Shanghai Bund Art Museum shower tap spouts espresso coffee

At the exhibition site, nine large faucets spurted coffee, orange juice, red wine, black ink, lotion and so on.

Starting from tomorrow, visitors must wear raincoats when visiting the "sharing, but unfair" solo exhibition on gallery on the Bund in Shanghai, because no one knows when they will be splashed all over with espresso or orange juice or red wine. The shower faucet of the gallery on the Bund does not spray water, but actually sprays these "noble drinks". Whether this is a gimmick or art has attracted onlookers.

Our reporter Kui Liang

The faucet changes its head and spurts strange liquid.

As soon as our reporter arrived on the gallery on the Bund yesterday, he was told by the staff that he must wear a disposable raincoat, otherwise his clothes would be "destroyed" at once. As an important exhibit of "sharing, but unfair", the "cocktail party" occupies a whole floor on the fourth floor of gallery. At first glance, it is not monotonous, because the whole work is made up of nine large shower faucets.

But when these faucets began to work, there was a scream at the scene, because these faucets did not spray water, but actually sprayed coffee, almond syrup, mint juice, orange juice and red wine, not all drinks, of course, one faucet emitted black ink directly, while the other was a gorgeous lotion.

The spray of these strange liquids was so violent that amid the loud noise, the reporter's disposable raincoat was quickly splashed with liquid of various colors, which was suddenly realized by the staff before the visit. What is even more peculiar is that the whole pavilion is filled with the smell of these drinks and daily necessities in an instant, which makes people's sense of sight, hearing and smell be strongly stimulated for a time. "I've seen a lot of contemporary exhibitions, and this is the most exciting one, and it's a little unbearable." A spectator at the scene told our reporter while wiping the liquid splashed on his face.

According to the reporter's understanding, for this exhibition, Paula Biwei prepared nearly 1 ton of corresponding liquid for each drenched Rain Water bibcock, which was recycled and sprayed during the exhibition, which was expensive. Of course, the most expensive are red wine and espresso. In bars and coffee bars, these drinks can easily cost tens or even hundreds of yuan, but now in tons, it is conceivable that they will cost.

As a result, there was also a voice at the scene yesterday that Polabiwei's stunt was too expensive and suspected of putting on a show. Mr. Chen, an audience member, told this newspaper, "now we promote environmental protection everywhere. Coffee and fruit juices are sprayed away as exhibits. I can't bear to see it. Contemporary art can't play like this, can it?"

Subvert everyday expression, gimmick or art?

Polabivy is an internationally renowned Italian artist. In 1999, she won the Golden Lion Award at the famous Venice Biennale, which made her one of the world's top contemporary artists. In the "sharing, but unfair" exhibition on the Bund gallery, in addition to the "cocktail party", she also brought "making a circle is art" composed of 24 artificial bear skins. Several large installations, such as "Thank you for the Ocean," composed of more than 10, 000 pearls weighing up to 600 kilograms, all give people a feeling of luxury. This is why Paula Biwei's art suffers from the controversy of "whether it is a gimmick or art".

Larry Frocio, curator of the gallery on the Bund, has his own views on the audience's comments. He told our reporter that the materials and elements used in Polabiwei's works, such as coffee and pearls, are in fact common, but the way she uses and juxtaposes these elements is very unique, such as painting on pearls. spray drinks with shower heads and so on. "this creates a variety of rare situations and mysteries. Artists prefer to create all kinds of impossible situations and trigger new experiences. In her world, anything is possible. "

In Laris Frocio's view, Bora Peiwei's work cannot be simply measured by "whether it is a gimmick or art". "she really hopes to create a more critical daily expression by creating abnormal situations. Her works are full of subversive power. "

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