Hidden in an alley narrow and lined with greenery, the Villa Vassilieff is holding a fascinating show whose theme revolves around the pivotal female artist Pan Yuliang (1895-1977): a pioneering female artist active from the 1920s onwards. On this occasion, the Villa asked the Guangdong based curator Nikita Yingqian Cai from the Guangdong Times Museum to present a research-oriented project about Chinese artists in the Marc Vaux archive, where glass plate photographs of Pan Yuliang working in her studio where found.
Nikita Yingqian Cai invited the artists Hu Yun, Huang Jing Yuan, Wang Zhibo as well as the art historian Mia Yu to engage in a visual dialogue about Pan Yuliang’s life and creative approach. A special mention goes to the art historian Mia Yu who created compelling archive-based installations, which amalgamate a wide range of archival materials together: photographs, personal notes, letters, illustrated journals entries from the Republican period between 1912 and 1949, police records, and video records amongst others.
Spread over two floors, this exhibition aims at challenging “the usual autonomous zone of individual work and artist”, and instead forming "a polyphonic orchestra that not only echoes Pan Yuliang’s unique trajectory between modern and traditional China, but also situates her constructed biography and artistic achievement within contemporary motives, detours and cosmos” to borrow Nikita Yingqian Cai’s words. There are only few days left to (re)discover this exhibition, I strongly encourage Paris based people to pay a visit.
More information:Pan Yulian, a journey to silenceUntil 24 June 2017Villa Marie Vassilieff21 avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris, Francewww.villavassilieff.net
