ART IS ONLY A CONTINUATION OF WAR BY OTHER MEANS

2016. UV Inkjet vinyl print on steel, 0.8 x 39m
Commission by Yinchuan Biennale, curated by Bose Krishnamachari

The outdoor installation is a couplet, comprising of two lines: “Art is only a continuation of war by other means” and ‘War is only a continuation of politics by other means”. The latter is a quote from On War, a book by military strategist Carl Von Clausewitz and the former, by the artist. Both texts reference an unverified quote by China’s first Premier and Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai: “Diplomacy is only a continuation of war by other means” as reported by journalist Edgar Snow.

Hovering between being read and seen, the work contemplates the entwinement of global art, mass media, war and politics; a specific moment where geopolitical tensions are simultaneously negotiated through cultural economic policies and military power.

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Bibliography
Anjuly Mathai. State of the art. The Week. 9 Oct 2016. Web.
China-Yinchuan/Art Biennale. China Central Television CCTV+ News Content. 10 Sep 2016. Web.
Chen Yaojie. Opening of the inaugural Yinchuan Biennale: For an image, faster than light. Artron. 9 Sep 2016. Web.