Iaphet Elli  |
Wang Jianwei: Time TempleWang Jianwei |
Guggenheim Premieres Performances by Wang Jianwei on
February 12 and 13
Spiral Ramp Library Presented in Conjunction with Final Weeks of Artist’s Multidisciplinary
Exhibition
PERFORMANCE
Spiral Ramp Library
Thursday, February 12 and Friday, February 13, 8 pm
Spiral Ramp Library is a key component to Wang Jianwei’s multidisciplinary exhibition and commission
Time Temple that features sculpture, painting, and film, and which has been on view at the museum
since October 31. Conceived as the closing ceremony of the exhibition and the first commission for The
Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Chinese Art Initiative, Spiral Ramp Library explores the nature of
human knowledge and spaces of learning, such as the museum and the theater, which allow for the
circulation of contemporary thought and experience.
Consisting of contemporary dance, theater, video, sound, and installation works, Wang Jianwei’s
performance is based on the recordings of his sound performance that was made during the exhibition’s
opening reception in the Guggenheim Museum’s Rotunda. During this recording, twenty orators spoke
on ten topics, including Argentina, Jorge Luis Borges, climate, disappearance, Gnosticism, the
Guggenheim Museum, library, map, universe, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Wang Jianwei views theater as
an important strategy to facilitate interaction and conversation in a “communal moment of the staged
event.” In Spiral Ramp Library, Wang Jianwei works with a production team from China, including sound
director Chen Hongli, lighting director Wang Qi, performer He Fan, and dancers Jiang Jun, Liu Bin,
and Zhang Cunliang.
A Q&A with the artist will follow the performance of Spiral Ramp Library on February 13. Performances
will conclude with an exhibition viewing and reception. February 12: $12, $8 members, Free for students
with RSVP; February 13 (with Q&A): $15, $10 members, Free for students with RSVP
For tickets and more information, visit guggenheim.org/timetemple or call 212 423 3575.
FINAL WEEKS
Wang Jianwei: Time Temple
Through February 16
Wang Jianwei: Time Temple, the first solo museum exhibition of the Beijing-based artist Wang Jianwei
in North America, concludes with a theatrical performance of Spiral Ramp Library.
Recognized throughout Asia and Europe for his bold experiments in new media, performance, and
installation art, Wang Jianwei’s work examines the contact between art and social reality. Considering
space and time in elaborate ways, his artworks are based upon the notion that the production of art can
be a continuous rehearsal, connecting theater, visual art, and film. Wang Jianwei: Time Temple is the first
of three commission-based exhibitions realized through The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation
Chinese Art Initiative at the Guggenheim Museum, which explores the ideas and works of artists from
China, who are shaping contemporary art within a global context.
ADDITIONAL PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Film: The Morning Time Disappeared
Friday–Tuesday, 1 pm
Inspired by Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis (1915), this film explores the transformation of
contemporary China and looks at how the boundary between reality and fiction becomes blurred and
abstracted. Like Kafka’s novella, the video positions itself in a state of imaginary realism. This film is
screened in the New Media Theater on the lower level of the museum and is free with museum
admission.
Curator’s Eye Tour
January 30, 12 pm
Thomas J. Berghuis leads a focused tour of the exhibition. Free with museum admission. No RSVP
required.
Exhibition Tours in Mandarin
January 31, February 7, and February 14, 12 pm
Tours led by Mandarin-speaking gallery educator Fuchiawen Lien focuses on themes and artworks in
the exhibition. Free with museum admission. No RSVP required.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Admission: Adults $22, students/seniors (65+) $18, members and children under 12 free. Available with
admission or by download to personal devices, the Guggenheim’s free app offers an enhanced visitor
experience. The app features content on special exhibitions, including Wang Jianwei: Time Temple,
access to more than 2,400 works in the Guggenheim’s permanent collection, and information about the
museum’s landmark building. Verbal Imaging guides for select exhibitions are also included for visitors
who are blind or have low vision. Multimedia guides are available in English and Mandarin Chinese. The
Guggenheim app is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Museum Hours: Sunday–Wednesday, 10 am–5:45 pm; Friday, 10 am–5:45 pm; Saturday, 10 am–7:45
pm; closed Thursday. On Saturdays, beginning at 5:45 pm, the museum hosts “Pay What You Wish.”
For general information, call 212 423 3500 or visit the museum online at: guggenheim.org
guggenheim.org/connect