YBCA Inside Out: Julio talks about Xu Tan

Keywords School at YBCA is the San Francisco iteration of an interactive multimedia installation by Chinese artist Xu Tan that was launched in 2006 and has been previously presented in London, Stockholm, Guangzhou, New York City and at the 53rd Venice Biennale. Xu Tans work deals with the hidden motivations and intentions of individuals through a high-tech analysis of their vocabulary. Searching for Keywords began with interviews of different groups of people who are active in Chinese society. The recorded interviews were then carefully analyzed and 100 keywords were identified based on meaning (social values), frequency (repetition), sensitivity (political) and popularity (trendiness). New words are added based on each iteration of the School. These keywords reveal the values and motivations of contemporary Chinese society, they give a pulse of the current social climate and present an insight into the collective social consciousness of China.

While Xu Tan is in residence at YBCA, he plans to hold classes in the gallery and teach the keywords to the public and students from local universities. These classes generate other keywords that help reveal the opinions and attitudes of a western audience towards the current status of China and its role in the global environment. Gallery audiences are invited to interact with the keywords, which are presented by means of video projections and computer stations equipped with laptops, video cameras, and Internet connections. The goal is to have gallery visitors pronounce the keywords as illustrated in drawings and video clips, to ask questions of the artist through an on-line forum and message board, and to leave comments. See dates and times for keywords classes with Xu Tan » http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=9617

Keywords School is part of YBCA Exhibition series PAUSE :: Practice and Exchange.

Curator: Julio Cesar Morales, Adjunct Curator of Visual Arts at YBCA.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• yerba buena
• ybca
• arts
• exhibition
• installation
• Chinese
• language