Installation and multimedia project by Chinese-German artist Liu Guangyun on the subject of migration and identity
A dictionary, bullet holes and a revolver are the ingredients in Liu Guangyun’s 2013 work ‘Bullet Channel’, which centres on a Chinese-German dictionary that has accompanied the artist since the 1980s. Guangyun placed 26 personal documents between the pages – a visa, his passport, a registration certificate, a certificate of good conduct and so on – attached the book to the wall and fired three shots at it from a distance of five metres.
A film document of the action shows the artist in the pose of a duellist, naked from the waist down and illuminated from behind by a lamp. The sequence of shots triggers a mechanism that releases the scenery, the lamplight and thus also the shadow cast by him on the dictionary, into deep darkness. The artist places the second document of his ‘self-extinction’ as a dismantling and rebirth of his dictionary in a wall installation encompassing the entire exhibition hall in the form of over 700 shot-through double pages, each individually framed.
‘The dictionary, its content and Guangyun’s action describe an existence between two countries, cultures and languages. In an appropriation of divergent strategies typical of the artist, death and resurrection come together in this work. The vertical push and pull-in bullet channel in the pages of the book embodies an attraction to and simultaneous rejection of both Western and Eastern culture and can be read as part of his struggle with and search for his own identity.’ (Michael Stoeber)
‘Bullet Channel’ is presented by the Kunstverein Kunsthalle Hannover. In co-operation with the city-sponsored dance project by Felix Landerer & Company, dance rehearsals and workshops will be integrated into the exhibition.
Bullet Channel
Exhibition duration: Friday, 2 September, until Sunday, 18 September 2016
Vernissage: Thursday, 1 September, 7 pm
Opening hours: Thu and Fri 5-9 pm, Sat and Sun 3-7 pm
Admission: 3 euros, reduced: 2 euros
Panel discussion: Friday, 2 September, 7 pm
Artist talk with Liu Guangyun and Felix Landerer exchanging their strategies for ‘Bullet Channel’, moderated by Michael Stöber
Dance performance: Saturday and Sunday, 3 and 4 September, 4 pm
As part of the 19th Zinnober-Kunstvolkslauf, Felix Landerer & Company will present a dance performance related to the exhibition.
Dance workshop: Dates for groups on request
In co-operation with Felix Landerer, the Kunstverein Kunsthalle Hannover offers young people the opportunity to explore aspects of foreignness and familiarity, cultural identity and migration through dance.
Please note – due to the 19th Zinnober-Kunstvolkslauf on 3 and 4 September, opening hours have changed: Sat 12-19 h and Sun 11-19 h
An exhibition of the Kunstverein Kunsthalle Hannover e.V.
www.kunsthalle-hannover.de