 rom March 27 to May 30, “Matters of Faith”, a group exhibition featuring the works of four international artists from both the East and the West will be held. James Cohan Gallery Shanghai held the exhibition.
The four participating artists are the painter Anselm Kiefer from Germany, video pioneer Nam June Paik from Korea, video artist Bill Viola from America and Shanghai based conceptual artist Xu Zhen. The works of the artists reflect their beliefs and faith towards religion. By borrowing imagery from their respective traditions, a reference is made to the sacred and spiritual world.
 In Palmostern (2006) and Domenica delle Palme (2006), Kiefer uses real palm fronds dipped in plaster. The palm branch is traditional Christian iconography associated with the celebrations of Palm Sunday and Easter. The Palm is known as an immortal tree because it never actually perishes but is constantly regenerated. This symbol was adapted by early Christianity as a sign of Christ’s victory over death, and it has come to serve as a universal emblem of martyrdom. The two works stand at 110 feet high. In the midst of mud and the color of soil, the thin, gray palm leaf occupies the entire canvas. The contrast is eye catching, reflecting the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paik’s work Enlightenment Compressed (1994) shows a bronze statue of Buddha sitting to reflect upon his own image on a closed-circuit television monitor. When visitors walk and stand behind Buddha’s back, they see their own reflection. Through this human-computer interaction, Paik challenges us to reexamine our beliefs and question our attitudes towards today’s technology.
Both of Viola’s works display two different types of creative ideas. Study for Emergence (2002) is based on a work commissioned by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and is part of Viola’s The Passion series. In this video, two women are sitting on either side of a marble cistern in a small courtyard in silence. Suddenly, a young man (implying Jesus) appears and rises from the cistern, spilling water over the sides and onto the base and courtyard floor. The two women hold and carry the man’s body, but the hope of a resurrection is gone. The  video is like that of a classical drawing, beautiful, serene, yet also unpredictable at times. On the other hand, Visitation (2008) shows both an old and young lady, walking around erratically and slowly. Water is surrounding them, as if covering up their doubts, their confusion and sadness. The proportions of the women are to real life size, but the contrast between the stage and performance should be increased.
Xu’s work Untitled (2009) is newly commissioned for this exhibition. It is a parody of the Potala Palace in Lhasa and was made with more than 3000 decks of playing cards. This work is being displayed in the middle of the art gallery, immediately catching the eye of every visitor.
The James Cohan Gallery is located at 170 Yue Yang Road, 1st Floor of the Building 1. Yue Yang Road used to be under the French Concession. Walking through a typical neighbourhood, one comes to an iron gate. Pushing it open, the first thing that meets the eye is a courtyard filled with trees. The gallery is located on one side of the courtyard, and the decoration of the gallery makes people feel right at home. The headquarters of the James Cohan Gallery is located in New York, for more information, please visit: www.jamescohan.com
Bill Viola, Study for Emergence, 2002
Bill Viola, Visitation,Color video on a plasma display mounted vertically on wall，155 X 91.4 X 10.2 cm，2008
Nam June Paik, Enlightenment Compressed, 5" color LCD TV, video camera, wood TV cabinet, plastic TV case, bronze Buddha, aquarium stones, and paint, 33 x 48.3 x 44.5 cm, 1994
Anselm Kiefer, Palmostern, Plaster， branch, red clay in a glass and metal frame，280 X 140 cm，2006
Xu Zhen, Untitled(Detail), Playing cards, 430 X 130 X 120 cm, 2009
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