A few weeks ago the New York Times featured a story about the artist Song Dong, “one of the most inventive figures in contemporary Chinese art.” Song Dong recently turned the contents of his mother’s former home in Beijing into an art exhibit titled “Waste Not.”
…Purely to survive, his parents adhered to the Cultural Revolutionary dictum of frugality in daily life, with his mother carrying conservation to extravagant lengths. In an ever-more-crowded environment, Mr. Song started painting early and prolifically — his mother encouraged him, his father did not — but suddenly stopped in 1989 after the bloody events at Tiananmen Square. He went into retreat, and when he publicly resumed work a few years later, it was in the mediums of performance, video and photography.
The story was incredibly touching and I think the exhibit is an interesting way to showcase a person’s life. What do you think?
Read the full article: The Collected Ingredients of a Beijing Life
“Waste Not” continues through Sept. 21 at the Museum of Modern Art; (212) 708-9400, moma.org
