Chen Nong: San Xia
San Xia
A stage in front of the Three-Gorges-Dam
In front of us is an army, not one made of terracotta as we know it from the Terracotta Army Museum in Shanxi Province, but actors in theater costumes. The resemblance is intentional. A staging in front of the Three Gorges Dam that admonishes us. It reminds us, as it were, from another, past time to the present. Chen Nong spent over sixteen months making the costumes. Here and there, among the actors, you can also find people in ordinary clothes, which are the focal point of a symbolic reference to the present. The Three Gorges Dam stretches and looms through the landscape in the background. The parallels between the giant mania of the early dynasties and today's XXL mentality in China point to the enormous historical and traditional strength of this nation.
Paper in the Arts
t the same time, Chen Nong establishes further parallels between the custom-made paper costumes and the original handmade photograph. We are already familiar with the Asian paper crafts of origami, paper flowers, and other artfully crafted works made of paper. In this case, the photographed paper costume is connected with the hand-colored black and white silver gelatin print. The original prints become a real experience in this exhibition.
