Exhibition: Leroy Brothers – Art Labor, Shanghai
Posted on June 21, 2011 by Asia Pacific Contemporary
Until July 7 Art Labor in Shanghai is presenting the work of the Belgian Leroy Brothers.
While the contemporary Asian art auction circuit has seen artists become instant art superstars in little more than a year this exhibition entitled ‘How to Be A Successful Contemporary Artist from A to Z / 从菜鸟到一个成功的当代艺术家’ focuses on the desire of many young artists to become the next Zhang Xiaogang or Yue Minjun. After the Christies spring sale in Hong Kong that saw new auction heroes in Indonesia’s Ay Tjoe Christine continue their rise while stalwarts such as Chinese – French Zao Wou-ki continue to command high prices the celebrity that the auction house can prescribe continues.
The Leroy Brothers’ examination of the elusive quality that makes one artist more prominent than the next is embedded in their work. From their exhibition in Shanghai to their upcoming book of the same name they humorously explore the complex nature of being a contemporary artist in today’s age. With Damien Hurst anointing the book as ‘a long overdue manifesto for the contemporary artist’ it appears that the celebrity of the artist is far from over.
Art Lobour presents their exhibition in connection with their online interactive work that allows the viewer to be part of “the next big thing”. Inviting the viewer to upload their own image and text to be “mashed up” into an artwork this piece taps into the contemporary fascination with instantaneous celebrity and achievement. As a collective artwork is it less about the itself than it is the art world it is a product of.
Exhibition Details:
Art works will be available for private viewing until July 7th, 2011
ART LABOR 2.0
570 Yongjia Lu, Bldg 4, #411
Shanghai (near Yueyang Lu), CHINA
上海市永嘉路570号永嘉庭4号楼411单元（近岳阳路）
