Chinese Multi-Media Artist at Womad

NEWS RELEASE – 11 JANUARY 2010

Chinese Multi-Media Artist Features in Visual Arts Programme for Womad NZ 2010

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Chinese multi-media artist Mu Yu Ming is coming to WOMAD New Zealand 2010 as a highlight of the event’s visual arts programme.

Mu Yu Ming hails from New Plymouth’s sister city in China, Kunming, and will be at WOMAD as part of a four-month New Zealand residency which includes projects in Auckland , Wellington and Christchurch.

WOMAD New Zealand 2010 takes place over three days from March 12-14 at New Plymouth’s Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl and not only features more than 250 music performers from almost every corner of the globe, but also presents a visual arts programme to stimulate the senses.

Mu Yu Ming was born and raised in Kunming and is now based in Yunnan, China where he has founded Farmer Station as a stand-alone gallery, museum and studio space. He specialises in portraiture and undertakes interactive public art projects. He has exhibited in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, the United States, Singapore, China and Honk Kong and his 20-day interactive public art project has been undertaken in China, Norway and France.

Mu Yu Ming arrives in New Zealand in February and will undertake projects at Chinese New Year events and festivals in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as featuring at WOMAD New Zealand 2010. As well as workshops and demonstrations, Mu Yu Ming will continue his 20-day Project and his Family Portraits Project. The 20-day Project enlists the involvement of other artists, Asian-Kiwis and passers-by to create art ranging from paintings, to sculptures, video footage or the creation of art performance.

His Family Portraits Project combines conventional oil-on-canvas painted portraits with video interviews to add greater depth to the work and results in large portrait paintings of individuals and family members which will be exhibited and displayed on-site. Mu is particularly interested in featuring Chinese New Zealanders and families descended from the Poll Tax payers in New Zealand.

“I am passionate about art and its role in communication. I have a strong desire to engage with others and I like to share information. I see myself as an ambassador for art and for taking down the white walls around the art world to allow all to participate.”

Also featuring in the visual arts programme at WOMAD New Zealand 2010 is Wellington artist Ashley Turner’s ever-changing light installation ‘Reflective Community’. This interactive totem installation utilises reflective materials and is highly reactive when illuminated with LED light and is part of Ashley’s series of totems and light-based installations.

WOMAD New Zealand 2010 is the sixth WOMAD to be held in New Plymouth and will be attended by more than 38,000 people across the three days.

As well as a stunning line-up of music on seven stages and a visual arts programme, WOMAD New Zealand 2010 also features artists in conversation, live cooking demonstrations and workshops by artists, a global village, sustainable village, Kidzone and the option to camp at the adjacent racecourse or stay marae-style in the TSB Stadium.

WOMAD is an international festival created by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Brooman 27 years ago. Since then 21 countries have hosted the festival and entertained millions of festival goers.

Tickets for WOMAD New Zealand 2010 are available through Ticketek and more information is available on the WOMAD website www.womad.co.nz

Womad New Zealand 2010: Visual Artist Biographies

MU YU MING (China)

Born in Kunming,China, Mu Yu Ming trained in Beijing at the Center Academy of Art and Design in Beijing and Center Film Academy in Beijing. Furtherstudy in Europe at the National Art Academy in Oslo. Resident artist at the prestigious Rijksakademie academy. Solo and group exhibitions in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, USA, Singapore, China, and Hong Kong. Hiscox Art award 2006 for emerging artists in Europe. Fellowships from Dutch and Norwegian governments.

Founder of Lijiang Studio in 2004, an international art residency programme to better engage art and artists with local communities. Lijiang Studio attracted more than 100 artists from home and abroad.

Founder of Farmer Station, in the former exhibition space of Lijiang Studio, in 2009. Farmer Station is a stand-alone gallery-museum-studio space, located in the community of Lashi lake, Lijiang. Currently more than a dozen artists are associated with Farmer Station and a community of 150 locals live around Farmer Station and take part in activities.

Mu Yu Ming is a multi-media artist using techniques and philosophies from East and West, with an emphasis on inclusive public art projects. He started painting when he was four years old, creating chalk drawings of the chickens, his parents’ dog, and the jasmine-scented flowers he would watch in his family’s house.

Now he uses painting as a form of meditation, using the language of art to bring together mind and body. He combines text, video, sketches, drawings, spontaneous paintings or guerilla performances to continue this journey, and communicate to others through art.

In 2003 Mu Yu Ming started an ambitious 20-day project, aiming to work collaboratively with others in 20 different countries over 10 years through performance, discussion, presentation. To date, these multi-media interactive projects in public spaces in China, Norway and France have generated interest and debate about identity, creativity and the role of art in the modern world, as well as its value as a vehicle of community expression.

Another project – Family Portrait – is an innovative way of capturing people and their stories: subjects are interviewed on video during the sitting, resulting in a portrait shown alongside the video.

www.mu-art.com

Solo exhibitions
2008 Red Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2007 140sqm Gallery, Shanghai, China: “Mu Yu Ming’s World”
2007 LLC Gallery, New York, USA
2006 Lijiang Studio Haidong, Lijiang, China: “ Family Portrait”
2006 La Friche de belle de Mai, Marseille, France: “ The time of the great revolution”
2006 L’Ecole Supérieure D’Art d’Aix-En-Provence, Aix-En-Provence, France: “ The time of the great revolution”
2005 Agentur, Amsterdam, Netherlands: 'A virtual person made in China'
2005 L’Estran, Binic, France: “20 days project”
2004 Hoseman, Oslo, Norway: “20 days project”
2003 Loft, Kunming, China: “20 days project”

Group exhibitions
2008 Galerie Nord, Berlin, Germany: “Another China”
2007 Eidos Art Space, Bassano Romano, Italy: “Li”
2006 Parts, Xiamen City, China: 'Rijksakademie at Parts'
2006 Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, Netherlands: 'Hiscox Art Award'
2005 Kunming and Lijiang, China: 'Jiang Hu', curator/participant
2005 Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands: 'Open Ateliers'
2002 Earl Lu Gallery/College of the Arts, Singapore
2002 Nikolaj Copenhagen Art Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark: 'Single Screen Video Art from Asia'
2000 SKA Sternersen Museet, Oslo, Norway

Awards: 2006 Hiscox Art Award, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam

ASHLEY TURNER ‘Reflective Community’ (New Zealand)

Ashley was born in the UK and emigrated to New Zealand after living in Cape Town, South Africa from age 2-13. His family moved to Wellington New Zealand in 1972 where he completed an apprenticeship in advertising after leaving school. He trained as a graphic artist.

He worked for five years as a graphic artist in publishing and then The NZ Film & Television School (1986) in Christchurch. He worked as a set dresser on Illustrious Energy (1987) and has since worked on short films, feature films and television commercials and developed his own career as an artist and his work has featured in several group and solo shows and exhibitions. www.ashdesign.co.nz

Feature Films

Supervising Art Director/Designer: New Zealand shoot of Dean Spanley (2008) Dir Toa Fraser

Designer: ‘A Song of Good (2007), which premiered at the NZ International Film Festival. Since shown in official selection in Montreal, Mexico, Rotterdam, Gijon-Spain, Warsaw-Poland, Estonia & Belgium’s International Festivals.

Designer: Snakeskin (2001), which won Best Feature Film at The Nokia NZ Film Awards. Designer: Natures Way (2006), which screened in competition at Cannes Film Festival (2006)

Short film success

Winner of New Zealand Film Awards ‘Best Design’ for No Ordinary Sun (2003)
Production Designer on Planet Man (1996), winner of Canal+ Best Short in Critics Week, Festival de Cannes

Television Commercials

Winner of D&AD Award (British Design and Art Directors Guild) for Best Art Direction of Toyota Hiace “Bugger” TVC (2003)

Artistic projects

Gravity Coffee Photo Exhibition - Competition winner 2008
Reflective Community – Sculpture installation 2006
Desert Dreaming – Sculpture purchased by Wallace Arts Trust 2006
Gleem Festival – Prod/Director in Association with Auckland Festival 2005 ‘AK05’
Open Art Galeria - Frankfurt Welle Showcase of NZ Digital artists 2005
Here & Now - Spiral Gallery with Jason Burgess Auckland 2004
Convergence - Festival Installation, NSW Australia 2003
Painted by Light - Odeon Lounge –Solo exhibition Auckland 2003
Out of the Dark - ASA Gallery – Group show. Auckland 2001

ENDS

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