About this Event
From 8th Oct to 10th December schools will be invited to learn about the art of Evelyn Taocheng Wang, in her first UK institutional exhibition, Being Poetic Ruins Life, at Goldsmiths CCA.
Now living in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Wang was born in 1981 in the Sichuan capital city of Chengdu, China. Fascinated by art and design from an early age, she studied Soviet Realism, European modernism and Chinese classical arts - literature, calligraphy, and landscape ink-painting.
Her works encompass painting, ink on paper, handscrolls, garments, calligraphy, silk paintings, installation, and video, and interrogates what constitutes identity and culture, what is authenticity, and who gets to be poetic. Her work presents an idiosyncratic and humorous portrait of Britain through the lens of Chinese diasporic experience, with woven in references to period dramas and literature throughout, such as Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf, and moments from the popular imagination such as James Bond and the 80s cartoon Count Duckula. Alongside her homages to painter Agnes Martin and writer Eileen Chang, themes of misunderstanding and mistranslation, desire and performance run throughout.
We will be continuing our format of a two-part workshop. Schools are able to sign up for one, or both sessions (recommended). We recommend allowing 1 week between session bookings.
Session 1: Delivered at your school. Students will be asked to bring in an object that they feel is connected to their respective cultures and heritages - maybe a tea cup, a beloved souvenir from a family trip, or an ingredient commonly used in their favourite dish. After learning about Evelyn Taocheng Wang and Chinese Classical painting and poetry, they will begin to write poems about their objects, and paint them onto fabrics, t-shirts, and xuan paper, using specialist tools.
Click here to book Session 2.
The workshops will be led by the CCA's Education Team. Sessions can be tailored to align with the key stage of the class.
Both Sessions are 90 minutes in total.
Session 1 is available on Wednesdays and select Thursdays, from 2-3.30pm. Alternative dates and times are available by special request. Workshops are free and are allocated on a first come first served basis. We can host groups of up to 30 pupils at any one time.
The Galleries are wheelchair accessible. If you would like to request assistance, or discuss access, please get in touch. To share feedback, subscribe for updates, or for any questions you may have, please email our Engagement Producer, Adrianna Whittingham at [email protected].
Event venue & nearby stays
Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, Saint James's, London, United Kingdom
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