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Chinese artist creates vast installation in Grand Palais

CCTV.com

05-11-2016 18:38 BJT

A Chinese artist has taken over the Grande-Palais exhibition hall in Paris with a vast installation. It features some pretty interesting things, from shipping containers, a giant snake skeleton, and a Napoleonic hat. Every year, a different artist is challenged to fill the 13,500 square-metre space with a truly "monumental" work.

Chinese artist creates vast installation in Grand Palais

Chinese artist creates vast installation in Grand Palais

Chinese artist creates vast installation in Grand Palais

Chinese artist creates vast installation in Grand Palais

This vast area is currently home to some surprising - and very large - objects.

Ever since 2007, the "Monumenta" exhibition has challenged an artist to fill the cavernous hall with custom-made works. This year, that task was assigned to Huang Yong Ping, a Chinese artist who has been living in France since 1989. Huang says he has always wanted to do a Monumenta installation and first started sketching ideas 10 years ago.

Called "Empires", Huang's installation aims to encourage visitors to think about the global powers that are now ruling the world.

They are confronted with 305 cargo containers that are arranged in towering piles all over the exhibition space, representing the power and impact of globalisation.

The giant snake skeleton is more than 250 metres long, while the huge bicorn hat - the style worn by Napoleon Bonaparte - looms several metres over the visitors below. The snake took some 60 workers 11 days to assemble.

De Loisy sees a wealth of metaphor in Huang's artwork. But Huang warns against simplistic readings of his message.

Born in the 1950s, Huang is a leading light of contemporary art in China. "Monumenta 2016" runs from the 8th May to the 18th of June.

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