The Meeting
Wang Shugang, China
Description
Title: The Meeting
Artist: Wang Shugang (b. 1960, China)
Medium: Eight painted bronze figures
Dimensions (H x W): 92 x 75 cm (36 x 30 in) each
Weight: 100 kg (220 lbs) each
Former Location: Rey Sargent Park (Lonsdale & 21st St. West) in the city of North Vancouver
The Meeting was originally exhibited at the 2007 G8 summit meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany. It is not without irony that the red figures are placed in a circle, static and crouching with cupped hands, open to various interpretations, from one of thoughtful contemplation to one of latent energy ready to leap up. Wang Shugang’s installation for the Vancouver Biennale, The Meeting, is painted a shade of red that is known as Chinese Red, which may range from a vivid red to a red-orange made from vermilion, sometimes referred to as cinnabar. According to the artist, ” . . . the colour red has multiple cultural meanings in China, historically representing happiness but during the Cultural Revolution it symbolized terror. Today red is the colour of the faded lettering praising Mao on the ceilings of the factories, coats of the Buddhist monks and the colour of wedding decorations.” For many, red frequently symbolizes happiness, health, life, luck, success, and vitality. During Chinese New Year, festivals, and important family gatherings, red is widely used to symbolize celebration, joy, and good fortune.
Wang Shugang made his North American public art debut as part of the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale exhibition. For the 2014-2016 Vancouver Biennale, The Meeting was relocated to Rey Sargent Park in the city of North Vancouver.
In 2017, The Meeting was loaned to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for La Balade pour la Paix: An Open-Air Museum, a project for the 375th anniversary of Montreal, the 50th anniversary of Expo 67 and the 150th anniversary of Canada. La Balade pour la Paix: An Open-Air Museum was designed and organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the McCord Museum and with the support of Concordia and McGill universities. The large public art exhibition was installed along one kilometre of Sherbrooke Street and showcased 67 works conveying a message of peace, in the image of universal values of humanism, tolerance, and openness that inspired the creation of Expo 67.
In 2020, the Vancouver Biennale loaned The Meeting to the Arts on the Avenue Edmonton Society, a registered non-profit charitable organization in Edmonton, Alberta, which is engaged in developing 118th Avenue (75 through 106 streets) into a community arts district via public art installations, arts celebrations, and signature art festivals.
The Meeting returned to the West Coast in 2021 to take up permanent residency at Miramar Village, a Bosa Properties development in the city of White Rock, British Columbia.
Watch a Guided Tour Video of The Meeting in North Vancouver:
Press Coverage in North Vancouver:
North Shore News Readers’ Choice 2015 winner!