Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2010

The intimate Hara Museum unveils its winter show with the works of noted Chinese artist and filmmaker Yang Fudong. Part of the vanguard of Chinese figures now sweeping the contemporary art world, Yang uses grainy, 35mm film to create images of a society in flux. Two of his most acclaimed cinematic pieces are being shown in Japan for the first time. The General’s Smile (2009) is “a large-scale video installation about the universality of human life” that depicts a banquet celebrating the retirement of a military officer. Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest Part 3 (2005) is part of a series that shows well-educated, modern-day urbanites revealing their inner thoughts. The subjects are placed in situations reminiscent of a popular tale of seven intellectuals in ancient China who seek refuge in a bamboo forest.

Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Yang Fudong. The General’s Smile. Video. Until Mar 28, ¥500 (elem, MS)/¥700 (HS, univ)/¥1,000 (adult). 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku. Open Tue-Sun 11am-5pm (Wed until 8pm), closed Mon. Nearest stn: Shinagawa. www.haramuseum.or.jp