Under this year's theme of "Creative Ensemble," Art Focus is pleased to host the innovative and creative performance artist WANG Yiquan. With a heart for activating and engaging the public to expand the definition of art, Wang Yiquan has literally taken hits at the first museum-based boxing match at MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Pavilion and recruited migrant construction workers in Shanghai as members of the Collection of Acts for the Shanghai Urban Art Season in 2017. With the cloud of gloom shrouding Shanghai with the onset of the Covid pandemic, Wang Yiquan and his partner WU Jiayin of Acts and Pathways developed the idea of cheering up the society through actions of distributing single stem flower by volunteer recruits to the general public. What began as a singular act to cheer people up has evolved into an on-going street-based performance where the street is not always as public as it seems.

Come join us in this very special discussion with Wang Yiquan and Wu Jiayin who will share their joys and challenges of being a part of Shanghai's art world where creative impulses and artistic liberties are not always embraced by curators and museums. Yet, with profound optimism and innate belief that art can transform societies, Acts and Pathways are proving that possible can be extracted from even the impossible.

About the speakers:



WANG Yiquan is a founding partner of Acts and Pathways. He plays a vital role as an active figure among China's contemporary art scene as a curator and artist. His research interests focus on the relationship between the city and art as well as the relationship between art and the economy. His spatial practice is not only reflected within his artistic works, but also realized by the close collaboration with the diverse background of team members at Acts and Pathways. As a result, he has contributed creative support for a wide range of spatial designs and research projects.

WANG Yiquan received his BA in Journalism at the Beijing International Studies University and studied Visual Communication Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. He received his MA in Narrative Environments at Central Saint Martins in London. In 2018, he established Acts and Pathways in Shanghai with designer Wu Jiayin.

WU Jiayin is a founding partner of Acts and Pathways. Her multidisciplinary design background has pushed her to explore a form of spatial design that differs from traditional architectural practices in the sense that she is not obsessed with any given paradigm nor is she confined to classic structures or materials. Her interest lies in the spatial relationship that people's daily lives have with the urban spaces in today's ever globalized world. By focusing on people's psychological states and dispositions, her design pays acute attention to existing social issues and conveys her personal feelings.

WU Jiayin received her BA in Design at China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, and her MA in Narrative Environments at Central Saint Martins in London. In 2018, she established Acts and Pathways in Shanghai with curator and artist WANG Yiquan.

For more information, please see: https://actsandpathways.com/2020/04/30/cheer-up-flowers/​

https://actsandpathways.com/TEAM

Convener: Julie Chun, Art Historian and Art Critic