Made in Mirrors

ade in Mirrors

Numerous interesting projects of exchange have taken place between the Dutch and the Chinese partners of Made in Mirrors. Both a Dutch artist, Rik Meijers, as well as Chinese artists and researchers such as Cao Fei, and Han Yan and Jiang Jun from Urban China have stepped on a plane to the other side of the world. This way, they will be able to mirror themselves to another culture.

Sittard goes China…

Rik Meijers in Vitamin Creative Space

Today is a very fucked up day

Rik Meijers explores China
On May 10, the Dutch artist Rik Meijers took off in the direction of Guangzhou, China. He was the first artist affiliated with Made in Mirrors to take the position of artist in residence to realize artistic projects in Guangzhou. Rik Meijers visited Vitamin Creative Space, an independent contemporary art institution in China that partners Made in Mirrors. The initial concept of Rik Meijers’ stay in China was to experience the cultural differences between Guangzhou (China), and Sittard (the Netherlands) from up close. In line with the mission statement of the Made in Mirrors project, Meijers explored the question of how his work communicates with a different environment and culture. On Sunday September 2, Rik Meijers will give a lecture during the T-Time in Het Domein Sittard about his work and his experiences in China.

Today is a very fucked up day
For two weeks, Rik Meijers participated in a full program that introduced him to Chinese culture and numerous Chinese artists, teachers, and curators. For Vitamin Creative Space, Rik Meijers completed a mural entitled Today is a very fucked up day. This mural was also shown at the cultural manifestation I-Market in Suzhou, China.

I-Market Suzhou

Chinese kinderen kleuren Today is …

At the cultural manifestation in Suzhou, Rik Meijers provided visitors with free posters and stickers of the image of Today is a very fucked up day. Visitors were given the chance to get creative themselves and could colour the stickers right at the spot. Rik Meijers recalls that, “After a hesitant start, the posters and stickers received a lot of attention from both young and old. The bands that performed played fairly conservative music and alcohol was nowhere to be found. For Chinese standards however, such a festival is already pretty remarkable”. To end the circle, Meijers’ mural will also be presented at Het Domein Sittard at the China Summer Show, which will take place from August 11.

Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts

During his visit, Rik Meijers also held a lecture in the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. The artist described this lecture as one of his personal highpoints of his stay in China. He says, “The Chinese tend to behave rather formal in the beginning. However, my lecture, accompanied by a slide show, music of my band Chomain Vasser, and own brought beer, resulted in a long discussion, both inside as well as outside the lecture hall. Although the meagre level of English of the Chinese was sometimes a barrier, art turned out to be a universal means of communication”.

Presently, Rik Meijers is busy designing a calendar for 2008, which will be printed in China. He is also preparing a colouring book “For the Children” with drawings of his work. “This idea was inspired by the important and burdened position children take in Chinese society”, he says.

Mirror yourself to the world

The department of education of Het Domein has developed an educational project in the context of the Made in Mirrors project for the primary school classes, groups 6 to 8.
The focus of this project adheres closely to the objective of Made in Mirrors, that is the mirroring of cultures. Therefore, the following title has been chosen: Mirror yourself to the world>China. For two hours, the participating groups went through the several parts of the project.

Self-Portrait as a part of the porcelain export history

Self-Portrait as a part of the porcelain export history

In the T-Zone, the exhibited pieces of Ni Haifeng and Zhang Huan were discussed. In particular Ni Haifeng’s work Self-Portrait as a part of the porcelain export history (1999-2001) is interesting in the context of Made in Mirrors, as the piece depicts a history that is shared by Europe as well as China. Above all, the work of Ni Haifeng inspired the foundation of Made in Mirrors.

Living as a child in the Netherlands or China
After the discussion, the group went to the film room where the film “children of China”’ was screened. In a captivating way, this film depicts the system of education in China, the way China is developing fast, and how vast the differences are within this massive country. The film shows, among other things, a boarding school where the pupils ( around 15 years old) are tutored from early morning to late at night to be prepped for an important test. Especially, this work ethic impressed the visiting groups. Based on the what they had seen in the film, a short group discussing was structured in which they mainly dealt with the themes of what differences and similarities can be discovered between the life of a child in the Netherlands, or in China.

Chinese Wall of Het Domein
To get creative with some Chinese elements themselves, the children were given the chance to make their own Chinese Wall. This wall made out of stacked boxes serves as a symbol of export, exchange and economic growth. The boxes have been painted on with Chinese characters and horoscope signs and can be viewed in the T-zone and the hall of Het Domein.
Chinese artists and researchers visit the Netherlands

Chinese artists and researchers visit the Netherlands

Urban China, Han Yan and Jiang Jun

Urban China explores Sittard
The researchers from the Chinese architecture magazine Urban China from Beijing arrived in Sittard.

A Tale of Two Cities
The researchers of Urban China, Han Yan and Jiang Jun, are looking for similarities between the Chinese city, Aotou and Sittard. Aotou has come into existence because of the settlement of a national petrochemical concern that has partly been taken over by Shell. In Sittard, DSM plays a role in the development of the city. The researchers started conducting research in Aotou in order to create a framework when investigating Sittard. At the end of June, they will visit Sittard once more. After their research visits to Sittard, they will return to Aotou once more to verify their earlier findings.

The influence of DSM
Han Yan and Jiang Jun conducted demographical and sociological research in order to explore the relationship between the chemical concern DSM (the early state mines) and the city of Sittard – Geleen. Han Yan and Jian Jun organized meetings with numerous people, ranging from artists to nuns, to the homeless to get the full picture of the situation in Sittard through these interviews. Urban China interviewed staff from DSM as well as from Sabic. In addition, they visited the new Orbis hospital.

Parallel Universe
Han Yan and Jiang Jun composed an enormous amount of information for their research project during their stay in Sittard. Their materials (photos/data/collections/interviews/writings etc) will be collected and a parallel will be drawn between Sittard and Aotou. The plan is to bring the material together into an online magazine (in English and Chinese) and publish it in the Parallel Universe issue of Urban China in January 2008.

Chinese Artist visits sites in Limburg and Delft

From 20th to 23rd June 2007, the Chinese Artist Cao Fei made her appearance as an artist in residence in Sittard for Made in Mirrors. The work of Cao Fei is made up out of photos, as well as videos and computer games. Currently, her work is exhibited at the Venice Biennale of 2007.

Life Project@DSM
During her stay in the Netherlands, Cao Fei visited the site of DSM Sittard-Geleen and DSM Delft in order to get inspiration for her Life Project@DSM. The project is curated by
Vitamin Creative Space and is part of the Made in Mirrors exchange model. The idea for the Life Project@DSM was born from Cao Fei’s interest in the production, development and sales of the innovative products and services of DSM which contribute to the quality of life. Cao Fei wants to be introduced to all the essential elements associated with DSM, ranging from its production sites, laboratories and products, to its workforce and clients.

DSM as inspiration
Biotechnology, which uses biomass as building material, does not only allow for the production of complex molecules which are essential for medicines, food supplements, bio catalysts and proteins, but it can also function as the basis material for daily usage in our living-and working environment. Cao Fei is interested in the way life science and biological technology influence human life. To her mind, the DSM system as a whole provides the perfect circumstances for her artistic research. Her research will not only take place in the Netherlands, but in China and Brazil as well. Cao Fei’s experiences from her research will plant the seed for her future artworks.

Upcoming projects

It is about 40ºC or hotter in Guangzhou in July en August. At any rate, it is so warm that during these two months the foundation Made in Mirrors is wary to send any artists to the metropolis with a population of 15 million on behalf of their exchange program. Museum Het Domein therefore offers “cool’’ refuge to the Chinese with *Chinergie – The China Summer Show* from August 10 till September 2. This series of exhibitions, events, and presentations came into existence through the synergy of Vitamin Creative Space and Museum Het Domein and it will be the cause of quite some extra heat!

Compilation and text: Irmelin Hanssen

Made in Mirrors is an initiative of Museum Het Domein, Vitamin Creative Space and Museu de Arte Moderna Aloísio Magalhães

Made in Mirrors is sponsored by:
DSM
Mondriaan Foundation
Province Limburg

For more information: info@madeinmirrors.org
We are also available to answer your questions by phone:
Lene ter Haar or Cécile Klinkers 046 4513460; cecile.klinkers@madeinmirrors.org