Vivian Zhang's latest Exhibition goes left field.

Imagine an area of Tianjin where a realtor has decided to develop it and sell apartments. You know what to expect right? An office with pictures of what the apartments will look like and over zealous salespeople with pamphlets. Yes, you have seen this before. However, in her latest curatorship, Vivian Zhang, has shown the possibilities that exist when realtors and curators think outside the proverbial box. In my last visit to one of Vivian's exhibitions in which she served  as a curator for a photographic exhibition, I wrote that "she (was) exploring new and exciting territories with (that) exhibition" - the exploration continues as she embarks on something totally left of centre. Photographic Exhibition

In the first of two such installations, she has come up with a simple but fabulous concept - the realtor had allocated a couple containers for their onsite sales office and Vivian has used this space to exhibit some photographs that show the history of the district. As I walk through the containers, I marvelled at what it must be like to be  a possible customer getting a glimpse of what he/she is buying into. There are not many relators that offer this type pf concept to potential home buyers. Pamphlets and brochures are norm. 

Speaking to Vivian, I can appreciate the constraints that she was faced with - the main one being the requirements of the realtor. Let's face it, if you are about to build apartments, your main concern is your budget, right? However, she has managed to add something really thought provoking to the 'How to sell apartments off plan" guidebook. 

There is something primal about this installation because you can see bulldozers through the container windows -  making you feel that creation is happening in the moment. Another absolute highlight for me is  a series of pages that hang form the ceiling. On these sheets of paper are translations of Chinese texts as well as some original English texts. The one that catches my eye is the opening page of Dickens' "A Tale of two cities" - It is rather appropriate as that area of Tianjin borders the old and the new. 

As I make my way to her second installation, a mere 2 minutes away by foot, I am able to reflect on the creative way in which Vivian ensured that potential home buyers, whether they purchase or not, walk away with a story, or even a brief history of the place. In using this space, Vivian Zhang has shown, as she did last time, that art is not just something that can be found in the galleries of Tianjin. 

Walking in to the adjacent building where another realtor has set up shop to promote its own huge residential  development in the area, the difference is immediate. It is a swanky space with a lot of natural light coming  through floor to ceiling windows and everywhere I look, I see the work of local artist Chen Chen presented in a very quirky way, either as posters, cardboard cubes or even cushions, to complement the space. You see, one size does not fit all, to use a rather trite metaphor, and Vivian understands that. The proximity of these two concepts brings home, in emphatic style, how she is able to tailor her installations based on the overall requirements of the realtor, the budget and physical space. 

An integral element of this display is the use of local artist Chen Chen. He is someone whose works have a very accessible quality about them as he comes across as a cartoonist or someone who would have his works published in newspapers. I think this is part of why he was chosen. Furthermore, as a Tianjin resident, he understands what it is to be local. He gets the issues that affect his fellow residents. Lastly, his work is not intimidating. If you are trying to attract home buyers, you don't want anyone to feel terrified as they walk in to get information about apartments available off plan. 

There was something very intelligent and well thought about these two sets of work overseen by Vivian Zhang. She has made me rethink how I view realtor's sales offices. It is creative while ensuring that the basic requirements of a realtor have been met. Why shouldn't there be some imagination that goes into this? Why cant there be creative elements that ensure art as we know it is broadened in its definition?  I am very excited to see what Vivian  does next as a curator. Each exhibition or installation has been unique up to this point. So, what will follow? I am salivating in anticipation. 

Brandon Stoltenkamp

I am restaurant, champagne and hotel blogger living in Tianjin.

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