Vol. 2 Wang Luyan
《612⇌6xx》
In May 2018, Chinese artist Wang Luyan, as the second invited artist, completed the conceptual performance work 612 ⇌ 6xx at CHAO. The artist removed all movable objects from Room 612, ranging from large items such as tables, chairs, and the entire bed set, to smaller items like toiletries and drinks from the minibar, and replaced them with identical objects from another room on the sixth floor, recording all the visible details of the original objects in Room 612 as much as possible, and after moving the objects from the other room into 612 to complete the replacement, the artist restored the visible details according to the previous information in an attempt to create a space identical to the original. The process of replacement involved a precise reproduction of every visible detail of the original room’s contents. The goal was to recreate a “guest room” that was visually indistinguishable from the original, rendering the guest unaware that the room they were staying in had been transformed into an artwork through the artist’s intervention. Is the artist's action a re-creation or a "futile" and ineffective imitation? Can one step into the same river twice?
Wang Luyan employed a method of appropriation and substitution, using the guest’s status as a non-audience member to turn the work into an object of use, thereby transforming it into “non-art.” He described this creation as an artistic “trap”—a paradox and dilemma simultaneously shared by the artist, the guest, and the artwork itself.
After the work was completed, the CHAO team interviewed Wang Luyan. He spoke to us about the origins of the piece, and explained why the concept of the work could not be conveyed outside the specific context of the guest room.
612⇌6xx
72 ARTISTS & THEIR GUESTS
In early 2018, CHAO Art Center launched the art program "72 artists and their guests”. We plan to select 72 out of 180 guest rooms as special space allotting to contemporary art. These guest rooms will be provided to artists worldwide by commission, to create original artworks which are going to interact with future guests. As the project progressed, the unique uncertainty included will provoke new ideas and exploration about the concept of where art can happen. You are going to have chances to witness how great artists realize their works through different ways in this special circumstance.
CHAO would like to present 72 kinds of aesthetics, 72 perspectives the world and 72 experiences engaging with art. In these art rooms, guests are able to find their own way to interact with contemporary art in a very relaxing situation.