou Yilun’s Summer Huts art show in Shenzhen is a playful nod to Brazil’s art. Isn’t it?
- What do artist Zhou Yilun and Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow have in common? They both dabble in the absurd – as evidenced by Zhou’s solo show
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At the opening of his solo exhibition in Shenzhen, artist Zhou Yilun regaled visitors with a story about an epic journey through Brazil.
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The Hangzhou-based artist described a chance visit to the South American country which introduced him to – of all things – medieval church art, and talked about how he stayed for months during the coronavirus pandemic. There, he made art from scavenged material, finding inspiration from the makeshift shelters that he saw.
You might think this would explain why visitors to his exhibition “Summer Huts” at the Sea World Culture and Arts Centre (SWCAC) in the southern Chinese city see in it echoes of the messy, vibrant art of the late Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, save for one important fact: he made up the entire story.
Zhou has never set foot in Latin America. He simply decided to be creative with his answer after the show’s organiser told him to explain his art to his audience.
His made-up story can be seen as a nod to the tendency to expect a simple answer for why artists create what they do, when in reality few things are straightforward – and certainly not his chaotic exhibition.
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