This minimalist artwork features the word "DOCENT" prominently displayed in a simple, clean font against a stark white background. The composition is striking in its simplicity, relying solely on the interplay of positive and negative space to create visual interest. The use of a single, lowercase word suggests a focus on language and its meaning, hinting at the potential significance or conceptual nature of the piece. Though the subject matter is straightforward, the artist's intention may be to provoke reflection on the role of the "docent" or guide in the context of art and education. ...
Cheng Xinhao (b.1985 Yunnan, China) currently lives and works in Kunming, China. Cheng’s works are usually based on long-term field studies, centering around his hometown in Yunnan Province. With videos, installations, photographs and words, he personally investigates the polyphonic relationships between logic, discussions, knowledge, and the part that nature, society, and history play within them.
Selected institution exhibitions include River Pulses, Border Flows, Times Museum (Guangzhou, 2022); The Language of Mushrooms: The Interspecies Internet, Contemporary Gallery Kunming (Kunming, 2022); I Recognized the World: Born in the 80s and 90s, MOCA Yinchuan (Yinchuan, 2021); An Archive: Seven Trails, Taikang Space (Beijing, 2020); Air Waste Health Water Energy Soil, Gleis 70 (Zurich, 2021); Re: Everything which exists under the sky, Gasworks (London, 2019).
Cheng is the recipient of several awards, including Abigail Cohen Fellowship (2017), the 6th Hou Dengke Documentary Photograph Award (2017), Author Book Award Arles (2017, shortlisted), Aperture First Photobook Award (2016), Shiseido Photography Award (2015), Three Shadows Photography Award (2015)
Website: chengxinhao.me
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Tabula Rasa Gallery is based in Beijing's 798 art district. Established in 2015, it aims to promote both Chinese and international contemporary artists through exhibitions, talks, research and publication. The gallery name is Latin for 'blank state'. In philosophical discourse, it refers to the idea that our knowledge comes from our experiences and education, all participants are born in a Tabula Rasa state. Tabula Rasa hopes that the exhibitions they present can subvert viewers’ preconceptions, creating conditions for fresh artistic experiments. ...
