Pushing the Boundaries
Curating LuYang, a Global Artist Embedded in Local Situatedness
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Abstract
LuYang's first institutional solo exhibition in Germany took place at Kunstpalais in Erlangen in 2022. LuYang is undoubtedly a global artist, yet at the same time, his art is testimony of his embeddedness into an Asian/Chinese background. In his works, he draws heavily from a mixture of religious tradition, pop and subcultural influences from Asian countries, and global post-internet art trends. The presentation and mediation of his works in a German art institution needs to consider preconceived ideas that the local audience might have about art with Asian aesthetics. To avoid the pitfalls of Othering and the reproduction of stereotypes, a deeper understanding of underlying topics, such as religious tropes, is necessary. Therefore, a collaborative, interdisciplinary curatorial approach is the curator's means of choice.
Contributor Notes
Nora Gantert is a curator, writer, and researcher with an academic background in art history and Chinese studies. In 2018 she founded the art space for contemporary art from China for the Confucius Institute Nuremberg-Erlangen. Here she has overseen the annual exhibition program with talks and lectures, the annual artist residency and started the adjoint library on contemporary art from China. Recent exhibition projects include Vvzela Kook's and Fan Xi's solo shows. Her research focus lies on transcultural aspects, feminism(s), technologies in art, and literature-based art. Her articles are published regularly in print and online magazines; she also writes artist portraits and catalog essays. She is currently pursuing her PhD on visualizations of futurity in contemporary art from the sinophone region.
Malte Lin-Kröger is a curator at Kunstpalais Erlangen with a background in art history, theatre and media studies as well as religious studies. In 2020 he was acting director of Kunstpalais, after which he took the position of curator of collections for the Municipal Collection Erlangen. The collection's focus lies on artists’ multiples and on new media art. Recent projects include solo exhibitions of Rinus Van de Velde, Alona Rodeh, Grace Weaver, and Zuzanna Czebatul. His curatorial approach is guided by his interest in the permeation of religious and other ideological discourse into contemporary art under the conditions of global capitalism.