https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s5/cao-fei-in-fantasy-segment/
Cao Fei
Impactful, Freeing
Cao Fei studies human expression, and more specifically the expression of the people in China and how they are influenced by other cultures. She explains the importance of western influence as well as influence from other Asian countries in how the people of China express themselves such as through dance and cosplay. She then goes on to talk about online games that give people virtual lives that they can use to further express themselves in ways that they may otherwise be unable to in their normal life. Her project RMB city is a way for her to express herself and allow others to express themselves politically by forming a virtual democracy in a city she designed. It is full of fun structures like a giant spinning bicycle wheel, a shopping basket with buildings inside of it, and flaming smokestacks. The structure of the city itself allows for social commentary on the developments of cities and businesses while also creating a space where people can enact their political ideas in a safe space.
From looking at the piece there is a lot to take in at once, but depending on what angle one views it from one object can grab your attention more than another. In the first image the fire is the first thing my eye is drawn to as its bright colors and smoke sort of alarm a viewer, while in the second it is the flag for the bright red as well as it being isolated in the photo. The main island with all the buildings is fairly cohesive and well put together which helps bring emphasis to the outliers which stick out either by composition, form, color, or any combination of those things.
There is a lot to be inspected in each photo with some things seemingly being creative expression with others seeming to have a deeper meaning.
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