What is it about twenty-somethings?
As I walked through the opening of Twenty last Friday night, surrounded by artists and peers that could all claim to be part of Generation Y (or Gen Next, depending who you talk to), the show’s theme of “feelings, experiences, and paradoxes of being twenty” felt particularly relevant.
Artist Destroys $12,000 of Louis Vuitton Bags for Sculpture
New York, NY, March 19, 2009 — As part of his latest exhibit entitle “I Am Not Chinese”, R. Lloyd Ming has incorporated twelve Monogram Alma bags from Louis Vuitton in a unique way — they have all been cut in half for a sculpture he calls “Crucifix”. The bags were purchased at a Manhattan Louis Vuitton store over the Christmas 2008 season by one of the artist’s assistants for a cost totaling more than $12,000.
Ming’s show is a study of the relationship between China and America focusing on issues such as censorship, capitalism under a communist regime, human rights and trade imbalance. As the title of his show suggests Ming is not Chinese, despite his surname, and has never been to China. Rather he was born in New York in 1966 and raised in Bermuda.
From Ming:
“Crucifix is a commentary on the new wealth and materialism that has been created in China. However it can also refer to America and many other societies where materialism is rampant. As a result of China’s capitalist revolution the ranks of the rich and middle class in China is growing. However, capitalism often produces a culture of insecurity, were people can only find a sense of self worth or salvation through possessions and materialism.”
Ming frequently works with found objects incorporating them into mixed media pieces and is notably influenced by artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Robert Rauschenberg.
I Am Not Chinese runs until April 3, 2009 at 5 West 74th Street Studio C. New York NY, 10023, and is by appointment only. Telephone (212) 362-3093. For more information on R. Lloyd Ming visit www.r-lloyd-ming.com.
Source: PR.com