tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81724576240769682082011-08-06T18:01:25.610-07:00global misfitMathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.comBlogger881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-39813286041000328642010-04-21T23:36:00.000-07:002010-04-22T00:19:16.851-07:00

Yessum- very long time no see. So much has happened. I am now, like always, gonna desperately try to kick-start my arse back into the blogspot... but then again my silence, has a lot of course has to do with my accessibility behind The Great Firewall of China which is only penetrable with this here vpn... but don't tell anyone. China will surely blast these vpn's into bits before you can say

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-79803516693798141152009-06-15T02:53:00.000-07:002009-06-15T02:59:04.265-07:00

As I mentioned below the pinkos have blocked my blog and many others along with it leaving me the arduous task of meandering through a proxy site to post entries. I have yet to figure out how to upload images this way and suspect that you cannot. So I am taking the opportunity to publish a poem that I have been working on for some time.It is composed of spam email subjects. Yea it's not a novel

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-59299877148567257072009-06-14T20:14:00.000-07:002010-01-29T01:02:37.595-08:00

So I am not going to make a truckload of excuses as to why I haven’t blogged here in a while. You all are very busy people- albeit with an occasional Facebook habit that wastes much of your precious time- and you know that it’s hard to do what you want to do in the face of all that you must do to maintain what you have. But here I am, a momentary lapse in responsibility and writing again. This

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-64821873723455628752009-02-27T20:41:00.000-08:002009-03-02T04:14:34.582-08:00

So the baby's been sick, I've been spending lots of money and not making any, the landlord is trying to kick us out because he needs to sell the place so that he doesn't go bankrupt, it's been raining for 40 day and 40 nights, and most of the phone calls I've gotten lately are advertisements, BUT, all things considered, life is beautiful in this stinky year of the OXAbove are some selections from

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-68529352019254964152009-01-02T00:37:00.000-08:002009-01-02T00:58:42.101-08:00

I'm trying to wrap up all those leftover 2008 project entries before we get too far into 2009. "The Exquisite Corspe, China Surreal" is a show I recently curated along with m97 Gallery in Shanghai. It is an exhibition of photographs from Chinese artists and photographers that describe the surreality of this here country. It started out as an attempt to recycle an older exhibition but just

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-81797532538782968392009-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:002009-01-01T22:26:01.518-08:00

It was the night before the night before Christmas and all through the houseseveral creatures were stirring including a flatulent mother in law as I sat re-reading Joyce's 'Araby' in an old text book compilation of English literature that somehow stuck with Yan through all these yearsYan, sitting next to me, suddenly jumped up and exclaimed "我的天what the hell is that?"As I peered out our

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-7061418945179390562008-12-20T23:27:00.000-08:002008-12-21T00:32:44.582-08:00

Phil Tanari wrote me and said "Do you have any interest in doing a year-end "top ten" for the .cn website? I am trying to organize a half-dozen or so of the usual suspects to write up their picks a la the mothership so that we have some nice nuggets to feed into Angle for the holiday season. This would be somewhere between 600-1000 words total, a list of your top picks for exhibitions/artists/

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-23362217660458241842008-12-06T02:43:00.000-08:002008-12-06T03:21:46.010-08:00

The entry below was recently featured on Art Forum's, ever so gossipy and inevitably well read Scene & Herd column of the magazine's website - in a highly edited form. I am reprinting my original, perhaps slightly more crass, version for those that are interested in the real Yoko Ono Shanghai opening story.I also wanted to give an extra shout out to the other artists who braved the long flights

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-69262081560305132772008-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:002008-11-18T03:20:35.684-08:00

I was going to wait until I accumulated a few more of these... certainly they are everywhere and certainly I wouldn't be an expat if I didn't bring it up at least once in this here blog.What they mean, if one could speculate, isn't important. What's important is the downright surreality of their appearance... they are signs that don't signify ... or do they?An article in The Week (my favorite

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-518968604119471992008-11-11T00:37:00.000-08:002008-11-11T01:08:37.543-08:00

I forgot to mention that there are two pieces to this installation. One is erected on a fence that runs around one corner of the site. It is 2.1m x 41.1m ... pretty darned long. The other is wrapped around a sign structure that stands 3.5m off the ground. It is 3m high x 40.1m long. There is subway construction happening in front of this sign so all the traffic on Fang Dian Lu sees the hi-hise

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-78197756953908169002008-11-10T23:55:00.000-08:002008-11-11T00:32:31.274-08:00

I've been making these billboards for quite some time - This is number seven... each one is a pain in the butt logistally, financially, and in the end, no one seems to get it WAAHAahahhhahhhOK some people get it.Maybe it's not art in the fine sense for them snooty art crowds- more like public indexes of the social and political relevance of wherever they are placed.. that's the idea of course.

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-49291438835296105562008-11-06T19:38:00.000-08:002008-11-06T20:11:01.591-08:00

First and foremost: GOD BLESS OBAMA and GOD BLESS AMERICAGod Who?Not important- Important is that the right man was chosen. Something that the people of the US haven't been good at for a loong time now.SOWho is this Michael Lin anyway you may ask?Michael is one mighty, globe trotting dude who made his fame appropriating granny’s rug sack material patterns, repackaging it as tasty architectural

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-42582650923369209192008-10-29T20:08:00.000-07:002008-10-29T20:27:49.746-07:00

So much has happened since I last got around to updating (sorry for using the same excusatory tact each time we meet). Shanghai and Asia in general had an onslaught of artistic ennials (bi’s tri’s ) Fairs, counter fairs, etc. It’s way too much to remember or write down and way past the point to make any difference any way. During the beginning of this mayhem I was busying myself with the work of

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-17519778668260004382008-10-13T03:07:00.000-07:002008-10-13T03:28:58.023-07:00

Ya, So it's been a super long time since I've made it back to the bloglines. A lot has happened, especially as it concerns the contemporary arts of China... and the world for that matter, now helplessly mired in an economic mud bath that is sure to eliminate art from most people's shopping lists and god willing send art's focus from the market back towards its own elusive core ...Anyway. Before

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-91086075406215383052008-08-19T06:47:00.000-07:002008-08-19T23:07:18.333-07:00

Poor Liu Xiang, you can only feel bad for the guy. After years of being fluffed as China’s gold medal maniac he, ironically enough, pulled his Achilles Heel (held for so long by his metaphorical mother- China) just before the big relay race, throwing the entire nation into a state of psycho-analytical blame game. All over the media today critical and compassionate outpouring posed the questions:

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-28543461382551540652008-08-09T02:45:00.000-07:002008-08-09T03:02:13.069-07:00

Plleeeaaaasseee just allow me 15 more masturbatory moments with this Learning project. Promoting our own product with your own blog, how can press get any better?Hey you know what they say: ‘If you can’t be with the one you love … love the one you’re with’I wanted to add that LEARNING FROM HANGZHOU at Storefront for Art and Architecture was made possible with the generous support of my dear

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-71580682917858095312008-08-09T01:39:00.000-07:002008-08-09T01:54:52.214-07:00

SOI’m sure you were all watching as China after much anticipation, frustration and climate control blitzkrieg, skyrocketed into 21st history last night. Funny how much the ceremony, steeped in obsolete and irrelevant traditionalism, owed so much to contemporary art (Xu Bing and Gu Wenda in particular); Funny how “official” Chinese contemporary culture in general is inevitably mixed up with its

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-52266496318750034792008-07-02T23:01:00.000-07:002008-07-02T23:23:53.858-07:00

Arthur Solway has been working the Shanghai realtors, business bureau and visa offices for almost a year now. A task that requires heaps of patience, know how, and a good, resilient spirit. Arthur’s got all that and more. His ambitious work is quickly coming to fruition – He’s landed this PHAT Art Deco building in the center of the French Concession, with big yard (some of which the neighbors

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-53641255430129713442008-07-02T21:59:00.000-07:002008-07-02T22:16:30.780-07:00

So the good folks at Bizart finally opened a commercial gallery. I mean we were all waiting for them to do it- yep just waiting for another raw expression of capitalism to rear its almighty head in the (con)temporary arts of China. I mean I thought it was a joke- tongue in cheek, irony, you know another smart ass expression of contemporary arts malleability of form - (Cattelan had his Wrong

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-51387234973120719482008-06-07T03:05:00.000-07:002008-06-07T03:11:34.765-07:00

Remember folks all of these precious prints of guerrilla advertising in Hangzhou and more are available at very reasonable prices. All of your contributions will go to the Mathieu Borysevicz studio fund for the zillion, brilliant projects he is working on.I'll try to stay away from this blatant marketing stuff in the future, promise

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-50963147946869751582008-06-07T02:35:00.000-07:002008-06-07T03:14:39.577-07:00

I've been working on Learning from Hangzhou for about 3+ years now. Way too long for China... for me. In one way it's about time... watching things appear and dissappear in the context of a city over the course of time, especially in China's accelerated metropolisis of no turning back. Learning from Hangzhou is about trying to capture a moment (s) in the trajectory of a city's and its

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-83520153603452175892008-06-02T01:02:00.000-07:002008-06-02T01:37:45.272-07:00

Wang Qingsong lives and works in a complex in Cao Changdi that Ai Weiwei designed. Ai designed the whole area basically and if there are buildings that he didn’t design, someone else designed the buildings to look like his – a poor man’s Ai Weiwei as Pauline Yao calls it. Wang Qingsong makes photos like one makes movies… The CC Demille of the static image he often employs hundreds and even

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-76608550940139970012008-06-02T00:50:00.000-07:002008-06-02T01:02:06.171-07:00

Legation Quarter is a nice, serious, colonialist, albeit slightly Star Trekky name for the new developmental project effort of Handel Lee (and probably a host of other super-rich, high-profile, big-governmental related folks). With a yellow Hummer, MBenz A-class and Land Rover parked outside its very well guarded gate, Legation Quarter sits to the direct south east of Tiananmen Square, very near

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-71079521421581515492008-06-02T00:22:00.000-07:002008-06-02T00:49:47.586-07:00

In the aftermath of Sichuan’s devastating earthquake the art world everywhere responded with warm generous altruism.Guardian Auction in Beijing scurried together a handful of works, mostly coming directly from the artists studios, with all proceeds going to Earth Quake relief. With few exceptions (like the six print set of Liu Zheng’s mythological "Three Realms"-only an edition of 3 which sold

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-3431745707171334332008-05-22T01:16:00.000-07:002008-05-22T02:31:43.925-07:00

Zhan Wang launched his first solo show in China since 1994 with a tremendous bang! Not only did his stainless steel ‘Garden Utopia’ fill all three bottom floors of NAMOC (National Museum of China) but a symposium entitled ‘Sculptural Intervention – Zhan Wang and Garden Utopia’ hosted by Long March Foundation and attended by a bunch of flown-in media and academics types occupied the entire

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-69527717724290822562008-05-15T04:23:00.000-07:002008-05-15T05:10:00.599-07:00

The reason that Calvin Klein underwear (and outerwear and everywear of most hi-fashion brands) costs so much is that you are paying for their ad campaigns.Hong Kong has a building, 30 stories or so high, plastered entirely with a Calvin Klein underwear advert. The (un-dressed) decorated shed. A big black man and his fruit basket stares down at all the skinny, LV bag toting Asian chicks gabbing

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-79152602268817134762008-04-07T02:28:00.000-07:002008-04-07T02:48:48.848-07:00

As I sit poised to re-visit the southern, tranquil neighbor of Shanghai for yet another blow out art exhibition I think about my last trip not so long ago in the frigid depths of winter when the Lunar New Year’s plans were upset by massive (by Southern China standards) snowfalls. Thousands of stranded, mostly migrant workers whose only break from the back breaking tasks that occupy the rest of

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-71511345732120156632008-03-29T19:16:00.000-07:002008-03-29T19:49:19.252-07:00

It was around Lunar New Year in Xujiahui, Shanghai's hyper modern mall district. On the busy sidewalk outside a photo printing store, might've even been a Kodak, a woman was burning ID photos in a dust pan. Of course I rushed to document this odd occurrence only to be barred by the woman. She kept pushing me away and told me I shouldn't be taking pictures She balked "How weird that you want to

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-52533367142151211012008-03-29T19:09:00.000-07:002008-03-29T19:16:30.127-07:00

This one is called "Sunflowers and Garbage Can", various views, set of three, edition of 12, signed on the back

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-13790767817190407912008-03-29T18:58:00.000-07:002008-03-29T19:08:52.939-07:00

As I sit here listening to the blood curt ling cries of a 13day old being tortured with the ancient Chinese - getting the diaper changed - method I realize that everything anyone ever said about having a child is true... The good, the bad, the in between- all true. Now I can finally say that the twelve zillion times I've heard my mother say - "You'll know when you have children" and I smart

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-60380016710182419352008-02-11T21:28:00.000-08:002008-02-11T22:09:58.766-08:00

Having lately seen the crossover of art and life reak beautiful havoc both in Zendai's Art and Intrude 366 days of public art interventions for which I have created a proposal and began a project for and which has already been published in its virtual photoshop proposal form in both the impossible-to-navigate website and the Shanghai Daily English version (Thank you Defne Ayas for alarming me to

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-50263103317656647332008-01-26T20:39:00.000-08:002008-01-26T20:46:54.090-08:00

No matter what Bauldrillard had to say on the subject- representation will never catch up to that being represented. Now a full one month from when it occurred Biz Art’s New Year’s Eve Party finally makes the press. What is curious though is how the (this) event’s value, credibility and candor changes with age… almost like wine that gains character, a growing man that gains wisdom, and a story

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-81521365371011451082008-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:002008-01-20T23:06:07.730-08:00

Lin Yilin is from the old skool of the Guangzhou Big Tail Elephant Group, a posse of progressives down south who found inspiration in urbanization and its accoutrements (building materials, migrant labor and lots of fast (sur)real estate ca$h) in the late 80’s early 90’s when the avante-garde was perhaps aptly titled. He was in Shanghai last week was it last week?- hard to keep up anymore, for a

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-90827570548791906302007-12-25T06:49:00.000-08:002007-12-25T06:56:09.453-08:00

Polit-Sheer-Form’s exhibition opening at BizArt took many viewers by surprise when upon arrival instead of finding your typical reception they found a meeting in progress. Around a large white table spotted by plates of bananas and clouded by cigarette smoke the artist collective Polit-Sheer-Form debated and discussed with local artists and audience members the merits of, well, what exactly was

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-54652030523915476322007-12-25T06:32:00.000-08:002007-12-25T06:39:40.767-08:00

Today was December 25th 2007Holiday spirits were just unusual business as usualNear nor far - Your Christmas is our ChristmasA happy Holiday to all and to all a good nightPeace

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-71117090105279535362007-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:002007-12-14T23:40:52.321-08:00

I've had five articles published in magazines this month. Unfortunately/fortunately none of them are the original versions. Editors, to make them fit and presumably fly, had edited them. Since I haven't been crazy about the directions and voice of this editorial flight I will use this here blog to publish the directors cut.The article below is based on my experience not only as long time

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-43019365554183253782007-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:002007-10-24T19:24:54.978-07:00

“Garbage is not what we cast out, but the prime locus of meaning in our lives: we arrange our existences so as to make room for garbage.”–Don Delillo, UnderworldSo I finally got a comment on this blog by a Mr. A. Gerelle (thank you very much - and my email is mabz@bestweb.net if you wanna talk directly) who alerted me to the debate on China's trash trade that Liu Jianhua's installation at

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-85780573819388698992007-10-20T20:16:00.000-07:002007-10-20T20:51:26.212-07:00

I haven't had time to fart much less work on the project that I (use as an excuse to) relocated back to China for in the first place. So in effort to find some space to concentrate I move up to the mountains- a little writer's residency of sorts, a little fresh air, food and clear thoughts. Right.If I knew what was good for me I'd cut the Internet cords and bury the cellphone. But I do not.

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-22033034713356936442007-10-14T21:18:00.000-07:002007-10-14T22:09:54.273-07:00

So I've been out of touchNot touching so muchbecause other, more serious, professional writing endeavors have kept me from letting loose here. BUT some of those potential publishers have dragged their heels and timeliness has got left in the dust. So below a short review of REFRESH, a group show of emerging (love the term- you can emerge till 35 years old and then you're a has been-emerging

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-45009411963463911172007-09-24T08:23:00.000-07:002007-09-24T09:21:00.099-07:00

This is me and my atrocious Chinese (not to mention the wackjob hairdo) explaining Zhang Dali's new, very hard to sell, series of Bronzes, "Man and Beast" in ddmWarehouse's booth at the SH Contemporary Fair. The lengthier written English version which has little to do with the work and more to do with a convoluted notion of power ... without mentioning Foucault is below.That's Yanyao in the

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-2358739526022834332007-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:002007-09-21T11:14:00.905-07:00

The SHContemporary fair came and went like a wave of refreshing artness in this otherwise culturally deprived megalopolis. Apologies for not writing anything sooner but I figured the real media kept you abreast of all the hoopla and my cynical comments would just be an unwelcome diatribe next to the hard driving fluff that makes good reporting on art fairs. If you haven’t yet heard the fair news

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-67793333008185189632007-09-01T21:50:00.000-07:002007-09-01T22:13:20.133-07:00

The Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair has already taken Shanghai (and the anxious rest of the world) by storm and it hasn’t even yet begun, but the press conference (held at the Italian consulate) was soo boring that I started taking notes, kind of, then Lisa Movius (freelance darling of the Shanghai Cultural Scene) starting texting me.Below is compilation of the texts and notes etc.Something about

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-44004876994120057652007-09-01T01:19:00.000-07:002007-09-01T21:24:20.229-07:00

In a minute there is timeFor decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse-TS EliotOne of my multiple hats is that of an artist but I must say:Working for artists is like a bullet in the headI would feel bad for gallerists if most of them weren't such slimebullies themselves ... Or maybe it's working for artists that makes them that way in the first place... Or maybe vice versa, who

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-28050482069802343312007-09-01T00:48:00.000-07:002007-09-01T01:16:25.150-07:00

They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum And then they charged all the people twenty-five bucks just to see 'em Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got till it's gone They paved paradise and put up a parking lot Bai Yiluo, Shi Jinsong and Xu Longsen (all studio neighbors in Beijing’s Huantie lane studios) combined efforts to create works and a show that was

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-75581649172512186802007-08-05T02:00:00.000-07:002007-08-05T02:04:04.529-07:00

Shi Jinsong was hanging out on AT CAFÉ’s patio sipping a coffee and juggling phone calls while basking in the glory of his new show across the lane at Marella Gallery. A huge window carpeted with mock Luis Vuitton logos stared back at this dynamic artist. Deeper inside the shadowy space a few white horses were poised with Gucci sunglass- wearing little boys on their backs. As serendipitous as

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-54756550406422805922007-08-04T23:10:00.000-07:002007-08-04T23:17:50.914-07:00

So I’ve taken a 3 + week hiatus to straighten things out on the other side of the globe. Nueva York beckoned and I heeded, and I must say “what a time it was” I Heart NY with all my heart especially when I’m just passing through. But in order to catch up as I am continually doing, continually past forwarding… I go back to about a month ago when Christopher Phillips and Victoria Lu look poised

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-53573164163275662772007-07-12T08:12:00.000-07:002007-07-12T09:17:19.446-07:00

When I met Li Feixue he was hobbling along on a homemade crutch fixed out of a 2x4 and some scrap wood. A cigarette dangled down to his goateed chin as he lulled out orders and answers to the beckoning bunch of foreign artists trying to make sense out a football field sized exhibition space with no real program in mind other than “a kinda big party”. In the car Zhang Hui and Yu Ji described Lei

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-60153254314938424912007-06-28T03:47:00.000-07:002007-06-30T11:10:48.808-07:00

A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes were smoking out along the open road; the night was very dark and thick between them, each man beneath his ordinary load. "I'd like to tell my story," said one of them so young and bold, "I'd like to tell my story, before I turn into gold."Han Lei was one of the first creative types I met in China. I went to his Alienation opening in Ritan Park,

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-40536244070275922772007-06-22T04:24:00.000-07:002007-06-22T04:50:00.249-07:00

Three Unities is a collection of 3 different solo shows in one space, the DDM Warehouse in Shanghai. Since there was nothing in common between the three artist's work I decided to overstep any curatorial acrobatics and make three separate solos- good for the artist, and for the curator. Zhang Dali shows his hot, brand new, never shown before series of bronze sculptures. "Man and Beast". The

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-83408956070364230312007-06-22T03:34:00.000-07:002007-06-22T04:24:52.840-07:00

So all along I had it, not only in my head, but in the calender that my visa was going to expire on the 1st of July 2007, 90 days from my initial entry - I had it all planned out carefully - I have a multi entry visa, 90 days at a time -2x- I'd go back to NY in the interim and not have to deal with that godforsaken out post at the western shore of 42nd street again. Of course I paid a little

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-28230590580990575702007-06-20T07:50:00.000-07:002007-06-20T08:10:30.848-07:00

Zhou Xiao Hu, Famous for his funny claymation series based on current affairs, has a new solo show at Bizart that furthers his play upon the media spectacle. "Renown" is a life-size installation that takes the press out of the press conference and pokes a pointer at the posturing of artists as modern celebrity. Upon entering you see the artist surrounded by a diligent press core. Clad in the

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-47851863150206552172007-06-16T21:19:00.000-07:002007-06-20T04:10:32.613-07:00

So I'm off again. Cut down from my own fruitless blog here in the hinterland. But now I see the pattern. I used the P word in my last entry and then woosh wiped clean off tthe main/motherland web. Them buggers took me off again. It's a language game as is life in general. Lot's of miscommunication and Sensorship.Speaking of which-I finally go to see my friend Zhang Ding at his faraway apartment

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-80806586459007271042007-06-16T21:09:00.000-07:002007-06-16T21:14:59.305-07:00

NONO at the Long March- A curatorless, themeless show, that while not pretending to be anything ends up being a pretentious survey of curious new work by China's latest greatest: Yang Zhenzhong (Venice darling-only one of two Chinese artists in the Biennial's selection exhibition curated by MoMA retiree, senior art dude, Robert Storr) had this very simple video where he filmed phallic edifices

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-58316441318487566772007-06-05T01:55:00.000-07:002007-06-16T21:17:32.165-07:00

The rain stopped, the temperature dropped and then rose again. It's hot as hell now and I think I may be catching a cold but can't be for sure.Here are some images of the stores I describe in the post before last. Stores that carry direct renditions of Yue Minjun, Liu Ye, Zhang Xiaogang, Zheng Fengjie, etc. The Yue Minjun painting of that ubiquitous smiley face wearing a hat goes for 300RMB~39USD

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-62121845443361093482007-06-02T03:02:00.000-07:002007-06-05T02:53:29.248-07:00

I met Liu Jianhua about 3 years ago when I was visiting Beijing from NYC. Feng Boyi had just curated a mammoth show at the 798 space that will soon become Ullens foundation.See below for the hitherto unpublished review I wrote on the exhibition. Zhuang Hui was in the show as was about 30 other Chinese and international artists including Liu Jianhua. At the opening night or maybe it was the day

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-41789973885350444862007-05-18T22:56:00.000-07:002007-07-12T09:36:28.248-07:00

The full title of this post is "Some things not worth mentioning worth mentioning: CIGE art fair/more auctions and why you can't say contemporary art without saying market; Putuoshan- Buddhist Buds big time and/or Idolatry killed the cat; and Cui Jian plays The Shanghai Gallery of Art" The buggers just don't give me enough space for my meandering titles. Once again I'm trying to catch up

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-51261131958816303512007-05-18T20:07:00.000-07:002007-06-01T10:33:29.750-07:00

Friendship: a Short version. I met David Shadrack Smith in 1994 in Beijing. After a few circuitous passings we became good friends. Two New Yawkas in China whattayagonnado? Shortly afterwards we meet Zhang Huan, rough and tough performance artist. We all become close friends, navigating east and west, making art, chasing girls, BSing philosophy, consuming dumplings, and lots of alcohol. David is

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-89768827642257583282007-05-06T08:31:00.000-07:002007-05-18T20:07:41.500-07:00

Yang Fudong, clad in a Black Sabbath T-shirt and red underwear that creeps out every time he bends over the jimmy rigged playback monitor on the set of the final installment of "Seven Intellectuals in the Bamboo Forest", yells out commands to the actors via his diligent AD's (assistant Director) mega phone. First Yang softly then the AD boisterously "Stand a little to the left- get a board under

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-69286303278483783022007-05-06T06:49:00.000-07:002007-05-06T09:02:05.170-07:00

Quickly now, because the march of time is double paced and as spaces and places tie themselves in knots I have fallen way behind on my blogsphere responsibilities. I went back to Beijing from Shanghai but never caught up with the blognotes of the last trip so very quickly back to Beijing:1. I stayed for 7 days and each day the meals I ate became increasingly spicy: Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan,

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-4146392516629160972007-04-25T17:51:00.000-07:002007-04-26T09:05:57.681-07:00

Qinghua University aka Tsinghua University, Architectural Dept.After a sleepy, and slightly left leaning lecture by Kyong Park on the systematic destruction (along racial and economic lines) of Detroit as a warning for Beijing - wherein some actual, black Detroit natives in the audience protested the heavy handed liberal, look for shit, tactics of the architect cum artist cum documentarian - part

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-14449315695703083772007-04-21T01:07:00.000-07:002007-06-30T11:17:03.210-07:00

So it's been a while and after a while life goes on and you forget that it's a series of events but instead you think of it as a soupy time conspiracy that blends traffic with sleep, dinners with getting dressed and friends visiting with remembering little work details.Either way I was in Beijing a while ago and visited the construction site of The 3 Shadows Photography Center which

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-25493854022699311572007-04-04T10:10:00.000-07:002007-04-21T02:02:48.455-07:00

Right outside the Beijing TokyoArt projects in Beijing's 798 gallery district was some serious water problem that had about 15 guys in blue jump suits down in a trench wrestling several rubber hoses and muddy pipes. The gallery going public, uniformly dressed in black, hobnobbed their way through the mess to the table with a lot of orange colored snacks displayed. Art? or refreshment?Inside the

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-18335662187119946772007-04-04T08:39:00.000-07:002007-06-02T02:32:31.613-07:00

So Im in Beijing re-curating a semi-pre-curated show and after a day on the subway to Tongzhou (a nondescript hellhole suburb city that harbors many a Beijing artist) I meet Zhang Dali, an old war buddy of mine in a Sichuan restaurant decorated with shiny new, violent looking, farm tools. Dali, fresh back from NY told of his exhibition's opening night where both he and his gallerist, Ludivic of

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-16465718518919421262007-03-31T23:20:00.000-07:002007-06-02T02:33:25.302-07:00

So I came to Beijing night before last on a flight that cost an astonishing 300 kuai = 37.97 USD (by the current, plummeting dollar exchange rate). Yes, an exceptional deal. I arrived at 12.15am (part of the deal) and had to wake up video artist Kan Xuan (who I never met but had curated into a "Personal Space" at Thomas Erben’s last year) to get the key to Rania Ho and Wangwei’s who are away.I

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-33528881477484004132007-03-28T04:52:00.001-07:002007-06-16T21:16:22.136-07:00

Catching up here.Last weekend saw the tremendous opening of Yang Fudong- Parkett wonder boy, Marian Goodman sweetheart, international art star- who is Finally having his first solo show at Shangart, his first and only mainland China gallery. “No Snow on Broken Bridge” is a dazzling 8 channel 35mm film>video transfer depicting a bunch of beautiful, some slightly androgynous, youth in

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-86401760384273264482007-03-27T18:14:00.000-07:002007-06-03T08:09:56.352-07:00

So as I sit here listening to PS1 radio, briefly depressed and perplexed by the fact that my blog has somehow offended someone in this country to the point that it’s been censored (as has my own art website www.mabz.net for the same unknown reason or algorithmic formula that has left us high and dry in webland), and hearing a forum conducted at PS1 on something to the effect of :”The crisis in

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-22510845986757520712007-03-26T18:01:00.000-07:002007-03-26T18:09:47.461-07:00

So it seems Im able to write edit etc but in this great country tis of theee PRC I cant onto my own blog. But what about blogs anyway. This self publishing thing seems a little like a mastabatory story in which the author always wins yeah but ohhh so good If anybody can see this helloooooo please write to me mabz@bestweb.netpics of curly and larry

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-10751976946904821122007-03-21T06:55:00.000-07:002007-03-21T07:48:50.164-07:00

IKEA in the rainy morning, looking for, among other things, a toilet seat that fits the toilet... seems impossibleIKEA -same shit, same building-different street nameLunch withJames BrearleyB A U I N T E R N A T I O N A LBREARLEY ARCHITECTS + URBANISTSwww.bau.com.auat Whisk which sells itself as a chocolate bar but you can get a mighty tuna salad with that pink salad dressing striped over the

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-64808781981570635482007-03-19T06:52:00.000-07:002007-03-19T07:20:06.002-07:00

Lao Deng is a friend of Wei Dong, who I met in 1998 upon my return from China in the East Village where I rendezvoused with his buddy Wang Peng to deliver some video equipment from Wang Gongxin Anyway twas a long long time ago. Everybody knows everyone else now especially Lao Deng, WeiDong's buddy and ex business partner. Everywhere I go he's there and knows the same people ... YY Cafe seems to

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-9565240034897687892007-03-19T06:14:00.000-07:002007-06-03T08:07:32.138-07:00

BOONA CAFE 4pm the place is alive with laptops, informal business meetings and book worms.Met with Wang Lang who together with Liu Xinhua have archived about a zillion propaganda images from the last 40 years and have categorized them into subsets depending on posture, themes, and component parts. It's an endeavor that truly illuminates the semiotics of state administered mind fucking and image

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-50863230940996685402007-03-19T05:11:00.000-07:002007-06-02T02:39:50.112-07:00

40 minutes into the outskirts and when, down in the deep warehouse alley, I open the cab door I crack a bicyclist- my worst fear as a bicyclist- no one hurt but the door doesn't close anymore I walk off quietly thinking that 6am thing's no good for no oneXiang Jing, sculptress extraordinaire, who does these increasingly humongous naked female figures in fiberglass- almost Ron Muek ish but

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-23852084221194427452007-03-17T00:14:00.000-07:002007-06-02T02:36:37.917-07:00

Who said that big museum people are scary? Not true. Sarah Suzuki and Deborah Wye, curators from the MoMA prints and books dept. are the lovliest people in the world not mention to their acute attention to the most important meal of the day. Meeting them for a steak and eggs breakfast after waking up and running around my congested hood at 6am was a pleasant treat. Not only where we perched way

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-90581864241655186012007-03-16T00:39:00.000-07:002007-03-16T01:09:55.037-07:00

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-19210343602919705502007-03-15T03:57:00.000-07:002007-06-02T02:34:42.818-07:00

Phil Tanari and LuLu Huang, came to town today sporting their bohemian chic best and a grab bag of Art Forums. On a brief east coast tour, Phil over coffee, broods about art criticizing in an age of ballet shoe oblivion. (I don't mean the shoes that he was wearing though they were especially special - albeit a little wet from the rain- but the idea that we tip toe around on padded soles as to not

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-67653844364593578912007-03-15T03:48:00.000-07:002007-03-15T03:57:09.390-07:00

The postal worker, as many workers here in China, wear these arm protectors so their sleeves don't get dirty... I think. They come in all flavors- pictured here a rose pattern on black.The Shanghai taxi driver, very debonair, wears white gloves to keep the steerng wheel clean... I think.

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-43759393810290338182007-03-13T07:35:00.000-07:002007-03-13T07:59:39.059-07:00

basketball hua shan lu 9amddm warehousean early, large, almost monochromatic and adamntly Not for Sale, Chen Xiaotong paintingsome othersShanghai landscapesnice over priced food, lousy service1hr hallucinatory footrub manic girlfriend nonconverstaion and photoshop my self to sleep

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-45813601424825704822007-03-12T07:27:00.000-07:002007-06-03T08:11:02.252-07:00

And the there was Lita CYA performance artist, world trekking bohemian and sometimes television producer who does this balloon on the head gag in which she pulls different objects she has stashed down her shirt out into the balloon that is engulfing her head and upper body: magazines, teddy bears, etc. It's about orphans and her own ophan identity. She is Chinese raised by Belgians and now

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-30903488587808126282007-03-11T07:45:00.000-07:002007-06-02T02:50:13.043-07:00

China Art Now, Huang Liaoyuan's monster or monstrosity of what qualifies these days for artistic spectacle opens in Shanghai. After accumulating enough monster capital in their original digs - Beijing's Worker Stadium's parking lot, Huang decided to expand to Shanghai. The gallery is a partnership between some playboy telecommunications mogul who conceived the gallery as an attraction for his

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-50270128371027283952007-03-11T04:51:00.000-07:002007-03-11T04:55:38.911-07:00

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-52321062459279794462007-03-10T22:07:00.000-08:002007-06-02T02:41:03.742-07:00

Hugo Tillman has been photographing "film stills of contemporary Chinese artist's subconscious'" The images are culled from brief interviews of the artists. I had the pleasure of translating for Yang Fudong, my Pig Year hero (who showed at MoMA, Marian Goodman and is often profiled in Art Forum etc. for his series of films that remake Chinese literature classics into updated, languid 35mm black

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-51590597708662553832007-03-08T03:24:00.000-08:002007-03-10T22:06:00.549-08:00

home depot need to depotize my homedepotize the worldB&O, Shanghai's next best thing to the home depot in the same outfitblocky orange letters and listless stafflots of stuff made in Chinabut here in Chinalots of video monitors blaring some symphonic dance performanceneed a tiolet seat

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-59454080982673276782007-03-08T03:17:00.000-08:002007-03-08T03:21:10.877-08:00

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-24261226285629738502007-03-04T21:40:00.000-08:002007-03-05T07:52:28.777-08:00

day one on the home front back in my shanghai abode full of dust and weird smellswent running for the first time in a long time felt good for having had a fever yesterday turned out to be the youngest person running in the parkfor some reason the old folk here exercise more than the youngread an article in China Daily on the plane about a 91 year old guy who can do 1000 pushups in

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-56035701647804990832007-03-03T18:32:00.000-08:002007-06-03T08:13:26.940-07:00

Snowing lightly in Beijing as the bombs pound away over the city.It's the last day of Chinese New Years and as the gracious city government has recently lifted restrictions on fireworks usage, the place is ablaze like I imagine Baghdad might be at this very same moment.I, slightly hung over from a casual baijiu soaked reunion with my old artist buddies Zhang Dali and Liu Xinhua, now attempt to

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-82906052916184149362007-03-02T16:52:00.000-08:002007-03-02T17:06:23.747-08:00

So didn't sleep at all last night which I'd like to attribute to not having had a decent conversation with my lady love for some time because like me we are both selfish bitches added to the fact that I'm begining a new sojourn into the slick world of art curating/dealing/consulting/crtiquing/watching /wishing I was just doing coloring book compositions like I set out to instead. It's all in

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-4295672322226907562007-03-01T12:17:00.000-08:002007-03-01T12:19:01.115-08:00

my brother Kristian when he was very little picture upload test

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-79612512576659651022007-03-01T12:07:00.000-08:002007-03-01T12:14:46.868-08:00

alrightlotsa spellin mistakesHEY but this is 2007 and I'm an American and besides there's no damned spellcheck or maybe I haven't explored .. I mean no spell check what about all those beefreaks?anywayIm off plane's a leaving Beijing zaijianSee you in Peking my friends13 hours away my legs oweThat's wangpeng's studio before the renovationanyway he's there too

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8172457624076968208.post-57096502090646123362007-03-01T11:58:00.000-08:002007-03-01T12:05:29.734-08:00

JFK NYC 258 pmregistered my free blog on a not so free server . This bastard Biongo.com commidifying free air at of all places at the gates on an international airport where everyone here has spent an upwards of several hundred dollars just to sit here. NYCWireless needs to come in and slap thier greedy wristsAll that aside Im off to China again feeels like I havent left but timeas time

Mathieu Borysevicznoreply@blogger.com0