From left to right: Ou Ning, Zhu Wen, Thomas Rohdewald,  Lydia H.Liu, Li Tuo, Zhai Yongming

From right to left: Thomas Rohdewald, Ma Liuming, Zhu Wen, Liu Ye, Mao Yan.

Artist Ai Weiwei

From left to right: Zhu Wen, Zhang Xiaogang, Mao Yan

Poster of Thomas Mao, designed by Xiaomage & Chengzi

Guests of CROSSTALK  Beijing#9, from left to right: Jinzi, Thomas Rohdewald, Zhu Wen, Mao Yan, Ou Ning

Ai Weiwei, Cheng Yizhong, Li Xianting and Xu Bing are in CROSSTALK

Professor Cui Weiping,  Beijing Film Academy

Famous art critic , Curator Li Xianting was talking in CROSSTALK

Artist, Yu Hong and Japanese Writer, Furumai Yoshiko

Zhu Wen, the film director and two film actors- Thomas & Mao Yan

Thomas Mao is the third feature film of Zhu Wen, who is the famous writer and film director. Taking three years to produce, the film was completed in 2009. Thomas Mao is a combination of a foreign name and a Chinese name. In the film, a westerner and a Chinese man came across each other in the remote Inner Mongolian grassland. Under such a special context a conversation between the west and the east began. One of them talks in English, the other talks in Hunan dialect. The director hopes to observe the world full of cultural confrontation with unconventional eyes. ‘Small’is what the film pursues. In an age full blockbusters, the director hopes to make something ‘small’ but really creative.

The style of the film is explicit. It does not appeal to the present domestic film market under the impetuous atmosphere, while it also does not cater to the interest and the tendency of western film festivals. The director tries to break the ordinary rules and discovers new possibilities. The film has a strong surreal atmosphere but is full of humor and fun. It combines elements of comedy, thriller and Kung fu film and reaches a breakthrough in film treatment while keeping the high standard the director always has in film narrative.

The film has a close combination of contemporary art. Mao Yan, the famous painter, and his module Thomas Rohdewald are the special couple in contemporary art. Mao is much acclaimed for his conceptual portrait paintings. His works emphasizes on skills and techniques very much, especially the “Portrait Series of Thomas” since 1999.With his unraveled painting skills and his constant exploration on paintings, he’s acclaimed as “painter’s painter”. The director puts this special feature into the film and invites Mao and Thomas to act in the film. This film is a model which combines eastern and western cultures. While the film was producing, it was shown in Shanghai Art Museum for an inner preview. This film gained nice feedback and highly recommended, which is considered as a successful and deep creation for the area of film and contemporary art.

After entering the entrance, there are Liu Xiaodong’s eight early sketches on your right side. Continue along the wall (Part A), you will see Liu’s sketches, notes, documentaries, photographes displayed in reverse chronological order. There are seven documentaries, A Family of Cuba (2009), Festering Heat, Eat First (2008), Grain Rain(2008), Nowincoming (2007), Beneath the Sakure Flower, Hot spring(2007), Dong (2005-2006), Domino (2006). The exhibition presents the creation process of Liu Xiaodong. The integration of motion and stills images introduces multiple ways of experiencing this process.
The dotted lines in the center shows Liu’s sketch book from 1989-1996, the sketches are displayed in hanging acrylic panels.
Part B is the video Stepping into Reality: A Conversation between Wu Hung and Liu Xiaodong.
Part C is a reading area where you can read all sixteen of Liu Xiaodong’s publications.
Part D is a slide show of Liu’s snapshot photographs and sketches.

This exhibition is not to emphasise final work but process. These are memories of the artist, which is usually kept to himself while the exhibition showed these memories to the audience for the first time by seeking the traces scattered in sketches, notes.

We look forward to your visit to the exhibition.

Co-curators: Wu Hung | Ou Ning
Exhibition Time: September 18 – October 29, 2009 (Closed during the National Day holiday)
Opening Hours: 2pm–8pm, Monday–Friday
Address: Beijing Angle Modern Art, 4/F, Tower 1, Zhongguo Hongjie (China View), Jia 2 Gongti Dong Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing