The inD Guangzhou Art Book Fair was held from 2024 January 11th to 14th at Guangzhou Future Society. PILLS was invited to exhibit two books, “An Underground Guide to Sewers" and “This Way Madness Lies." Digital branding Aifanyi, global knowledge Feng Lei, and Dirty Pixel co-host the inD Art Book Fair. We want to collaborate with the public to use experimental art publications as a medium to carry out marginal creativity, discovering and exploring more unknown creative fields. PILLS collaborates with Utopia on the new book “An Underground Guide to Sewers - The Folding History of Underground Cities," translated by Zigeng Wang and PILLS Studio. The book combines over 400 images related to sewers and presents the intricate story of humanity's transition from filth to civilization over 6000 years through high-density visual materials. “This Way Madness Lies - The Past and Present of Mental Hospitals," reviewed by Zigeng Wang and PILLS Studio. This book tracks the history of mental illness and its treatment through the story of the Royal Hospital of Bethlehem in the UK. It outlines the evolution of mental illness treatment institutions represented by Bethlehem from the 18th century to the 21st century in terms of architectural design, treatment methods, management systems, and external relations.
Read MoreOn November 12-19, 2023, PILLS Studio went to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha for collective team building (learning), visiting and inspecting excellent buildings and exhibition projects such as Dubai World Expo City, Qatar National Museum, and Islamic Art Museum.
Read MoreOn October 20th, DP LAB (Dongpeng Innovation Laboratory) and Fiber/áunn Museum jointly launched the second round of the Sustainable Green Building Initiative “WAKEN RE: THE 2ND MINE" in Foshan, Guangdong. PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited to participate in the “Remains of Time and Urban Renewal" theme forum. Forum guests include co-founder Qian Hu of the ISOZAKI + HuQian Partners, co-founders Yijing Xu and Neil Mclean Gaddes of SANS Studio, and curator Changjun Gao. They shared case studies and perspectives on urban factory renewal from their respective professional perspectives.
Read MoreOn October 10th, 2023, the results of the “2023 Hainan Island Scenic Route Key Stations Planning and Design International Competition" were announced. PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited as a final critic. He attended the award ceremony along with experts in the field of architectural design, such as Baofeng Li, Kecheng Liu, Jiwei Sun, and Bin Zhang.
Read MoreOn October 8, 2023, PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited to attend the “FCJZ 30 Years” seminar held on the 9th floor of the Longfu Building in Beijing. The event was hosted by Kai Cui, an academician of the CAE Member and chief editor of the Journal of Architecture. Shu Wang, president of the School of Architecture and Arts of China Academy of Fine Arts and founder of amateur architecture studio; Cundong Li, secretary-general of China Architectural Society; Jiakun Liu, architect in charge of Jiakun Architectural Design Firm; Weimin Zhuang, academician of the CAE Member, professor of the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University; and Xiangning Li, dean and professor of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University (online) delivered speeches successively, paying tribute to and congratulating on the 30-year history of the FCJZ studio, At the same time, we also hope that this review and discussion activity can stimulate more in-depth thinking on architectural practice, culture, and education during the current transformation period of urban development in China.
Read MoreOn August 3, 2023, Zigeng Wang was appointed as an expert and curator for the China Pavilion project at the 2025 Osaka World Expo in Japan. The World Expo is a large-scale international exhibition that brings together multiple countries or international organizations to showcase the achievements of humanity in social, economic, cultural, and technological fields. The Osaka World Expo in Japan, with the theme of “Building a Future Society and Imagining Tomorrow's Life," will be held from April 13 to October 13, 2025. The Chinese Pavilion of this World Expo will focus on cultural exhibitions and activities, further promoting cultural exchanges, civil friendship, and people-to-people exchanges between China and countries worldwide, including Japan, and promoting common progress of civilization through exchange and mutual learning. Zigeng Wang will participate as an expert and curator in the curation and exhibition design of the China Pavilion project at the World Expo.
On the evening of August 11th, PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited to participate in the opening dialogue of the artist James Jean's solo exhibition “Eternal Spiral III - James Jean." The conversation revolves around the theme of “Narrative into the World," where Zigeng Wang and James Jean engage in discussions on exhibition concepts, artist creative techniques, and the impact of AI on design and art. The next day, James Jean's first large-scale art museum solo exhibition officially opened at the Shenzhen Sea World Culture & Arts Center.
Read MoreOn August 7, 2023, the pre-evaluation of the "2023 Hainan Island Scenic Route Key Stations Planning and Design International Competition" was held in Haikou. Zigeng Wang, founder and host architect of PILLS, was invited as a critic. After careful voting and discussions by the judging panel, three route key stations and fifteen participating units were finally selected.
Read MoreOn the afternoon of June 20th, PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited as one of the judges for the final review of Tsinghua University Graduate Design Studio II, Spring Semester 2022-2023, along with Weiwen Huang, Shi Zhou, Dan Luo, and others. Professor Weiguo Xu from Tsinghua University guided the course, and the final review was held at the Tsinghua University Shenzhen International Graduate School. Graduate students from the School of Architecture and the Future Habitats Research Institute presented their excellent defense of the “Human Migration Plan: Mars Settlement Design." Zigeng Wang and others commented on the results of the “Mars Settlement Design" course from perspectives of architecture, digitization, and future living.
Read MoreOn June 11th at noon, PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited to attend the “Design Shanghai” forum and deliver a speech on “Urban Cosmologies, Cosmologic Symbiosis: Two Cases of Public Art Curation,” exploring in depth from multiple dimensions regarding how to“recreate” happiness through design. This year's“Design Shanghai" was held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Hall. As one of the important sections of the exhibition, the design forum focused on the theme of “Beyond Sustainability Lies Re-creative Design: Design for Wellbeing." It brought together leading designers from China and abroad to present their forward-thinking ideas and insights into the future via design thinking and vision.
Read MoreOn May 17th, PILLS Studio welcomed its second cute pet member, the German curly cat “Secretary”, following the first cute pet “Director”.
On May 12, 2023, the National Social Science Foundation of China's major project in the field of art “Theoretical and Practical Research on Chinese Architectural Art" and the Contemporary Chinese Architecture and Culture Academic Seminar, were held at the Zhudian Brick Cultural Museum in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Zigeng Wang, as a member of the research group, attended the expert discussion session of the “Contemporary Chinese Architecture and Culture" academic seminar. The School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University and the Academic Committee of Architectural Review of the Chinese Architecture Society jointly organized this conference. The conference invited experts from multiple domestic and foreign universities and institutions, including Tongji University, Tianjin University, Southeast University, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Newcastle University, University of Sydney, City University of Hong Kong, Editorial Department of Journal of Architecture, and Editorial Department of Times Architecture, to participate in presentations and discussions. The attending guests from different disciplines, such as architecture, art, philosophy, and literary criticism, explored the dynamic relationship and future development direction of architecture, art, and culture in the contemporary Chinese context from multiple perspectives.
Read MoreRecently, PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited as a final judge for the “Seeds Project: Education Program for a Sustainable Future" along with artist Minghao Cao, Jianjun Chen, professor Xiaoyang Chen at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, director Jie Lu of the Institute of Contemporary Art and Sociology at the China Academy of Art Cross-Media Art College, and chief editor Ying Ye of “The Art Newspaper (Chinese Edition)." On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its founding, “The Art Newspaper (Chinese Edition)" launched the “Seeds Project: Education Program for a Sustainable Future" in collaboration with the China Academy of Art Cross-Media Art College, initiating a collaborative learning project called “Xiangshan School." The project focuses on the ecological and environmental issues faced by humanity and all living beings at present. It openly recruits proposals for artistic works from art creators who are currently studying at major universities in China. The selected participants will engage in collaborative learning experiences at the Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Art. Their work proposals will be published as a thematic album by “Art News/Chinese Edition."
Read MoreRecently, the “20 Picks of the South” annual selection was officially launched by Da Bian Lu. Zigeng Wang, the host architect of the 9th Urbanism/Architecture Bi-City Biennale (UABB) of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, also the host architect of PILLS, was selected. The “20 Picks of the South" list is released every spring. It aims to highlight the position and value of the southern region and to create the spirit and atmosphere of southern art with rationality and persistence. Zigeng Wang was selected for the 2022 list due to his outstanding performance in the 9th UABB. As one of the host curators, he was praised as: “a curator that danced with the magical space of Jinwei Brewery, using the charm of spatial drama, while also grasping, judging, implanting, narrating, and commenting within it. He presented an exhibition narrative that was balanced and progressive, showcasing the energy and wisdom of a curator who takes the city as his field.”
Read MoreOn March 15th, 2023, the joint review and award ceremony for the first and second seasons of the “Youth and Sea" Xiangshan Coastal Island Invitation Competition was successfully held in Xiangshan, Ningbo. The three-month invitational competition for young and emerging architects came to a successful conclusion. Zigeng Wang was invited to serve as the principal judge of the competition and, together with six other judges, announced the outstanding design proposals for the site, witnessing the final results of the conceptual proposal stage.
Read MoreThe PILLS Studio has officially entered the Xiaohongshu and Instagram platforms, and we will continue to share our design concepts, creative inspiration, and project achievements with more people through the media. We sincerely invite you to follow us. Thanks for your support.
Read MoreOn February 11th, Zigeng Wang, the host architect of PILLS, was invited to participate in an interview for the Shenzhen Radio and Television Financial Life program “Fashion and Design.” In the program, Zigeng Wang shared his experiences as a designer, artist, and curator in various exhibitions, as well as his thoughts on the possibilities of architecture in participating in exhibitions, intervening in art galleries and public spaces from different perspectives. The program was broadcast on the Bay Area Financial Life platform.
Read MoreOn November 8th, the “Future Community & Everyday Life" Forum and the 9th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture Hangzhou Promotion Conference were held in the Hangzhou Central Reception Hall, with PILLS chief architect Zigeng Wang invited to attend. The forum was hosted by GAD “Views." Andong Lu, a professor at Nanjing University and the 9th Shenzhen Biennale Exhibition Chief Curator, was the academic host. Jianmin Meng, an academician of the CAE Member; Yuhui Jiang, a professor at East China Normal University; Yansong Ma, the architect in charge of MAD; Ming Tong, a professor of Southeast University; Jiajing Zhang, the founder of Gaomu Affairs Institute, and other guests were invited to discuss the theme of “Future Community & Everyday Life." This forum is based on the “Co-living Lab" section of the 9th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, focusing on the “relationship" between people, life, space, and architecture. Through multiple perspectives, such as architecture and philosophy, it explores the problems arising from China's current urban transformation and provides insights and methods for developing future communities.
Read MoreOn October 22nd, the “One Word, One Me" activity series, “TRUE: Ideal Architecture," was successfully held at Shenzhen Station. PILLS chief architect Zigeng Wang was invited to engage in a dialogue with Tao Meng, the director of Midea Building Technology Research Institute, and Heng Liu, the chief architect of Nansha Original Design Architectural Studio, on the theme of “Innovative City, Finding a Place to Live Together," providing a forward-looking perspective for Shenzhen's sustainable development potential as an “innovative city." Zigeng Wang uses the 9th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture “Urban Cosmologies" as a case study to explain the relationship between humans, nature, and cities at the micro level, as well as how humans and all things reside harmoniously on Earth from a macro perspective. Technology must develop toward “a kind human environment and society." In this year's Shenzhen Biennale, many activities explore the needs of ordinary people through research and care for their lives.
Read MoreOn October 13, 2022, the “International Design Competition for the Cross-Shiting River Bridge" was hosted by the Deyang Tianfu Jingcheng Management Committee, which opened a public recruitment for designers worldwide. PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited as a reviewer with Guangsheng Feng, Vice Chief Engineer of China Railway Bridge Bureau; Xiaofei Jiang, Partner of NEXT Architecture Firm; Yi Liu, Chief Architect of China Southwest Design and Research Institute; and Bing Zhong, Vice President of Architecture Design at AECOM China. During the recruitment period, a total of 117 valid applications were received from dozens of teams, including large and medium-sized domestic design institutes, excellent architectural design firms at home and abroad, and emerging design teams. The competition has an online exposure of over 1 million and has received support from over 130 media and institutions.
On September 22nd, the second season/sixth episode of “Tipcity" invited the two main curators of the 9th UABB, Zigeng Wang and Andong Lu, as well as architect Guochuan Feng, to share first-hand fresh news about curation to the audience.
Read MoreThe renovation of PILLS's new site was completed on July 28, 2022, and the PILLS studio officially settled in 751 D·Park, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
On May 4, 2022, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the “Director" and all employees of PILLS carried out home telecommuting according to the policy requirements.
Recently, a series of forums for the Wind H Art Center group exhibition “To Be the Better One - The Methodology of the New Generation" was successfully held. Artist Zigeng Wang was invited to give a speech on “Continuous Experiment: Installation as a Method," sharing his creative thoughts on the installation work “1994" and participating in the forum. Curator Cancan Cui hosted the forum, and guests include Vice Dean Tao Han of the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, curator Yining He, executive editor Wanli Mo of Architecture China Magazine, architect and photographer Haiting Sun, founder of META Studio Shuo Wang, contemporary art and photography researcher Beichen Yang, and UCCA vice curator Yang You. The attending guests focused on “1994" and jointly discussed topics such as interdisciplinary experiments by architects, methods and significance of installations, differences and connections between architecture and art, as well as creative environments and inter-generational differences.
Read MorePILLS Digest is an internal lecture and reading group project initiated by PILLS. Recently, PILLS held its second PILLS Digest event, which revolved around the book “Blockchain Chicken Farm" published in 2020 by Xiaowei Wang, a Chinese author, artist, and programmer. PILLS researchers Boya Guo, Hui Wang, Yu Gong, and Jia Weng, along with discussion guests Junyuan Feng, Jingfei He, Yue Wu, and Flynn, explore the book content and their research and works to discuss the implications of new media and its spatial consequences.
Read MoreOn June 10th, PILLS architect Zigeng Wang was invited to attend and share a speech at the “Invisible City: Urban Open Discussion" themed forum. This event is the closing event of the Roca Gallery's “Invisible City" video art exhibition, inviting nine guests to share urban topics humorously and creatively, guiding the public to observe and reflect on the daily “invisible" things and objects in a more detailed, in-depth, and comprehensive manner. The guests include Dai Liu, Director of the China Sustainable City Project at the World Resources Institute (WRI), Rui Qian, Urban Designer of AECOM China Strategy and Development, and Bing Shao, Editor in Architectural Archives.
Read MorePILLS Digest is an internal lecture and reading group project initiated by PILLS. The first issue of PILLS Digest will focus on “The World: As an Architectural Project,” published by MIT Press in March 2020. The book records fifty speculative architectural projects in both text and image, showcasing how architects imagined the future of Earth through global-scale projects over a century ago. In this activity, PILLS researchers Jia Weng, Boya Guo, Hui Wang, and Yu Gong, together with the discussion guests Junyuan Feng, Yujia Bian, and Zheng Tan, jointly read several chapters of this book and rethought the changes and problems of the world order under the influence of the global COVID-19 through discussion.
Read MoreOn December 22nd, Zigeng Wang was invited to attend the book launch of “Apartment Blossom" at ROCA Beijing Gallery. The book is co-authored by architect Han Li and scholar Qiuye Jin and produced by Archipelago and BMS. “Apartment Blossom" is the second volume of the “Urban Studies Degree Zero Series". It showcases various balcony transformations in ordinary residential buildings in Beijing through intricate architectural models. Qipeng Zhu, the chief designer of Wonder Architects, hosted the event, whose guests include Zigeng Wang, founder of PILLS, Yu Guang, partner of A Black Cover Design, and Chen Liang, director of ALEPH. The authors and guests discussed the content of “Apartment Blossom" and shared their observations on the spontaneous construction of folk architecture in Beijing, as well as their different interpretations of architectural models.
Read MoreOn November 22, 2020, the Autumn 2020 semester of the School of Architecture at Syracuse University, Beijing Visiting Critic Studio, was successfully concluded with a final review at PILLS Beijing Studio. The title of this course is “The Boundary of Selves: Domestic Space in the Age of Digital Screens," exploring how screens and related technological media reshape the public and private domains, how modern logistics and electronic payments change the attributes of people and cities, as well as the potential opportunities and performances of architecture in this contemporary context. The final review panel includes guests such as Fangzhou Jiang, Han Li, Hui Wang, Jia Weng, Shuo Wang, Tao Han, Zheng Tan, and Ziyu Zhuang. Students gave a brilliant presentation on Kinetoscope, Cinema, Television, Computer Screen, and Smart Screen.
Read MoreOn October 15, 2020, PILLS Studio adopted a stray cat with white orange spots and appointed it the “Director" of the “PILLS Administration".
On July 15, 2020, PILLS Studio settled in the 1958 Park on Guangqu Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
During the release of the BMW X family's THE X6, Zigeng Wang, as one of the three artists invited by the brand, accepted an interview from Lens. He shared with BMW about his work, from his student lives to the establishment of his studio. He shared his thinking process behind his cross-border art practices, told stories about releasing nature in his creative career, and deeply explored the resonance connection between him and the brand.
Read MoreThe “Chinese Culture World Tour · Perception of Beijing · Design Journey” series activities were recently invited and held during Helsinki Design Week. Among them, the “New Generation” section focuses on the new achievements and figures of contemporary Chinese design, inviting 14 new generation designers from various fields in Beijing under the theme of “80, 90”. PILLS host architect Zigeng Wang was invited to participate in the exhibition with his artwork “Dukkha Tower.” The “Dukkha Tower” attempts to explain the contradictions and tensions hidden in the geographical landscape of today's globalized capital activities through the geographical reset of the global industrial chain of Apple products. The work intuitively juxtaposes the production (Dongguan in the tower) and consumption (Apple store at the Bottom) links in the real world, revealing and questioning the hidden violence in the highly integrated world economy through the presentation of cross-sectional images. The artwork persuades the viewer to accept the authenticity of this reconstructed world, which is an irony of the “reality” in the real world.
Read MoreOn April 26, 2019, PILLS architect Zigeng Wang was invited to attend the China UK Future Urban Summit held at the Qili Hotel on the Grand Canal in Hangzhou. The conference, with the theme of “Green, Smart, and Sustainable Urban Development," was co-hosted by the British Embassy in China and the China Urban Planning Institute. The aim was to strengthen the cooperation between China and the UK in smart cities and urban planning, explore potential challenges of international collaboration, and explore intelligent solutions. During the meeting, Zigeng Wang shared the design practices of PILLS Studio and delved into the challenges faced by China's urban development and transformation, the contradictions and relevance of the architectural agenda in contemporary society, as well as the possibility of architectural intervention with guests.
Read MoreRecently, “The Life and Work of Frank Gehry” printed by Utopia was released to the public. Zigeng Wang was invited to attend a book-sharing event held in the Louis Vuitton Beijing Cultural and Art Space. Together with the book translator Rui Tang, they interpreted this controversial contemporary architecture master from the perspectives of architecture and art, sharing their practical exploration regarding the art of architecture. The “The Life and Work of Frank Gehry” records important and highlighted moments of an architect's life. Through extensive interviews and research, it fully presents Frank Gehry's life from a Jewish immigrant to a famous architect. The biography focuses on on-site reproduction, lightly revealing the unknown story behind Gehry's architectural works, for example, the way he managed to maintain his “avant-garde” and resolve “controversies” in the transformation of identity from “outsiders” to “insiders”. More importantly, the story also tells about the anxiety brought by his success along with the hesitation due to his ambitions, and how these feelings, alleviated through art and technology, lead him to the next peak.
Read MoreAfter several months of preparation, PILLS Studio was officially established. PILLS is a composite architectural studio centered around contemporary spatial culture. Our interests mainly focus on capital and spatial politics, environmental control and technological philosophy, globalization and infrastructure, contemporary media culture and production-consumption relations, and image and media technology. We aim to redefine the agenda of contemporary cities and architecture more speculatively, observe and intervene in contemporary culture in various ways, explore the mechanisms behind spatial production more deeply, and outline the contemporary world's landscape and people's living conditions. Our work areas mainly include architecture and urban design, installation and artistic works, curation and architectural planning, imaging and multimedia production, independent publishing, and other speculative practices.
On June 30th, the architecture group exhibition “Infrastructural Territory: The Spatial Foundation of National Discourse" kicked off at the OCAT Shanghai, and Zigeng Wang's work “Leviathan" was invited to participate. The exhibition is curated by young architecture critic and architect Zheng Tan. It showcases the process of integrating infrastructure into cultural landscapes through various media forms such as installations, images, models, and videos. It also looks forward to the future role and status of infrastructure in reconstructing large-scale regional spaces and micro-scale daily spaces. “Leviathan" depicts a city composed of a large ship of OEM factories, an abandoned industrial tomb, and the remains of a Leviathan. This Leviathan is the economic solution and way of life in the era of globalization: a mobile OEM factory (a sea prison that cannot be left). This work uses ships as a spatial metaphor for globalization, describing the failure of a utopia that cannot self-supply and rely on massive infrastructure trading for survival in the context of globalization. This utopia is the reflection of the world's alienated reality and extreme modernist beliefs. Zigeng Wang participated in the academic forum on “Global Infrastructure and Its Spatial Expression," held at the same time as the exhibition. The speakers also included Professor Liangcong Li from the School of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong, Vice Dean Tao Han from the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and artist as well as director Bo Wang.
Read MoreRecently, the Hyundai Blue Prize Award winner exhibition “Drifting" opened at the Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing in the 798 Art District successfully, with Zigeng Wang invited to participate. The exhibition takes “social mobility" as its theme, focusing on the most specific political reality and the daily life around us, exploring and discussing the various tensions shaping our lives in the current environment from different perspectives. Zigeng Wang's exhibition work, “Cecum of the World," reconstructed a Trilogy of observation, action, and dialogue through three spatial samples from Beijing, Chongqing, and Dongguan. The latter stimulates standard sharing, communication, and self-education practices in different locations and real-life situations.
Read MoreRecently, the “Influence and Resistance - Tsinghua University and Central Academy of Fine Arts Co-Exhibition,” curated by Zigeng Wang, opened at the main exhibition hall of the 2017 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen). This is a joint exhibition of the teaching achievements of the third-year students of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University and the graduation creation of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. It explores several important issues related to urban villages: “infrastructure and mobility,” “shaping of public spaces,” and “transformation of space and capital,” showcasing critical thinking about urban villages in Shenzhen. The urban villages in Shenzhen are a special historical existence that reflects a transcendent consideration determined by the complexity and randomness of the place. As such a “supertype,” urban villages seem to be left in the gaps after the segmentation of study fields in today's architectural knowledge. To this end, the exhibition and its courses use “influence and resistance” as the narrative thread, encouraging students to break free from habitual thinking, discover and interpret urban problems from alternative perspectives, research their strategies, and propose solutions.
Read MoreOn December 15th, Zigeng Wang was invited to participate in the 2017 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen), which was successfully opened in the Old City of Nantou. The theme of this year's “Shenzhen Double" is “Urban Symbiosis," with Hanru Hou, Xiaodu Liu, and Yan Meng as the main curators. More than 200 exhibitors from over 25 countries around the world, starting from “Urban Villages", explore and reflect on China's urban development in the context of globalization. They attempt to depict the vision and possibilities of future cities. Zigeng Wang's work “A Fairytale of A Fishing Village" was exhibited in the “Urban | Village" section. “A Fairytale of A Fishing Village" refers to a city composed of giant ships of OEM factories, an abandoned industrial tomb, and the remains of a Leviathan. This Leviathan is the economic solution and way of life in the era of globalization: a mobile OEM factory. This work uses ships as a spatial metaphor for globalization, describing the failure of a utopia that cannot self-supply and relies on massive infrastructure trading for survival in the context of globalization. This utopia is a projection of the alienated reality and extreme modernist beliefs of the world.
Read MoreRecently, the 2017 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season successfully opened at the Minsheng Wharf Silo in Pudong, Shanghai. Zigeng Wang's work “Dukkha Tower" was invited to participate in the “Echo: Architecture and Society" section. The theme of this art season is “Connecting this Connection" to discuss the future of public spaces in contemporary urban processes. The “Echo" unit invites seven architects and scholars to participate, including Zigeng Wang, Francis Kéré, Jorge Raedo, and Andrés Jaque, reflecting the connection between social issues and spatial production, responding to the exhibition theme through architecture, multimedia, and image. “Dukkha Tower" attempts to explain the contradictions and tensions hidden in the geographical landscape of today's globalized capital activities through the geographical reset of the global industrial chain of Apple products. The work intuitively juxtaposes the production and consumption links in the real world (Dongguan in the tower) and the Apple store at the bottom of the tower, revealing and questioning the hidden violence in the highly integrated world economy through the presentation of cross-sectional images. The expression of the work persuades the viewer to accept the authenticity of this reconstructed world, which is an irony of the “reality" in the real world.
Read MoreOn November 24, the three physical exhibitions of the fourth “Youth Curator Program” of the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (PSA) officially opened at the PSA and the Shanghai Swatch Peace Hotel Art Center. There are three groups of projects exhibited, namely “Sweet Home” (Wanli Mo, Yuanye Deng, Lin Lin), “# Tag” (Lixing Feng, Ji Shi, You Wu), and “Light Source Resort” (Anyi Feng, Siqiao Lv). The exhibition “# Label” focuses on works created using digital technology, logic, and concepts, transforming the exhibition hall into a real-time, updated, and stored cloud space. It rethinks the identities of art galleries and artists in art practice using the widely used tag symbol “#” on social media. Zigeng Wang's artworks “Dukkha Tower” and “Algorithm Landscape” explore the unique perception of network and machine logic in the digital age.
Read MoreRecently, the National Museum of Architecture, the American Association of Architectural Students (AIAS), and the design platform Blank Space jointly held an exhibition called “When Architecture Tells a Story." Zigeng Wang's work “EMPTY" was exhibited. In 2015, the Fairy Tales International Architecture Competition, hosted by Blank Space, attracted over 1200 participants from 65 countries worldwide. “EMPTY" won the first prize in the competition. This work fictionalizes the story of a ship. This ship is an OEM factory drifting on the high seas. It is a global spatial carrier, a satirical economic solution template, and a new form of enterprise. The story's male protagonist is the son of this economic model’s inventor. He reads the diary of his deceased father and learns about the order of the old and new worlds where he lives between them. This story describes an ecosystem that cannot self-supply and relies on massive infrastructure trading for survival in the context of globalization.
Read MoreOn September 28, the exhibitions “Landscape Society - Mapping the Future" and “Landscape Society - Folk Biography" opened at the Shanghai Himalayan Art Museum. The exhibition “Reconstructing Utopia" invites young architects from domestic and foreign countries to express their thoughts on utopian cities and future architecture with the power of the new generation. Zigeng Wang was invited to exhibit his work “Beijing Blue." This work is an 8-minute video that constructs an absurd future for Beijing residents to purchase fresh air from the United States through online payment platforms against the background of Beijing's air pollution.
Read MoreOn November 15, 2015, Zigeng Wang was invited to deliver a speech, "Invisible," at TEDxYouth @ Chongqing. At the event, Zigeng Wang elaborated on the creative ideas of the "A Beautiful Country" trilogy and shared his reflections as an architect on re-examining the processes of urbanization and globalization, spatial politics, and capitalist criticism.
Read MoreOn April 17, 2015, Zigeng Wang was invited to deliver a lecture on the 12th session of the “Puha Lecture,” with the theme of “Cecum of the World - Chinese Cities and Narratives in the Context of Globalization.” In the lecture, Zigeng Wang, from the perspective of a narrator, reorganized and summarized his reflections on architectural ideas, architectural practices, and urbanization processes in various periods and shared a series of creative ideas and narrative design projects.
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