Veilhan, whose practice encompasses sculpture, painting, installation, and photography, situates himself at the nexus of artisanal craftsmanship and technological innovation, challenging and extending the boundaries of traditional artistic mediums into the digital era. His work critically engages with the concepts of representation and the physical manifestation of ideas, driven by a continuous pursuit of innovation and experimental rigor.
When visiting the exhibition, visitors are greeted by blurred forms of human- shaped sculptures of varying heights and set against the backdrop of the artist's archetypical acrylic portraits on birch plywood, posits a critical counterpoint to the contemporary culture's voracious demand for high- resolution imagery. Whether through the tangible medium of sculpture or the ephemeral realm of images, Veilhan evokes a dreamlike aura of human presence, reminiscent of spectral figures haunting the urban environment, thereby challenging the primacy of pixelated precision in the current visual paradigm. Moreover, a series of small bird paintings ( series, 2022-2023), recurring motifs within his work, summon the presence of non-human agency, articulating not only a sense of physical scale but also imbuing the works with allegorical significance.
Central to the exhibition is (2022), a monumental circular kinetic sculpture crafted from fiberglass, aluminum, and stainless steel, suspended from the ceiling. Its bold and compelling form engages in dialogue with the architectural dimensions of the gallery space, manifesting Veilhan's engagement with themes of modernity, technological progress, and mechanical systems. This 3.7-meter-long mechanical artwork, featuring colored lacquered discs, cryptically marks time with the activation of a metallic sphere within its apparatus. Veilhan's body of work is infused with a penchant for invention, a fascination with aerodynamic qualities, and a tribute to the lineage of kinetic art from the Futurism movement to the 1960s.
Noticeably, in , a virtual reality work represents a significant moment in his exploration of unconventional exhibition methods, particularly advancing the examination of how visibility operates and the processes by which ideas are materialized. offers a semi-retrospective look at Veilhan's extensive career, combining five key elements from his public sculptures, the mobiles, project, light-based machinery, and early environmental works like () and (). These elements are not merely digitized but are re-imagined and placed within a virtual setting that invites the viewer into an immersive, interactive experience. This shift from traditional man-made forms to a digitized environment also highlights the evolving relationship between art and its audiences.
Initiated nearly two years ago, the VR experience offers an unparalleled opportunity for viewers to navigate a succession of relational environments, effectively functioning as a hyper-textual space that challenges conventional notions of the "movie theater" and prompts a critical reassessment of our perceptions of spatiality, form, and the participatory role of the audience within the art experience. In the space titled "Island of Dogs," viewers are confronted with a monumental canine sculpture featuring a mysterious blue portal that ushers them into an exhibition realm of static sculptures. This entrance, however, marks merely the initial layer of a Russian Doll-like configuration, revealing a nested world that blurs the lines between reality and virtual fiction, a mise en abyme that contemplates the duality of public and private spheres through the contrasting textures of the dog's silky exterior and its complex internal matrix.
Progressing to "The Cité Radieuse," viewers are invited into a virtual iteration of Le Corbusier's iconic Marseille residential complex (1947- 1952), where a blue cube on a yellow stage within a gymnasium serves as a portal to an unfolding scene. Entering the cube, the walls ascend to disclose an assembled audience, mirroring the gathering at the 2013 "Architectones" exhibition in the MAMO, the art center of the Cité Radieuse. This recursive staging and re-staging of modernist architectural spaces and their observers underscore human presence's silent yet profound influence on our collective psyche, often exerting a deeper psychological impact beneath our conscious awareness. Veilhan's engagement with filmmaking, traceable to his debut, "Le Film du Japon," intertwines personal narratives with architectural locales, situating the artist within a dialogue that bridges individual stories with constructed environments.
Furthermore, the soundscape curated by I: Cube for extends Veilhan's fascination with auditory experiences and their capacity to surpass the confines of the purely visual, a preoccupation manifest in his celebrated environmental installation at the 57th Venice Biennale. Within the ambit of , the soundtrack dynamically responds to the viewer's engagement and layering an additional psychological dimension over tangible and virtual environments. This aural intervention destabilizes the sleek modernist exteriors and the profound, often unavoidable, interior spaces' sensations, mirroring pop music's pervasive influence and cultural resonances.
Veilhan's oeuvre navigates the visible and invisible territories, crafting an immersive realm that prompts a reconsideration of prior works through the prism of our perceptual boundaries. This effort into realms beyond the human, articulating a fluid and open conceptualization of the body as a site of unforeseen encounters and narratives, diverges from established societal conventions and the static identities typically imposed. His exploration of virtual domains unveils our cognitive landscapes, resonating with Gilles Deleuze's philosophy of an "ethics of becoming not unworthy of the event," advocating for a posture of receptivity and engagement with the transformative potentials that beckon us.
The confluence of humanity and technology within the exhibition "Sculpture Park" encapsulates the intricate challenges and opportunities of navigating a world saturated with technological innovation. Coupled with the virtual reality experience, this new body of works collectively underscores the immense possibilities for augmenting human capability and comprehension while necessitating a vigilant awareness of how technology can contour, constrain, and define our perceptions and interactions.
Text by Yuan Fuca
The VR experience by Xavier Veilhan is commissioned by VIVE Arts, a global arts and technology initiative that supports artistic experimentation with nascent technologies, and developed by award-winning production company Atlas V.
About the artist
Xavier Veilhan, born in 1963, France, lives and works in Paris, France. Xavier Veilhan has since the late 1980s created an acclaimed body of work inspired by both formal classicism and high technology, including a range of mediums (sculpture, painting, installation, performance, video, and photography). His exhibitions question our perception and often generate an evolving ambulatory space in which the audience becomes an actor. For example, in Veilhan Versailles (2009), his series Architectones (2012-2014) or his proposition for the French Pavilion at the Biennale di Venezia, titled Studio Venezia (2017).
Xavier Veilhan’s work is often showcased in the public space, with sculptures occupying numerous cities across France and abroad, including Paris, Stockholm, New York, Shanghai and Seoul, among others. His work has been shown in various acclaimed institutions across the world, such as the Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Mamco (Geneva), the Phillips Collection (Washington), Mori Art Museum (Tokyo), and MAAT (Lisbon).

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Xavier Veilhan: Sculpture Park | Shanghai

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Near Shanghai Tower|Lujiazui Area, Shanghai

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The buildings on the Bund are solidified historical poems. Those buildings of different styles, gothic spires, baroque columns, Renaissance domes, every detail tells of the past bustle and vicissitudes. Once, this was the Far East financial center, where banks and foreign banks from various countries were standing, witnessing the changes in Shanghai as a &quot;adventurer&#39;s paradise&quot;. From the book, it seems that you can see the Huangpu River a hundred years ago, the whistle is ringing, the freighter shuttle, the businessmen in suits and leathers are in a hurry, with dreams and ambitions. These buildings are not only the construction of reinforced concrete, but also the container of history, which treasures the rise and fall of the old Shanghai. The night view of the Bund is a vision feast. At the beginning of the Hua Lamp, the neon skyscrapers in Lujiazui on the other side flashed, and modern buildings such as the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Central Building exude a sense of technology and future, which intersected with the classical buildings on the Bund. On the Huangpu River, the cruise ship slowly passed, reflected in the sparkling river water, the light and shadow swaying. Standing on the viewing platform of the Bund, one side is a heavy historical precipitation, the other is a vigorous pulse of the times, the blend of ancient and modern, people produce a wonderful sense of time and space staggered, deeply experience the unique charm of Shanghai city can not only keep the root of history, It can embrace the waves of the times. In addition, the Bund is the epitome of humanistic style. Visitors from all over the world are gathered here, people of different skin colors and languages stop, take pictures, and admire. The performances of street artists and the sketches of painters have added a strong artistic atmosphere to the Bund. The citizens who stroll on the Bund or the elderly who relax on the benches depicted in the book are closely connected to the Bund, forming a vivid market picture. The Bund is not only the attraction in the eyes of tourists, but also the emotional support in Shanghai&#39;s people, carrying the memories and feelings of countless people. The Bund is the soul of Shanghai. It integrates history, modernity, culture and art in a unique way, so that people can feel the spirit and character of a city while enjoying the beautiful scenery. No matter how the times change, the Bund always exudes a charming charm, attracting countless people to explore its story and appreciate its style.

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Anonymous User

Overall it is still very good! Worth everyone to play! It&#39;s just that some projects need to queue for a long time because there are too many people! It is recommended that managers consider making some adjustments or making reservations for projects that tourists like online booking! Visitors will play the project according to the time reserved! More than three minutes are considered automatic abandonment! If you still want to play this project, you need to make an online reservation for the second time! This can save tourists a lot of time in line! You can play more projects! Also generate more revenue for the scenic spot! This opinion is only my personal opinion! For reference only! Haha 😂

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The Oriental Pearl Tower is connected by 11 different spheres of different sizes, designed from the wonderful artistic conception of &quot;big beads and small beads&quot;, three Optimus sky columns directly inserted into the clouds, the spheres and columns are against each other, full of modern technology and Oriental aesthetic charm.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park

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jpmackz26

We really enjoyed our time in Haichang Ocean Park! There are lots of things to see and do that one day is not enough. Aside from the usual aquatic life, we saw awesome shows like the Beluga show and it even has Ultraman and One Piece!

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There are a lot of people in the exhibition, the official website is not easy to book tickets, Trip.com tickets here are easy to book, there are many exhibits, but it is recommended to find an artificial tour guide, it sounds more interesting, the single listening to the rental electronic guide is a bit monotonous, the projection of the cat mummy area is also very fun

Time:	Mar 15–May 25, 2024 (UTC+8) ENDED
Location:	3/F, 27 Huqiu Road, Huangpu District, 200002

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Xavier Veilhan: Sculpture Park | Shanghai

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