China is taking an increasing interest in the work of Antoni Muntadas, and is presenting his first retrospective at the OCAT Shanghai, curated by Esteban Andueza, expert in cultural exchanges between China and Spain, and by Tao Hanchen (Hangzhou, China, 1987), executive director of OCAT Shanghai.
The Catalan artist’s work is seen through his video production, a medium that is dear to the artist in support of his conceptual and multidisciplinary activity, started in the 1970s with experimental projects still far away from the traditional art scene.
The political and social interest that has always distinguished Muntadas’ research runs parallel to the medium, with its media power and potential social impact. The videos cover all the concepts which Muntadas has extrapolated from their everyday context, from public to private, and defined as spaces of action and research to develop through time. Media Landscape, Sub-senses, On Translation and The Construction of Fear are all examples of this creative vision.
A non-linear narrative formula, rather than chronological, has been chosen for the presentation of these videos, privileging the variety of the means utilised: single-channel videos, video projections, recording of actions and performances, and documentaries, each representative of different intentions and, therefore, of the different ways in which the medium can become an active agent of social change.
Antoni Muntadas. Video Works, curated by Esteban Andueza and Tao Hanchen
OCAT Shanghai, 08.10 – 03.12.2016
images: (cover 1) Antoni Muntadas. Video Works OCAT Shanghai, 2017, Poster Exhibition (2) Antoni Muntadas, «The Limousine Project» (3) Antoni Muntadas, «La Siesta The Nap Dutje», 1995 (4) Antoni Muntadas, «On Translation El aplauso», 1999, installation view at OCAT Shanghai, 2017 (in exhibition hall)
