When Sun Yuan and Peng Yu graduated from Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts in the late 90s, modern art was still a relatively underground phenomenon in China. Not only was the movement rejected by cultural institutions, but artworks were frequently seized and banned due to their political nature. “It was no surprise that political symbols were a popular artistic language at that time,” the artist duo, partners in work and life, tell us from their home in Beijing. “We graduated hoping to find a new way of expression that differs from methods used by political art and conceptual art.” And that’s what they did, turning the focus of their practice toward the human experience and fast rising to prominence in the contemporary Chinese art scene – building a reputation for controversy in the process.
Throughout their careers, the collaborators have successfully held up a magnifying mirror to humanity through their work – something made all the more confronting by their use of extreme materials, including taxidermy animals, human fat collected from plastic surgery clinics and liquid resembling blood. The latter appeared in an installation – originally commissioned by the Guggenheim in 2016, then presented at the 2019 Venice Biennale – called “Can’t Help Myself”, comprising a giant industrial robot arm enclosed in a glass box, tasked with the never-ending job of sweeping up a pool of gloopy red stuff. When TikTok discovered footage of the artwork last year, it went viral, with many reporting genuine upset and declaring its protagonist the saddest robot in the world. The reaction didn’t surprise Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. “This robot is intended to replace our bodies to execute our will,” they say. “We share a high degree of empathy with the robot, and its every single movement is derived from my emotions. When people empathise with the robot, they empathise with me. Of course, when people are moved by art, they are in reality moved by certain emotions that have awakened in them.”
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s 2011 work “Teenager & Teenager”, meanwhile, is made up of a series of hyper-realistic statues of well-dressed individuals lounging about on plush leather recliners. You’d mistake them for actual humans if it weren’t for the giant boulders in place of their heads. It’s a surreal piece to experience and one made all the more intense outside of a gallery context; when, say, stumbled upon unexpectedly at Belmond’s Villa San Michele – a 16th century monastery-turned-luxury-hotel nestled in the hills overlooking Florence. Hosted as part of Belmond’s MITICO project in partnership with Galleria Continua, Sun Yuan and Peng Yu are two of a number of artists whose work is currently on display throughout the impressive buildings and grounds of some of the brand’s most iconic hotels. The theme uniting the artwork curated this season? Human identity and belonging.
Positioned in several locations around the site, “Teenager & Teenager” is at once an amusing and dark representation of communication in modern society. By rendering the characters unidentifiable, the artists have also prevented any meaningful form of communication. “When teenagers examine the world, they see adults with solid heads like stone,” the duo tell us of the work’s name. “As time passes by, the teenager’s head will gradually turn into a rock as they become an adult too.” This perceived difference speaks to the often self-imposed societal barriers between generations; to our cultural differences; and how there are ultimately limits to the depth of human connection.
The figures depicted are styled, the artists tell us, according to each new location. “There’s no specific model, but it’s a family with elders and grown up children looking healthy and affluent,” they say. “In Italy, they’re wearing costumes specifically designed by brands to conform to their societal status.” The rocks, though they were “found in the mountain regions west of Beijing”, seamlessly match the aesthetic of Villa San Michele. “It’s quite fascinating,” Sun Yuan and Peng Yu say. “The way the display setting helps accentuate this piece of work is similar to putting a rare dish on a delicate plate; both sides are happy. In this environment, the artwork is no longer on display… it’s more like they’re the owners [of the hotel]. Viewers are looking at them, and they, too, are examining the viewers.”
“Teenager & Teenager” was created and first shown at the Arario Gallery Seoul in 2011. In the 12 years since, the way in which we communicate has shifted enormously as the role tech plays in our lives continues to evolve. It’s something the artists have been thinking about recently, in relation to this artwork. “Technology has undoubtedly brought more convenience to how today’s world communicates, but these dense forms of communication may not necessarily improve people’s understanding of each other,” they say. “The conflicts and barriers between people have not diminished by the slightest amount. Conversely, they have become more frequent, and it seems like war is about to be declared and launched due to this. Looking back at this work, current society further highlights the satire of it. People will simply never change, understand, or communicate thoroughly with each other.”
It’s something the duo use to dismiss the accusations of controversy that have come their way over the years too. Though it’s not something they dwell on, they say; nor something that they suppose has helped or hindered their careers. “No matter how others label us, it cannot be changed,” they note. “It’s impossible for people to communicate thoroughly, so all misunderstandings are allowed.”
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu once said that, as humans, “when we don’t know how to explain something, we use art to do it”. I wonder what it is that they personally are using art to explain right now. “Freedom!” they say. “This is an eternal topic. Art is the method that can break through any systematic restriction or barrier. Conversely, if I break through the constraints of any system, I have created art.”
Belmond’s MITICO project will continue next season with a new line-up of artists. Check back here for more details.
Credits
All images courtesy of Belmond