In the largest exhibition of her work ever seen in Australia, Cao Fei (pronounced tsow fay) 曹 斐 brings the energy of the contemporary metropolis into the Art Gallery of New South Wales with a retrospective that includes two new commissions.
Cao was recently voted one of the most influential artists in the world. Born in Guangzhou in 1978 and based in Beijing, she has documented China’s rapid urbanisation and digital revolutions for over two decades. Her acclaimed films, photography and large-scale installations offer thrilling encounters with the disorienting, quick-fire transformations of the new millennium.
My City is Yours 欢迎登陆 is an invitation into a world of neon, street dance and pop music; a city both familiar and warped, real and virtual. Enter the exhibition via a replica 1960s Beijing cinema foyer, and exit through a homage to a popular Sydney yum cha restaurant.
Designed by the artist and Beau Architects of Hong Kong, the exhibition takes the form of a cityscape. It’s a space of play and self-reinvention, where cosplayers and hip-hop dancers take over sidewalks in Fukuoka and New York. It’s a city of screens and pixels, mediated by gaming technologies, VR and the metaverse. It’s a city under construction, where neighbourhoods are razed overnight and workers compete for jobs with robots.
The exhibition is made possible with the support of the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Along with Magritte, also at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Julie Mehretu, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Cao Fei is part of the Sydney International Art Series, bringing the world’s most outstanding exhibitions to Australia, exclusively to Sydney.
Cao Fei My City is Yours Exhibition
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
30 November 2024 – 13 April 2025
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
