PD online, February 28, 2005
Cantonese opera may become world heritage

Cantonese opera could receive world heritage status under a proposal
being considered by the Ministry of Culture.

The Chinese arts research institute is now studying a joint submission
from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, with a view to presenting the art
form to UNESCO for consideration in the 2007 listings.

They originally wanted to recommend it be included in the U.N. cultural
body's world heritage list for 2005 as an "oral and intangible heritage
of humanity."

But the ministry had already decided to recommend Uyghur Muqam,
traditional folk music from Xinjiang, for this year's list.

"If they finally choose Cantonese opera, they will try to recommend it
for the world heritage list in 2007 as it is compiled every two years,"
a spokesman for Hong Kong's Home Affairs Bureau said.

Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao announced in November 2002 that they
would join forces to work on a recommendation. If approved by UNESCO,
the government would be obliged to instigate a policy aimed at
preserving the traditional opera.

In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed 28 new world heritage listings and 19 in 2001.

Kunqu opera, the oldest form of Chinese folk opera, and the guqin, a
seven-stringed zither, have already been given world heritage status.

The selection criteria includes the art form's creativity, cultural
roots and the danger of disappearing either through a lack of safeguards
or processes of rapid change.
Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200502/28/eng20050228_174975.html

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Taipei Times, Monday, Feb 28, 2005
Comic display casts 228 Incident in new light
ANIMATED ANGLE: The 228 Memorial Museum is holding a comic-book exhibit
amid at teaching the young about the incident using the child-friendly
medium
By Mo Yan-chih

[image] Comic strips about the 228 Incident on display at the Taipei 228
Memorial Museum yesterday. The exhibition is designed to reach out to
younger generations in the hopes of helping them learn about the
incident in a more comprehensive way.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Remembering the 228 incident can be a serious matter. A new exhibition
in Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, however, chronicles the tragic chapter in
the nation's history in a creative and animated way.

Steered by Juan Mei-shu (???), daughter of a victim of the 228
Incident, and created by artist Jarry Chang (???), the "Talking About
the 228 Incident Through Comic Strips" exhibition is designed to reach
out to younger generations.

"Many young people are reluctant to learn about the history of the 228
Incident because the historical documents and records are so heavy.
Through comics, I think it's much easier for [children] to absorb the
information," said Juan during the opening ceremony of the exhibition
yesterday.

The comic art displays the brutal suppression of civil unrest in 1947,
the beating of a woman selling illegal cigarettes in Taipei City, the
nation-wide protest that followed, and the large-scale arrests
immediately after Feb. 28.

The arrest of Juan's father, Juan Chao-jen (???), the general manager
of the Taiwan Hsin-sheng Pao (????? ?), also appeared in the comic.
According to Juan, her father left his house with government officials
around noon on March 12, 1947, and she never saw him again. Not until 21
years later, during her time in Japan did Juan read about the history of
the massacre and learn about her father's death.

Juan researched this part of Taiwan's history extensively after the
death of her father. When she first came up with the idea to interpret
the tragedy through comics two years ago, Chang offered assistance.

"I've only had a vague idea about the history of the 228 Incident
before, in addition to taking this chance to learn more about it, Chang
said. "I also hope different ethnic groups will better understand each
other after reading this comic."

Juan said that Chang's comic carries a sense of dignity, and this is the
reason she provided all necessary 228-related documents to Chang so he
could draw the comic.

Attending the opening, Li Bin (??), deputy director of Taipei County's
Cultural Affairs Bureau said that acknowledging of the 228 Incident was
very important.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/02/28/2003224900

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People's daily, February 28, 2005
An exclusive dialogue with Shelly Lazarus
[image] "I never said that Haier and Lenovo are not brands"
Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide based in
New York

Shelly Lazarus is a household word for most of Chinese advertisers and
business public relations professionals. As Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy &
Mather Worldwide based in New York, Shelly has long been touted by
Chinese media as a female who knows brands best in the world than anyone
else. Her beautiful Chinese name Xia Lanze are frequently mentioned with
affection on Chinese newspapers.

Unfortunately everything changed all of a sudden after November 8, 2004.
According to a news story on that day, American Business Week
correspondent did an interview with Shelly in Beijing. During the
interview, Shelly was quoted as saying "Lenovo and Haier are not brands
at all and so far China has no brands in any real sense". The remarks
made by Shelly have drew widespread attention in China. Some passionate
and patriotic newspapers attacked her assertions as nonsense. In order
to put the fire under control, Mr. TB Song, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather China
even issued an usual statement afterward, saying that the Chinese media
misunderstood the standpoint of Shelly.

Is she really misunderstood? Is the brand building of Chinese companies
a futile effort? In order to get the answers, our People's Daily
Washington-based correspondent Yong Tang conducted an exclusive
interview recently with Shelly.

Yong Tang: Now do you want to clarify and say directly to Chinese
readers about the above-mentioned media wrangle?

Shelly Lazarus: I never said that Haier and Lenovo are not brands. They
are brands. They are brands with huge potential. They are just not yet
as fully developed as brands can be.

I have applauded the success of Haier and other Chinese companies in
building brands and the commitment of their leadership. It's clear that
Chinese people have very strong emotions about Chinese brands. This
demonstrates that many Chinese brands have successfully created a strong
'emotional bond' with people. This is one of the most important factors
in achieving a successful brand.

Ogilvy & Mather is very much committed to building Chinese brands, both
in China and in overseas markets, where we think there is great
potential for growth.

Yong Tang: What are the major obstacles in China's effort to build its
own international brands? What could Chinese enterprises do to build
their own brands?

Shelly Lazarus: The simple answer to the first question is time and
experience. We have been building modern brands in the West for more
than a century. However, the Chinese have a great advantage in that they
can draw on that experience quickly to their own advantage.

Let me explain how we at Ogilvy & Mather define a brand. Every brand is
a product, but not every product is a brand. A product is made up of
tangibles: features, offers, specific functions.

A brand is the intangible sum of a product's attributes, its name,
packaging, and price, its history, reputation and the way it is
advertised. A brand is also defined by consumers' emotional connections
to it, created by both their impressions of the people who use it, as
well as their own experience. This includes the rational and the
emotional responses of consumers.

It's clear that many senior management at Chinese companies are very
committed to building their brands. And they also benefit from the
strong encouragement by the Chinese government, which is actively
supporting overseas development. To the extent that attention is paid to
building up the intangible aspects of their brands, including gaining
deep understanding of their intended consumer, they will be successful.

The fact is, Chinese brands are facing the same issues that national
brands from other countries must address when they go overseas. Like
their international counterparts, Chinese brands have to establish and
maintain an 'emotional' bond with local consumers, no matter the market.
This is a challenging goal for any company seeking to partake in the
global economy.

The biggest challenge for everyone is implementation. How to make the
brand come alive - within the company and outside the company. At all
points of contact with consumers, employees, investors, and others, the
brand has to remain true and consistent.

One thing to remember is that there is no one model on how to grow into
a global brand. If you look at most of the major global brands, each one
follows a slightly different path that is most suited to that company
and brand.

Yong Tang: Chinese PC giant Lenovo signed an agreement with IBM late
last year to buy its PC services unit. People have different opinions
about this merger. IBM is Ogilvy's long term client. Ogilvy has
successfully helped IBM get rid of its cold image and make the image
more personal. This is a classic example of why Ogilvy is so prestigious
in the world. So you should be in a very good position to assess the
impact of the merger between IBM PC unit and Lenovo?

Shelly Lazarus: This is a very exciting initiative and we look forward
to watching the merger evolve.

Yong Tang: Can you name a few Chinese enterprises which could hopefully
become global brands in the future?

Shelly Lazarus: There are already some Chinese companies, such as Haier
and Lenovo that are well on their way to becoming global brands. In
fact, we are partnering with leading companies in China as they
formulate their plans to further establish their brands overseas.
Recently, Ogilvy had a meeting in France, at the home of our founder
David Ogilvy, where several of our Chinese clients came to hear advice
from global experts on branding and marketing. I think it's too early
for us to be commenting on our clients' specific plans, but there is no
doubt from the quality of this meeting , and others, that Chinese
companies are committed to success in the global arena, where branding
is essential.

Yong Tang: Whenever brand building is mentioned, many companies would
think of advertisements immediately. David Ogilvy, the founder of Ogilvy
& Mather, once said that every piece of advertisement is just a part of
long-term investment in brand building. However, many Chinese
enterprises face just one common problem: They put a lot of money in
advertisements while the result is not as satisfactory as they expected.
Why could this problem occur? In other words, how to make advertisements
more effective?

Shelly Lazarus: As David Ogilvy pointed out, the real purpose of
advertising should be to help build a strong brand. In order to see a
real return on advertising investment, a company obviously needs the
kind of advertising that will establish and build the brand. That a
strong brand is needed to drive superior business performance is
recognized the world over. Brands like Coca Cola attribute as much as
95% of their total company value to 'intangible assets' - of which brand
value is a large part. The ability of strong brands to drive superior
business performance is also well recognized in China and has been
reaffirmed by recent research Ogilvy conducted in Shanghai with WPP
partner, Millward Brown.

Our research shows strong brands drive higher product preference and
command a price premium. On average, Shanghainese consumers would pay
70% more for a strong brand than for a commodity. Furthermore it is
proven that a strong brand is able to attract more loyal (and therefore
profitable) customers and has much more potential to grow market share
in future.

In order to ensure that their advertising is more effective, companies
need to clearly define the brand they want to build and ensure that
their advertising (whether it be TV, print, radio, outdoor, in store,
online, etc.) helps communicate the brand message consistently and
effectively. Advertising which doesn't help to build the brand may well
generate short-term returns but will not generate longer term growth.
Building brands is not a short-term tactic, it is a long term business
strategy.

Yong Tang: Many Ogilvy advertisements are very creative and original.
They deserve the title of Advertisements Classics. How do you think of
the importance of originality in the process of advertisements
production? In Ogilvy, what measures have been adopted to inspire its
employees to come up with original ideas?

Shelly Lazarus: Creativity is the most highly valued attribute at Ogilvy
- and we remind our people constantly of that, from sharing our best
work from around the world, to giving out internal awards, to hanging
our ads on the wall as framed fine art. We know we must have creative,
innovative ideas to distinguish and communicate our brands, and to make
meaningful connections with consumers. You cannot bore, offend or
irritate people into buying your products. Shrill ads may get attention,
but they won't gain affection, and at the end of the day people are more
likely to part with their money for brands they like. Advertising is an
important way to build likeability, but that takes originality and
creativity.

Yong Tang: Is there any other good method that could be used to promote
a brand in addition to advertisements? I know that the Editor of the
Global Times is eager to build a strong brand for the newspaper.
Affiliated with People's Daily, the Global Times is an international
news tri-weekly with a circulation of about 1.5 million. In China, the
Global Times is already a leader in international news coverage but my
Editor still wants to make the newspaper better respected and even more
famous. Do you have any good suggestions for that?

Shelly Lazarus: The brand is the relationship between the product, in
this case the newspaper, and its readers. While it's hard for me to know
the Chinese media market, I can say that the most successful media have
built out from their reputation with loyal followers through other
communication channels. The Economist, for example is a client of ours,
and it has a reputation with its readers for original, insightful news
coverage. We have created traditional and non-traditional advertising,
promotions, and special events that reflect that ethos. The campaigns
we've created for The Economist have worked well, because just like The
Economist, they are unexpected, inspiring, and thoughtful.

Yong Tang: Many people know that Ogilvy's clients include a lot of
famous multinationals such as IBM, Federal Express, BMW and Unilever
etc. But many people don't know some governments are also Ogilvy's
clients. As far as I know, Indian Financial Minister is one of your
client. He asks Ogilvy to enhance India's international image in the
world. His hope is: Whenever I talk about India, I want people to think
of software rather than elephants. Is this true? What services could
Ogilvy offer to those governments? How is the result of those PR efforts?

Shelly Lazarus: Worlwide, Ogilvy has worked with many different local
and national governments on a variety of communication initiatives, from
general reputation and image efforts surrounding tourism, to others
aimed at economic development and revitalization. We just developed a
wonderful campaign for India that goes beyond showing the country's rich
cultures and inspiring physical beauty, to promoting it as a place of
great potential, an exciting forward-thinking country. Right now, we are
involved with the French Government in an effort to attract more
international business investment in France - a country often celebrated
for its cultural qualities, but not its business side. In all cases, we
find the same principles of brand-building that we use for traditional
companies can apply to the communication challenges facing geographic
entities.

In China, we are working with some local governments and organizations,
such as Shishan Development Zone in Guangdong province, and the Shanghai
Expo organization.

Yong Tang: Some people claim that Ogilvy is not very successful in
China. How do you think of this comment?

Shelly Lazarus: Ogilvy China is one of the leading marketing
communications groups in the country, both in terms of revenues and
people. The company is the only network able to offer a genuine 360
degree offering of marketing disciplines. In each area - advertising,
direct marketing and public relations, Ogilvy is the unmatched leader.

It has a list of blue-chip Chinese and multinational clients who are
deeply committed to brand building in China.Our Chinese clients include:
China Mobile, Great Wall Wine, Bright Dairy, Haier, TCL, Tsingtao
Beer.Our multinational clients include: Coca-Cola (Sprite), Cisco, GSK,
IBM, Kodak, Motorola, SAP, Unilever.

Also, I would have to say that we consider Ogilvy China to be one of our
most successful and important units, and we anticipate great growth and
opportunity on par with the growth of China overall.

Yong Tang: You have been ranked many times by the magazine Fortune among
the Most Influential Females in the World. What advantages does a female
top executive have in managing a huge company like Ogilvy?

Shelly Lazarus: My advantage is that I had the good fortune to grow up
professionally in a company where meritocracy was the norm. In a company
which values ideas and creativity, it doesn't matter where or who they
come from, male or female. Being a female did give me some advantage
early on in my career; I was often the only female in the meeting, and
when we were discussing how to sell products bought predominantly by
women, like hair shampoo, people inevitably turned to me for my ideas.
That has long since changed, and I am proud of the fact that Ogilvy is
full of talented men and women. In fact, I think that organizations that
do not have a diversity of people, from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds,
educational experience; of different ages, are poorer for it.

Yong Tang: What books and people influence you most?

Shelly Lazarus: I am not a big fan of business books in general. They
tend to be either too academic or too ego driven. Usually you learn
everything important in the first chapter anyway. I think I am more
influenced by my senior colleagues at Ogilvy - who have proved the value
of the long-term partnership - and by my clients, who have taught me so
much over the years about how to lead, how to do it with grace and
humanity. I also think that staying abreast of current events, being
curious, is vital in a world that has grown smaller and more
interconnected. Books, periodicals and newspapers that open up the world
with true intelligence and insight are invaluable.

Yong Tang: How do you think of the future of Chinese companies' brand
building? Are you optimistic or pessimistic?

Shelly Lazarus: As I said earlier, I think the prospects for Chinese
brands, and Chinese brand-building are excellent. Every meeting I have
with Chinese business and economic leaders underscores a real
willingness to understand and employ the best brand thinking we have in
developed economies in order to make their own brands prosper. With that
focus, it is not a question of whether these companies succeed, but when.

By Yong Tang, correspondent of People's Daily Washington Bureau

http://english.people.com.cn/200502/27/eng20050227_174878.html

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Taipei Times, Sunday, Feb 27, 2005
Political statements made in raw language
Yao Jui-chung's 'The Cynic' at Taipei MOMA Gallery makes bold statements
about cross-strait relations and Taiwanese identity
By Diana Freundl

[image] Yao Jui-chung's Chinese.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI MOMA GALLERY
In the 10 years since his graduation from the National Institute of Art
in Taipei, Yao Jui-chung (???) has been active in art, music, theater
and film.

He has exhibited internationally, representing Taiwan in the Venice
Biennale in 1997, and has held numerous solo exhibitions in Asia, Europe
and North America. His recent projects employ both photography and
installation to create satirical works with strong political overtones.

Yao's tongue-in-cheek approach continues in his latest exhibition, The
Cynic, at Taipei MOMA Gallery. Here, Yao utilizes minimal materials to
make bold statements about cross-strait relations and Taiwanese identity.

As in previous exhibits, the core of his inquiry are the themes of
nationalism and identity. Putting his ongoing photo documentary project
of Taiwan's historical sites on temporary hold, he turns to ink as his
medium in his latest works.

There are a total of eight pieces on display, each developed from a
style of comic books aimed at adults. Near the entrance of the gallery
is a doll covered in gold with small horns, which represents both a
child's innocence and the devil's deviancy. The two polar
characteristics are the basis for the figures appearing in each work --
a devil, and a human figure with a dog head.
[image] People to people

The canvases are made from large sheets of recycled paper, which Yao
first covered in gold leaf before etching figures and speech balloons.
Using colors and word play, in English and Chinese, each work contains
explicit and in-your-face political statements.
[image] Spy

For instance, Taiwanese shows a red devil engaged in intercourse with a
green-blue female figure. Above the picture is written "Taiwanese ???
?," or "He Plays You to Death."

Without committing himself to any one interpretation, Yao said the red
is China, the green is Taiwan, leaving the suggestion that Taiwan is
being abused by China.

Several people, he added, choose to associate green-colored figures with
the Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) and the blue with the Chinese
Nationalist Party (KMT). This association favors DDP supporters,
considering the greens' superior position through out the exhibition.

More sinister connotations are made in People to people, Government to
Government (?????, ?????). The meaning is clearer in the
Chinese, which translates, "ass to ass, asshole to asshole." The figures
are twisted to form a swastika symbol alluding to totalitarianism.

The association is in part a reference to Yao's view that "everything
has become so political." He said, "You go to China you are not
Taiwanese. You are against reunification you are not Chinese. You're not
Chinese and you're not Taiwanese, so what are you?"

Preferring not to affiliate himself with any single political party, Yao
said the pieces are intended as general satirical commentary on the
current political situation in Taiwan, specifically the ambiguity
associated with Taiwanese, identity.

It is a theme he has explored in the past. One of his previous shows,
Territory Manoeuvre (1994) was a series of six photographs in which Yao
is seen urinating (or making his territory) on six heritage sites
constructed during Japanese and Dutch occupations.

His deviant innuendos and graphic content may offend some, but behind
all the sex and profanity is a smirking artist with an intelligent
argument to make.

Exhibition notes:
What: The Cynic
Where: Taipei MOMA Gallery, 3F, 19, Ln 252 Dunhua S Rd, Sec 1, Taipei
(???????1?19?3F).
When: Until March 27

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/02/27/2003224857

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NYT, February 25, 2005
The Chinese Devotion to What Comes Next
By WENDY MOONAN

While Jesus said "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,"
the Chinese have a very different Golden Rule.

"There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, 'Treat the deceased as
you would the living,' " said Willow Weilan Hai Chang, the director of
the China Institute Gallery in New York. She was discussing the diverse
finds from recently excavated tombs in northeast China that make up
"Providing for the Afterlife: 'Brilliant Artifacts' from Shandong," a
show on view at the institute through June 4.

"These objects certainly show a passionate devotion to the afterlife,"
Ms. Chang said. "In them we see how the Han viewed the realm of the
afterlife and how they prepared for it."

On display for the first time in the United States are jewel-like gilded
horse and chariot ornaments, bronze ritual vessels, ceramic figural
sculptures and incised tiles from tombs of the Western Han dynasty (206
B.C. to A.D. 9) in Shandong, on the northeast coast of China, facing the
Korean Peninsula across the Yellow Sea.

"This province was one of the most prosperous during the Han," Ms. Chang
said. "Art, culture, literature, astronomy, the economy - all flourished
during the Han dynasty, so it would follow that the Han nobility would
have highly impressive, elaborate tombs."

The Chinese equipped such multiroom tombs with plenty of objects for the
afterlife. These imitate the possessions of the living - life-size (or
miniature) horses, carriages, warriors, dogs, roosters, money, wine
jugs, pots, game boards, musical instruments and more, made of bronze,
jade, lacquer, pottery and gold. The name for such articles is "mingqi,"
meaning "brilliant artifacts."

"In the Han dynasty, tomb furnishings and grave goods were thought to
provide for the deceased a celestial palace with all the comforts of an
idealized home," Susan L. Beningson writes in the catalog. "The tomb
would contain favorite objects of the deceased, as well as objects
denoting his rank and status." A staff member at the Princeton
University Art Museum, Ms. Beningson is co-curator of the show with Cary
Y. Liu, curator of Asian art there.

A bridle ornament excavated in 1999 must have been a favorite treasure.
Teardrop in shape and 6.5 inches tall, the gilt bronze plaque was
designed to hang over a horse's forehead, between its eyes. The
decoration, in elaborate openwork, depicts a celestial horse with wings
surrounded by scrolling clouds. The horse's forelegs are curled under
him, while the back legs kick out, making a reverse S-curve.

"The bridle ornament is a masterpiece of gilt bronze work," said Conor
Mahony, president of the Chinese Porcelain Company in New York. "It is
the star of the show."

"The fact that it's gold probably indicates it's from a royal tomb," Mr.
Liu, the co-curator, said in an interview. "This was made for a living
horse. The Han was a period when they were always looking for better
horses."

According to ancient Chinese texts, emperors rode heavenly horses to the
top of Mount Kunlun, where the immortals resided. In the catalog, Ms.
Beningson quotes a poem about the search for immortality, from the
"Historical Chronicles of the Han Dynasty." Written in the voice of
Emperor Wudi, who reigned from 140 to 87 B.C., it reads: "I raise myself
up, off we go to Kunlun. A celestial horse has come, mediator of the
dragon. We wander the heavenly gates, view the jade terrace."

Annette L. Juliano, a professor of Asian art at Rutgers University in
Newark, is an authority on horses in Han art. "No other animal had a
greater impact on China's real and imagined history," she writes in a
catalog for a companion show at Princeton. This show, on the Wu family's
tomb artifacts, opens on March 5 at Princeton's art museum. "It was
during the Han dynasty, however, China's first great empire, that the
horse became identified with the emperor, the Son of Heaven, the
individual responsible for maintaining harmony in the universe."

The most recently excavated piece at the China Institute is a clay
equestrian figure found in 2002 in a 10,000-square-foot tomb site near
the Weishan Mountains in Shandong. Over a foot tall, the man astride the
horse is one of five cavalry figures (along with 55 horses, 4 chariots,
60 shields and a drummer). The figures were a symbolic military escort
for royals moving into the afterlife.

The rider has a wide face with a broad forehead, a small mouth and puffy
cheeks. He wears a long cape.

"It's a very unusual costume," Mr. Mahony said. "I haven't seen that
garment before. The face is also very interesting; maybe he was a
tribesman from the north, which is where most of the armies came from."

The rider's geographical origin is a mystery. Was he Mongolian?

"This piece was only recently excavated, so it's still being
researched," Mr. Liu said. "When you think of terra-cotta armies, you
think of royal tombs in the capital. This is a royal tomb away from the
center. We cannot draw any conclusions yet."

In the mid-1990's, Mr. Liu was involved in the excavation of Western Han
Tomb 1, a royal tomb carved into the limestone cliffs of Mount
Shuangrushan in Shandong. Never robbed, it contained more than 2,000
burial artifacts. It is thought to be the tomb of Liu Kuan, ruler of the
Jibei Kingdom from 97 to 85 B.C., during the reign of Emperor Wudi.

"Liu was forced to commit suicide for his licentious behavior with his
father's widow and for cursing the emperor during a sacrifice," Mr. Liu
writes. "If the tomb's attribution is correct, Liu Kuan was granted
royal burial privileges despite his disgrace." The show includes the
ruler's 18-piece jade burial mask and a headrest in bamboo and jade, 20
gold ingots and some bronze coins.

"He was allowed only a jade mask, not an entire jade suit, the norm in
burials of the elite, because he had had an affair with his stepmother,"
Ms. Chang said. "Jade had protective powers. He also had two jade pigs."

Saddle ornaments and fittings from life-size chariots found in the tomb
are decorated with rings of gilt bronze. They are inlaid with gold and
silver celestial cranes, deer, dogs and rabbits, animals that were
considered auspicious.

"Not all chariots were lavishly decorated," Ms. Juliano writes. "Only
those with parasols or canopies, reserved for individuals of exalted
rank, received fittings of gilt bronze and gold and silver inlay."

After seeing this show, one might think that in China, the deceased were
treated better than the living.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/arts/design/25anti.html

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korea times, 02-25-2005 20:03
A Pioneer in contemporary Sculpture
By Park Chung-a

An exhibition of works by Kim Chong-yung, an artist known for having
introduced abstract sculpture to Korean art circles, is being held at
Deoksugung Museum, a branch of National Museum of Contemporary Art.

The exhibition, running through May 15, has brought together 70
sculptures and 90 drawings to mark the 90th anniversary of late artist's
birth. It is the largest single exhibition of Kim's work since his death
in 1982.

Kim played an important role in art education until 1980 as a professor
of sculpture in Seoul National University.

``Kim is a sculptor who sublimated a Western formative sense into the
Eastern spirit, setting an example for many young artists,'' said Park
Soo-jin, assistant curator of National Museum of Contemporary Art and
the organizer of the show. ``He focused on the moderation of technique,
namely simplicity through observation and understanding the order of nature.

``Although his works are mostly small, they give a great impression as
the whole image of nature is perceived in them. They are the result of
long thought and discriminating judgment,''
[image] "Legend"(1958)
[image] "Work 70-1" (970)

Kim entered the sculpture department of the Tokyo School of Art in 1936,
producing figurative works influenced by Western modernism. In 1953, he
won an award at the Monument to the Unknown Political Prisoner, an
international competition in London, for his work, ``Nude Statue.''

In the late 1950s Kim began creating abstract sculptures in steel. While
stone, wood and bronze allow a strong three-dimensional effect with
volume, steel allowed the artist to reflect his impromptu feelings
through free integration and separation. The introduction of steel gave
birth to a flourishing period in Korea's abstract sculpture. Kim's first
steel work, ``Legend,'' made of a few steel lines in 1958, is one of the
strongest pieces of the exhibition.

From the 1960s through the '80s, Kim pursued his interest in formative
principles by focusing on planes and volume. Though the works use simple
geometric shapes and are modest in size, they express a range of
emotions and deep connection with nature.

The show also includes drawings in black ink and pen.

``Usually the sculptor's drawings are very powerful and elaborate
because they always try to secure the space within the paper. Their
drawings usually include a strong three-dimensional effect,'' said Choi
Eun-ju, a branch director of Deoksugung Museum.

Choi Tae-man, head curator of Kim Chong Yung Sculpture Museum, also
emphasized the sculptor's significance. ``Despite Kim's status in
Korea's contemporary sculpture, he is not well known in Korea. Unlike
other artists, he led a tranquil life concentrating on his art. Not even
his acquaintances knew that he would leave behind over 170 sculptures
and 3000 drawings. This show offers a good chance to see his art as a
whole and the development of Korean sculpture.''

Other exhibitions of drawings by the artist are being held at Gallery
Won (02-514-3439) and Kim Chong Yung Sculpture Museum (02-3217-6484)
over the same period as the show at Deoksugung Museum (02-2022-0640).

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200502/kt2005022520013911690.htm

***********************

theartnewspaper.com, feb 25, 2005
Japanese shows get top visitor numbers
The 2001 semi-privatisation of centrally funded institutions has led to
a string of blockbusters at one end, and museum closures at the other
By Kay Itoi

Exhibitions in Japan have shot to the top of The Art Newspaper’s annual
ranking of global exhibition attendance. The most visited show of 2004
was “Treasures of a sacred mountain” at the Tokyo National Museum which
was seen by an average of 7,638 visitors a day, while another exhibition
at the institution, “Treasures of Chinese art” has also made it into the
top 10. In the 10 years we have compiled this list, this is the first
time that seven Japanese exhibitions have made it into our top 100.

Click here to download the complete table (PDF format)
[http://www.theartnewspaper.com/attfig.pdf]

The remarkable increase in attendance to Japanese exhibitions follows
the 2001 semi-privatisation of all State-run museums, combined with the
country’s continuing recession which has fostered a ruthlessly
competitive climate among Japanese institutions.

Despite the popularity of some shows, the total number of visitors to
museums in Japan has actually been declining. Most institutions lack
funds for acquisitions and long-term exhibition planning. This has led
to two extremes: at one end, a small group of blockbusters, to which
most of the money for planning and publicity is diverted, and at the
other, a large number of small, inexpensive shows that attract very
little attention and few visitors.
[image] A show of screen paintings at the National Museum of Modern Art
in Tokyo was seen by 3,873 visitors per day in 2004.

The blockbusters that make it to the top of our 2004 list were all held
at national museums. Since 2001, these institutions have been
“independent administrative corporations”, which means that they must
generate profits through ticket sales and merchandising. Shows
associated with famous historic monks like Kukai, or prominent temples,
are traditional favourites in Japan. They often reveal religious statues
and paintings, which are usually hidden from view. The national museums’
new efforts—enlisting outside public relations firms and aggressive
advertising—seems to have paid off.

The privately-run Mori Art Museum, which opened in Tokyo in October
2003, has emerged as Japan’s new power player. Its inaugural show,
“Happiness” was seen by an average of 7,860 daily visitors. It was
excluded from our list because the Mori admission ticket also provides
access to the immensely popular observation platform at the top of the
skyscraper. Had it been included, it would have come in first place.

Also excluded from this year’s list is the 21st Century Museum of
Contemporary Art in Kanazawa which opened last October. Its inaugural
show, “Encounters in the 21st century” (until 21 March) was seen by an
astounding 500,000 people from 9 October to 15 February.
The gap between a handful of winners and the many more losers among
Japanese museums is expected to widen. Financial difficulties forced a
few museums, including the Manno Art Museum in Osaka, to close last
year, and several others are currently facing a similar fate.

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11728

************************

aspen times, February 25, 2005
Painting in poetry
Bill Jensen looks East for inspiration
By Stewart Oksenhorn

[image] “Poetry is what happens between words. And painting is the same
thing — they’re things that that happen between people, between
phenomena. Poets try to touch a part of people, the psyche, that we’re
not normally aware of. And that’s what I try to do in my paintings,”
says Bill Jensen, whose work is now showing at David Floria Gallery.
Aspen Times photo/Mark Fox.

Bill Jensen acknowledges a good bit of influence from 20th-century
American painting. As a student in the 1960s at his home-state
University of Minnesota, Jensen studied with Peter Busa, an abstract
expressionist he was so taken with that he continued his postgraduate
work at Minnesota, resisting the pull of New York City. With his use of
swirling shapes and bold colors, Jensen's works fit rather comfortably
in the abstract expressionist school that put American painting on the
map in the post-World War II era. When, in the early '70, he finally did
move to New York, where he still lives, Jensen was blown away by a
Whitney Museum exhibit of early-20th-century American modernist Marsden
Hartley.

His appreciation for American art extends back even further: Jensen
speaks with great admiration of Albert Pinkham Ryder, an expressionist
who spanned the 19th and 20th centuries. Jensen, who wrote a paper on
the artist, calls Rider "where American painting started."

But Jensen's primary influence dates many centuries and half a planet
from the abstract expressionism of postwar America. The strongest
spiritual and even visual connection in his art is with China. That
inspiration dates back to the Taoist philosophy of the third and fourth
centuries, and has lasted right up to the Fei Fei poetry movement, a
group of poets that arose out of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
[image] “Duo Duo #60,” egg and oil tempera on paper, by Bill Jensen.

Jensen's current show at the David Floria Gallery features works on
paper from four series, all with heavy Eastern ties. The Fei Fei series
is inspired by the poets' insistence on avoiding any particular style.
(Fei Fei translates as "no no.") The Duo Duo series is named for one of
the Fei Fei poets; the Nüwa paintings are based on the legend of Nüwa
and Fucsa, the primordial mole people who are a rough Chinese equivalent
of Adam and Eve. All three series are made from a mixture of dry
pigment, oil tempera and egg yolk that Jensen, a 59-year-old who bears a
resemblance to actor Anthony Hopkins, mixes himself. The final works in
the exhibit is the Drunken Brush series, black-and-white takes on
Chinese calligraphic characters made on rare handmade British paper from
the 1920s. All the works in the exhibit were made at the home Jensen has
been renting for decades in the Siena countryside in Italy.

Jensen, whose interests span from poetry to philosophy to biking, likes
to speak of the critical moment of an artist's life. He points, for
instance, to William Turner, a 19th-century painter whose early works
were, said Jensen, "very mannered, English landscape paintings, very
proper, nice and neat." After Turner was taken to the Louvre, then the
Swiss Alps, "it just changed. That turned him into the Turner we love."

Jensen refers to such moments as seeing the phenomenon, or being drawn
away by the phenomenon. The philosophy, which he traces to the
third-century Taoists, involves the belief that the source of all things
- the phenomenon - could not be understood by mere humans. "We can't see
it as it is because we're human, because of our fears and habits," said
Jensen.
[image] “Drunken Brush #70,” ink and tempera on paper, by Bill Jensen.

To the Taoists, art was a way to get closer to perceiving the
phenomenon. "The Taoists believed they would make art the way the
phenomenon sees itself, taking the person, the human, out," said Jensen.
"That sort of clinched for me why I'm so attracted to the Chinese culture."

Jensen's own pivotal moment came during his college years. Jensen - who
spent spring breaks teaching skiing in Aspen - had taken a fairly
traditional course of study, heavy on Renaissance art history. The
subject and moreover the method of teaching were less than inspiring.
"What they wanted you to do was throw up what the work was about," said
Jensen.

The teacher who turned him on to the spirit of creativity was Professor
Robert J. Poor, who taught a Chinese-painting class. "There was no rote
memorization," said Jensen. "It didn't matter if you knew the artist. He
wanted to know how you felt about the painting."

Early in his New York years, Jensen had another critical experience,
again relating to Chinese art. Jensen made a friendship with John Yau, a
first-generation Chinese-American poet and art critic. Yau was in the
habit of recommending books of Chinese poetry, which Jensen devoured.
Most of the poetry was ancient, but five years ago Yau gave Jensen a
book of contemporary poems, written by the Fei Fei poets. Again the
artist was enlivened by the Chinese culture.

"It was after Tiananmen Square, when the artists were killed," said
Jensen of the Fei Fei's origins. "And the poets were against everything
- against rhyme, against style. Style to them looked like the
encroachment of capitalism, like a logo. The poets before them - the
Misty poets - had one style, this misty style. The Fei Fei poets - I
felt a kinship with them."

Looking through his Taoist prism, Jensen finds a natural kinship between
painting and poetry. Both forms are a means of getting a little closer
to the truth of existence, to seeing more clearly the phenomenon.

"Poetry is what happens between words," he said. "And painting is the
same thing - they're things that that happen between people, between
phenomena. Poets try to touch a part of people, the psyche, that we're
not normally aware of. And that's what I try to do in my paintings."

Just how he does that remains a mystery. Jensen may - or may not - start
a painting with the idea of a Chinese character in mind. But he has
never studied calligraphy, and doesn't care to. Too much training, he
suspects, would spoil the intuitive and spiritual nature of what he does.

"It's not really my feelings. It's something coming through me. It's the
phenomenon," he said of how poetry gets translated into visual art. "I
may have personal insight, personal anecdotes that may have influenced
the work. But I realize that blocks other people's insights into the work."

One other source to which Jensen traces his work is his lifelong severe
dyslexia. To him, it explains everything from his initial attraction to
Chinese poetry - which he says is very simple, and thus uncommonly easy
for him to read - to his well-developed visual sense.

"I think I'm very lucky to be dyslexic," he said. "The visual side of
the brain will not shut down for the cognitive side. It's a plus, a
great gift. Almost all the great artists I know are either dyslexic or
attention-deficit."

As strong an inspiration as it has been, Jensen has not yet visited
China. "I'm warming up to it," he explained, adding that he has been to
Japan. "But it's quite a trip."

http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050225/AE/ 102250001 &template=printart

__________________

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

__________________________________________

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