Vancouver Biennale's sculptures are on the move
Following the installation of Chen Wenling’s The Proud Youth in Yaletown, The Meeting by Wang Shugang finds a permanent home in White Rock
Chen Wenling’s The Proud Youth is at the south end of Drake Street along the Yaletown Seawall.
PUBLIC ART IS on the move in Greater Vancouver.
The Proud Youth is Chen Wenling’s 18-foot-tall sculpture of a boy hunched over with a mischievous grin, which was installed recently in Yaletown as part of the Vancouver Biennale’s six-month extension to its 2018-2020 re-IMAGE-n exhibition.
From Wenling’s Red Memories series, the three-ton painted-bronze stainless-steel piece takes its name from a popular Wuxia (Martial Heroes) novel called The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (Xiao Ao Jiang Hu 笑傲江湖), which in Chinese means “to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife.” The novel is frequently read as a political allegory, according to Vancouver Biennale.
The work is at the south end of Drake Street along the False Creek Seawall.
Wang Shugang’s The Meeting now lives in White Rock.
Meanwhile, one of Vancouver Biennale’s most beloved sculptures, artist Wang Shugang’s The Meeting, has found a permanent home in White Rock. Bosa Properties purchased the constellation of eight crouching Buddhist monks painted a vivid red, which will be situated in the public plaza at Miramar Village, the company’s new four-tower development.
Created for the 2007 G8 Summit in Germany, The Meeting made its North American debut at the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale exhibition in Coal Harbour. In 2017, the Biennale loaned it to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for an exhibition celebrating the 375th anniversary of Montreal, the 50th anniversary of Expo 67, and the 150th anniversary of Canada.
“People love to mimic the crouching poses, play leapfrog with them and take endless photographs with them,” Vancouver Biennale founder and artistic director Barrie Mowatt said in a release. “The piece personifies how great art can activate space, help build communities and create safe outdoor destinations for people to enjoy. Bosa’s purchase of the artwork also helps the Biennale fund our future exhibitions, artist residencies and educational programs.”
Bosa Properties purchased The Meeting.
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