chenweistudio

“The social logic of consumption, is not a logic of individual possession of the value-in-use of goods and services... nor a logic of gratification. It is a logic of production and a logic of domination of social signifier.”

—— Jean Baudrillard (Consumer Society: 1970)

Through the installation of ancient pottery, “16 vessels” guides the viewer back to the "object" itself. Combined with on-site performance, it attempts to gain some insight into the living conditions of the human being under the contemporary social exchange structure. It is also associated with the artist's ongoing project “the order”.

The "object" here, like the "object" in historical materialism, is not the substantial object, but precisely the actual economic relation that exist objectively. It tends to incorporate social development into a certain order and to eliminate contradictions in a tautologically iterative logic. Under this order, each group or individual can only put themselves into it to achieve their own socialization. We, the people, as the subject of thinking in the economic field of view, is reflected, simplified and abstracted by economics.

16 Vessels 十六个器皿，2019，陶瓷 Ceramic，20 × 50 × 20 cm × 8；30 × 30 × 30cm × 4；28 × 28 × 10cm × 4，Courtesy of Bank/Mabsociety

十六个器皿

“消费的社会逻辑，根本不是一种个体占用商品和服务的使用价值的逻辑... 它也不是一种关于满足的逻辑。它是一种生产和对社会能指进行操纵的逻辑。” —— 让·鲍德里亚（消费社会：1970）

十六个器皿，借用古老的陶瓷语言，将观众的关注点回归到“物”本身。并结合现场的行为表演，洞察当下社会交换结构下人的生存处境。该部分的创作也是艺术家对过往项目中“秩序”概念的持续深入。

这里的“物”，如同历史唯物主义的“物”，都不是实体性的对象物，而恰恰是客观存在的现实经济关系。它倾向于将社会发展纳入某种秩序之中，并以一种同义反复的逻辑取消其中的矛盾。在这种秩序之下，每个群体或者每个个人都只能将自身放置入其中才能实现自身的社会化。人，则作为经济视域中被思考的主体，被经济学所反思、简化和抽象。