Newman Huo

    CONSCIOUSNESS, double values, harmony, self-justification, individual, sexy, environmental protection, human beings are machines — these are key words and phrases in a 90-miunute dialogue between Chinese avant-garde artist Xu Tan and Zhang Zhiyang, a professor in philosophy at Hainan University in Haikou, Hainan province.

    The dialogue was conducted at the OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (OCAT) in Overseas Chinese Town (OCT), Nanshan District, on Sunday as the opening forum of a two-month art project: “Possible Vocabulary Games: Xu Tan Language Workshop.”

    The two-month art project features a series of forums, where the artist will conduct conversations on key words with invited artists, art critics, and scholars as well as those who are interested in Xu’s project.

    “This art project is different from any other art exhibition that has been organized at OCAT because Xu Tan has chosen to use a language workshop format to finish his keywords project which was launched in 2005,” said Huang Zhuan, the project curator.

    Born in Wuhan, Hubei Province in 1957, Xu joined the Big Tail Elephant Group in Guangzhou in the early 1990s. The stated aim of Xu’s work is to develop critical strategy to negotiate the rapidly changing economic and cultural life of China.

    Over the past five years, Xu has conducted his keywords project in Shanghai, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Shenzhen, New York, Guangzhou, Stockholm, Venice, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Qingdao and Toronto.

    His work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Venice and Berlin Biennials, Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane, the Guangzhou Triennial, and De Appel in Amsterdam. When his language workshop is completed in March this year, OCAT will publish a book, “Vocabulary, Consciousness, and Art: Research Report on Visual Linguistic Experiments in Keywords,” to mark the end of his five-year art project.

    Dates: Until March 20.

    Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Closed Monday

    Add: OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Enping Road, Overseas Chinese Town (华侨城恩平路OCT当代艺术中心)

    Metro: Hua Qiao Cheng Station (Overseas Chinese Town Station 华侨城站), Exit A.