"Looking Both Ways" Art Exhibit Planned at North Campus Research Complex

Event is complex's first exhibition, will focus on Chinese, Taiwanese and American  art

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An exhibit of contemporary Taiwanese, Chinese, Chinese American and American art titled Looking Both Ways: A Contemporary Art Exhibition Coinciding with the Centennial of the Xinhai Revolution will be the first event of the new North Campus Research Complex Art Program, beginning Sept. 8.

The Looking Both Ways exhibit will be presented by the Art Department at Eastern Michigan University, in partnership with the NCRC and the Confucius Institute at the University of Michigan.  

Featuring work from 24 international and American artists, Looking Both Ways seeks to raise awareness of contemporary Chinese and Taiwanese art in southeast Michigan.  In an effort to foster and fuel discussion, dialogue and understanding, this exhibition will bring together an array of artists whose work examines China-related issues ranging from societal and generational change, to personal narratives, to questions of geopolitics and political and economic control.

At NCRC, the exhibit will run from Sept. 8 to Oct. 21 and will feature special performances of traditional dance, music and fashion from China and Taiwan on Sept. 19 and Oct. 8. Both the exhibit and the performances are free and open to the public. More information is available at www.ncrc.umich.edu, key words "art program."

"The title of this exhibition, 'Looking Both Ways,' so aptly describes how scientists approach a problem or challenge. There's never just one way to answer a question," says David Canter, M.D., executive director at the NCRC. "Art opens our minds to multiple ways of viewing the world– a world where art and science are not two separate entities but one that lives uncomfortably together."

The Looking Both Ways exhibition will take place during the 100^th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolt, which toppled China's last dynasty and led the way to the political upheavals of the first half of the twentieth century.  These events eventually resulted in the current political division of Taiwan from Mainland China.

The artworks included in the exhibition were selected by juried competition and special invitation. A diversity of media are represented, including watercolor, ink, oil paint, printmaking, photography, collage, digital art, video, animation and installation.  

The backgrounds of the artists are equally varied: many of the artists were born and raised in Taiwan or Mainland China; many of them studied and then took up residences in the United States.  A smaller number, including some artists with no Chinese heritage, grew up in the U.S., but many have worked and resided in China. The current residences of the artists range from Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong) to Honolulu and Rhode Island.  

"The timing of the show represents a unique vantage point one hundred years from China's break with its dynastic past.  This history is particularly relevant now when China is swept up in an incredible social and economic transformation in which we are in a sense both witnesses and participants. The outcomes of this dynamic transformation will affect our collective future," says co-curator Tom Suchan, an associate professor in Eastern Michigan University's art department.

"It is our hope as curators that the exhibition will bring a fresh perspective by exhibiting the critical viewpoints of artists from different backgrounds, but who share a commonality in having been inspired by their Chinese experience, whether as a son or daughter of Mainland China, Taiwan, United States or as an expatriate living and working in China," adds co-curator Guey-Meei Yang, an associate professor in the EMU art department.

In addition to the NCRC venue, Looking Both Ways is on view at University Gallery at Eastern Michigan University. Visit http://art.emich.edu/events/looking-both-ways for details.

For more information about the exhibition, contact EMU Gallery Program Director Gregory Tom at 734-487-0465, or [email protected] or Sreyashi Dey, NCRC Marketing and Communications at 734-615-0624 or [email protected].

About the EMU Art Galleries

The mission of the art gallery program at Eastern Michigan University is to present innovative exhibitions that complement the University's academic offerings; provide a viable resource for arts management training; educate the university and greater Southeast Michigan communities about the forms and issues of contemporary and historic art from all cultures; and fill a unique niche in the region as a venue for exhibitions that enhance the reputation of the Eastern Michigan University Art Department.

About The NCRC Art Program

In keeping with the spirit of research, NCRC plans to generate an environment of innovation and inspiration through the display of art and through arts programming. Scientists and artists share a common ability—abstract thinking, and developing a dialog between the two is the main objective.  The intention of the art program is to introduce visual and performing arts in the form of educational experiences that are dynamic and thought provoking for the members of the NCRC community, as well as the larger U-M community and general public. Students and visitors will be invited to participate in programs that reach beyond the realm of art, with topics that include science, social commentary and technology. Fresh ideas, or living arts, will be highlighted through interactive programs offered by visiting artists who share their process creating works on-site, as well as through talks and exhibition. The ideas and works of art by University of Michigan students and faculty, as well as Michigan-based and internationally known artists will be featured.

Confucius Institute at University of Michigan (CI-UM)

The primary mission of the Confucius Institute at the University of Michigan (CI-UM) is to promote the understanding of Chinese arts and cultures in the University community and far beyond, forming a strong arts component of China Initiatives at U-M and advancing the University's global programs and initiatives overall. To that end, CI-UM engages students, faculty, staff, and other community members in substantive interactions with China's finest expressions in architecture, calligraphy, ceramics, dance, music, painting, theatre, and other media.

SOURCE University of Michigan Health System