M+ Sigg Collection: Another Story

EVENT DESCRIPTION

M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, is pleased to announce that M+ Sigg Collection: Another Story, the second exhibition of the M+ Sigg Collection, will open to the public from Friday, 22 September 2023 in the Sigg Galleries. Following the well-received opening display M+ Sigg Collection: From Revolution to Globalisation, the new exhibition offers a different perspective on contemporary Chinese art through the lens of artists asserting their own presence and foregrounding a unique visual language.

M+ Sigg Collection: Another Story takes a visual approach to examine the styles and practices of contemporary Chinese art from the 1990s to the present. The commercial transformation of Chinese society during the 1990s exposed artists to the global stage and inspired them to re-establish their cultural identity as they revisited the visual legacies of socialist experience and Chinese tradition during China’s rapid development. The exhibition will feature over 120 works and is divided into four sections: ‘Facing Uncertainty’, ‘Sensory Overload’, ‘Ambivalent States’, and ‘Hidden Disruption’.

‘Facing Uncertainty’ presents artistic practices that focus on moments of fading and disappearance. As material life improved from the 1990s onwards, artists often expressed their doubts in the face of changing culture, history, and tradition.

‘Sensory Overload’ captures artists grappling with an overabundance of images and visual stimuli. With the proliferation of inexpensive, mass-produced goods and marketing imagery, artists in China attach increasing importance to commerce and technology.

‘Ambivalent States’ shows how artists embrace ambiguity and play with shifting meaning and values in society. Starting from the 1990s and 2000s, they aspired towards creative free will and were interested in life’s ambiguities, making works that were familiar yet absurd to expand the possibilities and interpretation of art.

‘Hidden Disruption’ foregrounds a sense of ennui as artists in China use subtle interruptions as forms of commentary. They sought to articulate a sense of quietude and inner peace amid rapid changes in their environment. Beneath the tranquil surface, however, lies an undercurrent of energy and emotion deeply felt.