Rong Rong. "East Village, Beijing, No. 1.", 1994. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the artist
This exhibition features a selection of black and white photographs by the contemporary Chinese artist Rong Rong (b.1968). From 1993 to 1994, a group of experimental artists took up residence in an impoverished neighborhood in Beijing that they dubbed “East Village” (dong cun).
As a principal member of this struggling artists’ community, Rong Rong shared in the adversities of pursuing art in the bleakest conditions. In spite of—and because of—these grim circumstances, the East Village became the site of some of the most experimental performances at the time. While artists were forced to leave in late 1994, their experiences in the East Village served as a vital catalyst for many of their later works. Examples of these latter experiments are also highlighted in this exhibition.
