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M+, Hong Kong. Gift of Guan Yi, 2013, © Duan Jianyu
Duan Jianyu 段建宇
Artistic Chicken 藝術雞
2002
Chicken made its first appearance in Duan’s painting in 2003. Duan utilises the multitude of meanings associated with the birds to undermine her subject matter. In Artistic Chicken 5, she references Édouard Manet’s The Luncheon on the Grass (1863) while inserting chickens into the picnic scene. The shape of the roasted fowl echoes the shape of the female nude, thus highlighting the objectification of the female body. In addition, the mischievous presence of other chickens interrupts the academic tone of the original painting. Even though chickens are common seen in everyday life, their absurd presence in the painting removes viewers from their suspension of disbelief and forces them to question the institutionalisation of the work and the exhibition in which it is situated. When Duan was invited to join Canton Express in 2003, she wanted to heighten the sense of disruption in her work. To emerging contemporary artists from the Pearl River Delta, the Venice Biennale was a sacred institution, and it was a natural continuation of Duan’s practice to challenge this artistic establishment. Instead of confining the chickens to her paintings, she decided to insert them into the exhibition space so that their subversive effect would spread through the entire venue. Duan painted one hundred fibreglass chicken sculpture, which were made through a casting process and appeared in five different postures. The chicken sculptures appeared in Duan’s designated exhibition space, and some were scattered throughout other areas of the exhibition.
The effect of these birds translated well from oil painting to installation—the incongruous presence of these farm animals in a contemporary art setting compelled viewers to reconsider the assumptions they had of the esteemed institution. In addition, the chickens referenced the collision between the developing city and the countryside.This blurring of borders is a common sight in Guangzhou, where chickens roam freely in parts of the city. The unrefined nature of this piece also speaks to the improvised and informal art-making practices in the Pearl River Delta at the time.
After the conclusion of the 2003 Canton Express, the artists lacked funding to ship the artwork back to China. Collector Guan Yi intervened and provided the necessary means for the works to return to their place of origin. Nevertheless, due to logistical and storage difficulties in both Venice and China, only forty out of one hundred chicken sculptures survived to enter the M+ Collection 11 years later. After extensive discussions with Duan, it was decided that the 2017 iteration should honour the difficult return passage of the chicken sculpture, as it forms an important part of the history of this artwork. Only the original surviving elements are shown in this iteration; no replicas were made to replace the sculptures that were lost. As the fibreglass sculptures were painted by Duan herself, they were treated by both object conservators and painting conservators at M+. The treatment process involved cleaning and stabilising aged painted surfaces in an attempt to recover their original appearances. Structural repairs were also undertaken where necessary to strengthen physical integrity.
After the conclusion of the 2003 Canton Express, the artists lacked funding to ship the artwork back to China. Collector Guan Yi intervened and provided the necessary means for the works to return to their place of origin. Nevertheless, due to logistical and storage difficulties in both Venice and China, only forty out of one hundred chicken sculptures survived to enter the M+ Collection 11 years later. After extensive discussions with Duan, it was decided that the 2017 iteration should honour the difficult return passage of the chicken sculpture, as it forms an important part of the history of this artwork. Only the original surviving elements are shown in this iteration; no replicas were made to replace the sculptures that were lost. As the fibreglass sculptures were painted by Duan herself, they were treated by both object conservators and painting conservators at M+. The treatment process involved cleaning and stabilising aged painted surfaces in an attempt to recover their original appearances. Structural repairs were also undertaken where necessary to strengthen physical integrity.
Canton Express: Art from the Pearl River Delta. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 23 June–10 September 2017
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