2. Press Release

Li Zhanyang – ‘Rent’ – Rent Collection Yard

‘Rent’ – Rent Collection Yard (2007) is the title of the largest and most complex sculptural installation Li Zhanyang (born 1969, Jilin Province, China) has ever created. Taking eighteen months of production after nearly a decade of conceptual incubation, Li Zhanyang’s ‘Rent’ – Rent Collection Yard is a humorous and subjective look at the Chinese contemporary art scene. It is informed by the artist’s personal experience. Characters, both local and international, are brought to life. The 34 life-size coloured fiberglass figures of this installation are modeled after the likeness of various people familiar to the artist – among them international celebrities as well as some only known in Chinese contemporary art circles. They include Chinese and Western artists, curators, collectors, gallery owners, gallery assistants, and art students. The gathered subjects were chosen according to their public or professional roles. Displayed on a real stage they were designed to showcase each figure in a striking a pose – dramatic or absurd, some of them with imbuing mordant satire. Following six conceptual themes (Paying Rent, Foot Washing, Raping, Oppressing, Dying a Martyr, and History Observed), the sculptures are spread throughout the three exhibition spaces of Galerie Urs Meile in Beijing. The congregation seemingly gathered or juxtaposed is part of a broader and fabricated narrative revealing latent conflicts and power relations – the dirt underneath the high-gloss surface of the art world. The artist places his fiberglass alter ego amidst the other characters, representing himself by gazing intently into the darkness of the spectators. And among the spectators, Li Zhanyang places two exceptional figures in the front row: Joseph Beuys and Mao Zedong (in History Observed). Beuys, one of the most influential figures in the modern contemporary art scene, is expounding on the dynamic and chaotic interplay in front of them with a wild and passionate gesture beside the icon and father figure of revolutionary China.
In one of his essays Li Zhanyang writes "‘Rent’ – Rent Collection Yard tells a story that is not necessarily true or real." The work is a contemporary transposition of the story of landlord Liu Wencai. During the revolutionary era, Liu Wencai was a victim of political muckraking and depicted as a brutal exploiter of the peasants. Liu’s historic appearance as a despotic oppressor was the origin for the monumental and sculptural masterpiece called Rent Collection Yard (1965) also known as Rent Collection Courtyard. Permanently exhibited in the rent collection courtyard of landlord Liu Wencai’s orchard (in Dayi County, Sichuan Province), this group of sculptures portrays the class struggle between the indigent farmers and the ruling landlords prior to the Chinese Communist party’s coming to power. Commissioned by the provincial government of Sichuan Province and realized by a team of local folk artisans and Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, professors and students, Rent Collection Yard consists of 114 clay figures crafted in a stylistic combination of folk realism and Western academicism. In his version ‘Rent’ – Rent Collection Yard Li Zhanyang transposes the format of the original sculptures in order to apply a realistic approach with elements derived from his own art education that is emphasizing in particular the revision of Baroque art that refers to the iconographic languages of humanism. In an interview the artist states: "I am entirely dedicated to portray life for stressing an individual spirit on the most rudimentary levels of society."1
To Li Zhanyang the lasting value of an artwork does not exclusively rely on its technique, content, or the chosen media, but on contemporizing its message and innovating the technique, as well. Li’s understanding of "rent"—in a more formal and conceptual way—refers to "nalaizhuyi" (meaning tentatively "grabism" that is grabbing what is useful) as a creative process of assimilation and not merely a superficial form of cultural appropriation.2 For this reason, when artist Cai Guoqiang in 1999 had the original Rent Collection Courtyard remolded at the 48th Venice Biennale as a conceptual performance, he transposed it into a contemporary art context, as well. Though, it is important to understand at this point that for Li Zhanyang, logic and singular theories are no longer suitable for the discourses of contemporary art as his conceptualization of both the original version from 1965 and that of Cai Guoqiang is about a continuing process and the significance of this artwork will not terminate with the passing of time.3
Consequently, in Dying a Martyr, Li Zhanyang shows Cai Guoqiang in an eye-catching scene together with Samuel Keller, the former Director of Basel’s art fair Art Basel. The two protagonists are carrying a deceased Jesus Christ—a mighty visual reference to the internationally acclaimed Swiss curator Harald Szeemann (1933-2005) who was the curator of the Venice Biennale 1999. As a parallel figure to the terrible landlord Liu Wencai, in Foot Washing Li Zhanyang has chosen the internationally renowned artist and architect Ai Weiwei. He is shown in an armchair—chubby, cheerful, and cozily slumped—having a foot massage while doted on by his wife, curators, collectors, and his gallerist and assistants. In Li Zhanyang’s eyes, it could well be that the initial struggles of Chinese contemporary art are definitely over since it has now become accepted by the international art scene.

Text: Nataline Colonnello

1  Excerpt from an interview with Li Zhanyang in Chongqing on September 25, 2007.
2  "Nalaizhuyi" is a term used by the father of Chinese modern literature Lu Xun (1881-1936). It describes the appropriation or adaptation of Western cultural elements.
3  Excerpt from an unpublished essay by Li Zhanyang entitled Reasons for Producing "‘Rent’- Rent Collection Yard" (2007).

3. Captions of image attached:

1. Li Zhanyang, 'Rent' - Rent Collection Yard, 2007, detail, installation at Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, 37 life size fiberglass figures. From left to right: "Opressing" Li Zhanyang; "Foot Washing"; "Opressing" Zhang Huan; "History Observed" Joseph Beuys, Mao Zedong. Courtesy: Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne.

2. Li Zhanyang, 'Rent' - Rent Collection Yard, 2007, detail, installation at Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, 37 life size fiberglass figures. From left to right: "Raping" Yu Ke, Dai ShenghongLi; "Raping" Huang Liaoyuan, Xiang Jing, Victoria Lu, Gu Zhenqing; "Paying Rent" Ye Yongqing. Courtesy: Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne.

3. Li Zhanyang, 'Rent' - Rent Collection Yard, 2007, detail, installation at Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, 37 life size fiberglass figures. From left to right: "Paying Rent" Li Xianting (from behind); "Dying a Martyr" Samuel Keller, Harald Szeemann, Cai Guoqiang. Courtesy: Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne.

4. Li Zhanyang, 'Rent' - Rent Collection Yard, 2007, detail, installation at Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, 37 life size fiberglass figures. From left to right: "History Observed" Joseph Beuys, Mao Zedong; "Opressing" Gao Minglu. Courtesy: Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne.

展览名称: 李占洋－“租”—— 收租院

1、展览信息

展场: 麦勒画廊 北京－卢森，北京
地址: 麦勒画廊, 北京市朝阳区草场地村104号，邮编100015
艺术家: 李占洋
开幕式: 周六 4月26日, 2008 (下午4:00 到下午7:00)
展览时间: 2008年4月26日 – 2008年8月24日

麦勒画廊,北京市朝阳区草场地村104号，邮编;100015
开业时间: 从 周二－周日，早11：00－下午6：30
画廊网址: www.galerieursmeile.com
邮箱: galerie@galerieursmeile.com
电话: +86 10 64333393
传真：+86 10 64330203

2、新闻稿

“租”——收租院
 ——— 北京麦勒画廊 李占洋作品展

李占洋（1969年生于吉林省）至今规模最大也最为复杂的雕塑装置名为《“租”——收租院》（2007年）。经过近十年的构思和历时十八个月的创作，李占洋的《“租”——收租院》是对中国当代艺术界一个幽默而主观的观视，源自艺术家的个人经验，人物形象——国内和国际的——栩栩如生。艺术家根据自己熟悉的人物塑造了34个真人大小的着色玻璃钢雕塑，其中有国际的和只在中国当代艺术界知名的人士，在他们中间，有来自中、西方的艺术家、策展人、收藏家、画廊老板、画廊助理和艺术学生。这里聚集的人物是根据他们的公众或行业角色被挑选的，每个人物被赋予了一个有争议的姿态，戏剧化或荒诞的，有一些渗透了尖锐的讽刺。依据六个主题《交租》、《洗脚》、《抢人》、《压迫》、《殉难》及《被观看的历史》，作品在北京麦勒画廊的三个展出空间展出。这些看上去被聚集或并置的组合，是一个更广泛的揭露隐藏冲突与权力关系的虚构叙述——艺术世界光华表面下的尘埃的一部分。艺术家将自己的玻璃钢雕塑放在这些人物中间，目光炯炯地凝视着观看者所在的黑暗之处。在观看者的前排，李占洋加了两个人物：波依斯和毛泽东（《被观看的历史》）。波依斯，这个现代艺术界最有影响力的人物之一，正在为革命中国的偶像和领袖讲解呈现在他们面前喧乱的场景。
李占洋在他的一篇文章中写道，“我的《租—收租院》讲述的故事不是或不一定是真实存在的。”它是地主刘文采故事的当代转型。革命时期，刘文采作为一个政治争斗的牺牲品，被形容为农民残忍的剥削者。四川大邑县刘文采果园的收租院里长期展出的大型雕塑杰作《收租院》便是取材于刘文采这一历史形象，表现了中国共产党夺取政权前，贫穷农民和统治他们的地主之间的阶级斗争。受四川省政府的委托，《收租院》由一批来自民间的工匠和四川美术学院的师生完成，由114个结合了民间现实主义和西方学院主义风格的泥塑人物组成。在《“租”——收租院》版本中，李占洋转换了原版的形式，以便运用一种融合了一些来自他本人所受艺术教育元素的现实手法，这种教育强调的是对指涉人文主义圣像学语言的巴洛克艺术的修正。在一次访谈中（2007年9月25日于重庆），艺术家这样说：“我的艺术完全是描述生活、市井，从底层人或者是我周边人那里体会到的一种强调个体的个人精神。”
对李占洋来说，一个艺术作品持续的价值不只是完全依靠它的技术、内容或所选媒介，而是取决于负载在它上面的时代信息和技术革命。李占洋对“租”，在一种更形式和观念的意义上的理解，是“拿来主义”（什么有用就把什么“拿来”；该词被鲁迅用来形容对西方文化元素的接近或接受）——“拿来主义”作为一个创造性的同化过程，而非一个肤浅的文化占有。因为这个原因，当蔡国强1999年在第48界威尼斯双年展上将原版《收租院》转换成一个观念行为的同时，也把它置入了一个当代艺术的上下文。在这里重要的是要知道对李占洋来说，逻辑性和单面性的理论和思考已不再适用于探讨艺术作品，以及他对1965年版和蔡国强版《收租院》的观念化是一个持续进程中的一个部分，这件作品的意义是不会随着时间的改变而结束的。（源自李占洋未发表文章《我为什么做〈“租”—收租院〉》，2007年）
所以，在《殉难》中，李占洋在这个引人注目的场景中让蔡国强和萨缪尔·凯勒（Samuel Keller，原巴塞尔艺术博览会总监）一起登场，他们抬着一个刚刚死去的基督耶稣，后者显然是声誉卓著的瑞士策展人哈洛德·塞曼（Harald Szeemann）。作为《洗脚》中可怕的地主刘文采的平行人物，李占洋选择了享有国际声望的艺术家和建筑家艾未未。他，圆嘟嘟的，喜滋滋的，舒舒服服地半躺在一个扶椅上洗脚，享受着他的妻子、策展人、收藏家、画廊老板及助理的簇拥和宠爱。在李占洋眼里，中国当代艺术的第一场争斗已见分晓，因为它已被国际艺术界接受。

文：Nataline Colonnello（箫岭）
译：苏晓琴

3、作品说明
1. 李占洋，《“租”——收租院》，2007，局部，装置。麦勒画廊 北京。三十七个真人大小玻璃钢人像。从左至右：“压迫”李占洋；“洗脚”；“压迫”张洹；“被观看的历史”约瑟夫·波伊斯，毛泽东。［图片提供：麦勒画廊，北京－卢森］

2. 李占洋，《“租”——收租院》，2007，局部，装置。麦勒画廊 北京。三十七个真人大小玻璃钢人像。从左至右：“强人”俞可，代生红；“强人”黄燎原，向京，陆蓉之，顾振清；“交租”叶永青。［图片提供：麦勒画廊，北京－卢森］

3. 李占洋，《“租”——收租院》，2007，局部，装置。麦勒画廊 北京。三十七个真人大小玻璃钢人像。从左至右：“交租”栗宪庭（背部）；“殉难”萨缪尔 科勒，哈罗特 塞曼，蔡国强。［图片提供：麦勒画廊，北京－卢森］

4. 李占洋，《“租”——收租院》，2007，局部，装置。麦勒画廊 北京。三十七个真人大小玻璃钢人像。从左至右：“被观看的历史”约瑟夫 波伊斯、毛泽东；“压迫”高名潞。［图片提供：麦勒画廊，北京－卢森］