VIDEO: Song Dong-ROUND

Song Dong, whose solo exhibition “ROUND” was on view at Pace New York gallery through August 18, sits down for an interview about his practice in this new film. A hugely important figure in China’s Conceptual art movement, the artist speaks about the new and recent sculptural series that figure in his ongoing show, shedding light on their philosophical underpinnings and formal nuances. In his exhibition, the artist uses the shape of the circle, which has rich meaning in traditional Chinese philosophy, as a central visual element. The new series “Da Cheng Ruo Que”, which translates to “the highest perfection is like imperfection,” takes its title from ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu’s seminal text “Tao Te Ching”. In these works, small-scale window frames are assembled into sculptures that forge nearly perfect circles, while still retaining zigzag notches at their edges. Song began the “Da Cheng Ruo Que” series in 2020, when, stranded in his studio due to the pandemic lockdown, he decided to make a gift for his daughter. The artist gathered the materials left over from the production of his previous series “Usefulness of Uselessness”, which was made from discarded construction waste produced during China’s urban renewal process. The artist’s decision to reuse the leftovers of these discarded materials echoes the installation he created with his mother, “Waste Not”, which is his most internationally recognized work—it was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2009 and has since traveled to institutions in several other countries, including the Barbican Centre in London.

 

Song Dong ROUND Pace Gallery