Period
2009 - 2011
Proposed by
Hu Fang
Location
Yangjiang (China)
About the project
The Yangjiang Group’s studio construction was started in 2009, finishing in 2011. In this period, we received three demolition notices from the authorities, even after a large public relations effort. Our tacit goal in the process of building was: the “eye” of the authorities which preside over urban building remains invisible. Therefore we named the project: The Invisible Building. After it was completed, it brought to light several very visible new problems which required further development. Solving the new visible problems is tantamount to walking towards a harmonious, problem-less, invisible world.
Differing from the usual mission of beautifying our surroundings through architectural innovation, this structure has been called a “strange beast” by local elites and has become an imaginary enemy of the residents, where they use invisible means to suppress the structure and more and more rely on the subterfuge of Feng Shui.
When artistic innovation enters reality, when the free expression of art becomes limited by small-town superstitions, the project (our studio) becomes a sort of humorous provocation but at the same time, faces a severe crisis.
External links
About the artist
The Yangjiang Group (Zheng Guogu, Chen Zaiyan, Sun Qinglin) and their collaborators regularly aim to rid their artistic practice of established rules and controllable range. Their works, more precisely speaking, are actions. They place non-traditional, large-scale architectural structures in their gallery, museum, and biennale exhibition spaces. Also, they perform all sorts of commonplace daily activities in these spaces: meetings, eating and drinking, bartering, gaming, and even gambling.
