"Bonita Del Norte" (北方美人)
// BLURB //
Legend tells the story of a Chinese mermaid who came out of the water and lived on land for many days with a human family. She wove and sold cloth, as it happens mermaids are excellent craftswomen. When it was time for her departure, she was grateful to her hosts. As a parting gift, the mermaid cried into a glass jar, her tears quickly turning into pearls filling up the jar to the brim. In Chinese mythology, mermaids are often depicted as lonely, tragic figures who sacrificed themselves for love. The earliest known mermaid Greek legend involves the fertility goddess Atargatis, who threw herself into the murky waters after accidentally killing her mortal lover. She took the form of a fish but only from the waist down as the waters couldn’t conceal her divine beauty. In Roman mythology, sirens were daughters of the river god Achelous, explaining the fishtail appearance. They were extremely beautiful and seductive creatures, but still dangerously deadly. Roman scientist and naturalist, Pliny the Elder, wrote about mermaids with such authority that for hundreds of years people believed they were as real as horses and sheep. And we’re still debating their existence to this day. In fact, in 2000 Spanish conceptual artist Joan Fontcuberta created the series “The Siren of Tormes” which consisted of an installation of fake siren fossils in the park Réserve Géologique de Haute-Provence in southern France. He photographed these fossils and created a story about the discovery of an unknown aquatic species, “Hydropithecus” or water monkey. If we’re fortunate enough, we’ll continue to be inspired by these mythical creatures as time goes on. And if you’re lucky, you might just find one the next time you open a can of tuna in olive oil.
Legend tells the story of a Chinese mermaid who came out of the water and lived on land for many days with a human family. She wove and sold cloth, as it happens mermaids are excellent craftswomen. When it was time for her departure, she was grateful to her hosts. As a parting gift, the mermaid cried into a glass jar, her tears quickly turning into pearls filling up the jar to the brim. In Chinese mythology, mermaids are often depicted as lonely, tragic figures who sacrificed themselves for love. The earliest known mermaid Greek legend involves the fertility goddess Atargatis, who threw herself into the murky waters after accidentally killing her mortal lover. She took the form of a fish but only from the waist down as the waters couldn’t conceal her divine beauty. In Roman mythology, sirens were daughters of the river god Achelous, explaining the fishtail appearance. They were extremely beautiful and seductive creatures, but still dangerously deadly. Roman scientist and naturalist, Pliny the Elder, wrote about mermaids with such authority that for hundreds of years people believed they were as real as horses and sheep. And we’re still debating their existence to this day. In fact, in 2000 Spanish conceptual artist Joan Fontcuberta created the series “The Siren of Tormes” which consisted of an installation of fake siren fossils in the park Réserve Géologique de Haute-Provence in southern France. He photographed these fossils and created a story about the discovery of an unknown aquatic species, “Hydropithecus” or water monkey. If we’re fortunate enough, we’ll continue to be inspired by these mythical creatures as time goes on. And if you’re lucky, you might just find one the next time you open a can of tuna in olive oil.
STATUS
SOLD. Private collection, London.
SOLD. Private collection, London.
EDITION, MEDIA, SIZE & WEIGHT
Unique Edition, Shanghai 2022
TFT display, acrylic painting on Plexiglass, media player, teakwood frame
51(W)×51(H)×6.5(D) cm // 11.45 kg
TECH SPECS
• 1×SLC MICRO SD Card
• 1×LS424 media player
• 15" TFT LCD display with LED backlight - TKUN JT1500-HD (INPUT 12V 4A)
• 1×MWLPV20-5 (INPUT 100~240VAC@0.55A / OUTPUT 5V@3A)
• 1×ADP-48D12 (INPUT 100~240VAC@1.5A / OUTPUT 12VDC@4A)
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
66(W)×66(H)×21(D) cm //24.27 kg
EXPOSURE
“Welcome To The Neighborhood” at island6 Shanghai
CREDITS
Wang Chuanwen 王传文 (painting) • Kiwi Jin 金子扬 (performance) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction & animation) • Tiara Alvarado-Leon (blurb)
Unique Edition, Shanghai 2022
TFT display, acrylic painting on Plexiglass, media player, teakwood frame
51(W)×51(H)×6.5(D) cm // 11.45 kg
TECH SPECS
• 1×SLC MICRO SD Card
• 1×LS424 media player
• 15" TFT LCD display with LED backlight - TKUN JT1500-HD (INPUT 12V 4A)
• 1×MWLPV20-5 (INPUT 100~240VAC@0.55A / OUTPUT 5V@3A)
• 1×ADP-48D12 (INPUT 100~240VAC@1.5A / OUTPUT 12VDC@4A)
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
66(W)×66(H)×21(D) cm //24.27 kg
EXPOSURE
“Welcome To The Neighborhood” at island6 Shanghai
CREDITS
Wang Chuanwen 王传文 (painting) • Kiwi Jin 金子扬 (performance) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction & animation) • Tiara Alvarado-Leon (blurb)
CLOSE-UPS
VIDEO