Water #7 by Jun Ren. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

Beautiful sunny weather and reflective sculptures along the Fraser River.  Sounds like an average day at the beginning of March, doesn’t it?

The Vancouver Biennale has installed this amazing piece by Chinese sculptor Jen Ren over the Cambie Bridge in the City of Richmond.

It’s the verticle twin of Ren Jun’s Freezing Water #7 which was installed in the fall of 2009 at Vancouver’s Vanier Park.

Both pieces are made from Stainless steel and weigh several tonnes.  They’re inspired slashes of water and contain a wondrous fluidity in their design.

Amazing photograph of Water #10 taken by Dan Fairchild.

Water #7 & Water #10

Stainless steel

Jun Ren

(China)

This artist’s inspiration came from pure forms; liquid water or mercury stopped in motion that revealed its shape as a drop or spill caught in the air. Though weighing seven tons, with no angles, or hard edges, the form flows visually and appears light and fluid.  The foundation for this sculpture has a substructure of 65 cubic metres of concrete and steel.

Jun Ren makes his North American debut with this elegant, amorphic stainless steel sculpture titled Water #7 & Water #10. The recent work by the Chinese sculptor Jun Ren, draws his inspiration from pure forms, liquid water or mercury stopped in motion to reveal its shape as a drop or spill caught in the air. Though weighing seven tons with no angles, or hard edges, the form flows visually and appears light and fluid.

Jun Ren graduated from the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Shaanxi Provence, China.  Jun Ren represents the energy and opportunity of the ‘New China’, living outside the metropolis of Beijing; he has become a successful and respected sculptor of monumental and historical sculpture with works spanning cities from South to North of China, including many emerging industrial cities.  His older work embodies a spirit of heroism that reflects the political, economic, cultural and historical characteristics and contradictions that flow through this time of great transition in Chinese society.   His recent body of work is a dramatic departure in form, and inspiration from his earlier representational work.

For more information visit www.renjun-studio.com

Another stunning shot using the HDR technique. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

Jun Ren's Water Number 7 Reflects in Vanier Park. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

There’s lots of reasons to look forward to summer in Vancouver especially when we’re living through the cold winter rains of February and March.

Limitless blue skies and sunlight, open spaces with mountain views, wine on Jericho beach with friends at twilight, Stanley Park.  Longer days, the city alive with travelers, long bike rides along the seawall.

It’s an amazing time.

Ravens are Just Chillin' with Water #7 in Vanier Park. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

One of the things about Vancouver that I am excited to see in the context of endless warmth and sunlight is Jun Ren’s Water #7.

Water #7 sits at the edge of False Creek in Vanier Park and it’s like the best kept secret of public sculpture in Vancouver.

Ravens Take Flight as Water #7 Stretches its Wings. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

I can remember the first time that I heard about this sculpture.  It was just an idea, a few preliminary drawings and a promise.

When I asked Biennale president, Barrie Mowatt, what Water #7 would look like he poured a tiny amount of water from his drinking glass on the table.  It created a little puddle.

Then Barrie gently flicked the puddle and the water exploded like wings on the wooden table top.  “It’ll look something like that,” he said.

It was a pretty exciting moment.  And difficult to believe but pretty soon the Biennale received some photos of the piece as it was being built.

One look at those photos and you just knew that Water #7 was going to be a showstopper.  It was going to be immense and magnificent.

But… it had to be completed, then broken down, put into boxes and shipped across the Pacific to Vancouver.

Water #7 Imitates the Clouds in the Sky at Sunset. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

Water #7 was installed in Vanier Park at the edge of False Creek as the rains came in late October to wash away the memories of summer.

It was a big and unwieldy installation process that took more than a week to complete.  A sturdy concrete base needed to be installed in the ground to support the 8 tonne structure and then the machines that lifted the piece into place ripped apart the grass.

The oncoming rains turned the entire area into a thick mud soup.

Water #7 Bides it Time (An Imaginary Flight over the Mountains). Photo by Dan Fairchild.

So there hasn’t been a lot of talk about Water #7.  It hasn’t really had the chance to works its way into the city’s imagination.

It’s like a secret.

But as Dan Fairchild’s photos show, the grass is coming back up around it.  The ravens like it.

The piece is starting to fit into the landscape.  It’s starting to speak the language of its surroundings; sublimating the mountains, reflecting the birds in flight, forcing passersby to linger a moment in wonder.

All of this to say that Jun Ren’s Water #7 is awaiting spring and the long days of summer when the ground around it will be green and alive and it will reflect and imitate all aspects of life surrounding it.

It’s going to be amazing when it happens.

Go see it now to get a sense of the mystery, to give yourself some context for seeing it again on a brilliant summer day.

Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Head. Photo by Dan Fairchild.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 9, 2009

Vancouver, Canada – The Vancouver Biennale responds to the recent public debate regarding the sculpture, “Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself Atop Lenin’s Head”.

The Vancouver Biennale would like to take this opportunity to respond to all those who have engaged in the dialogue regarding the Miss Mao sculpture, which was recently installed in Richmond BC as part of the 2009-2011 exhibition. We have closely followed the public debate that is happening in the media and have enjoyed seeing the full spectrum of opinions. The one thing that is common to all is the fact that the sculpture has us talking about two incredibly important figures in world history, their political regimes and the legacies that continue to this day, all within our democratic society that allows for this kind of diversity and freedom in public expression. If we can agree that knowing this history is important, we suggest that the sculpture that sparked this discussion has fulfilled it’s intent. We need only ask ourselves if we would be discussing Lenin and Mao around the office water cooler this week had it not been for this sculpture.

Far from celebrating the political figures, the sculpture, by internationally renown Chinese artists Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang, uses satire in its depiction of a diminutive and feminized Mao acting as a trapeze artist trying to balance herself on top of Lenin’s giant head. Those who suggest that this memorializes the men ought to take another look. In a statement the Gao Brothers provided to the Vancouver Biennale, they explain, “The communist system broke up in Russia in 1991, but in China, Miss Mao, the mutation of the Russian communist system, is still trying to keep balance in the communist nightmare. We hope our artwork could let people remember the history and actuality of Communism and that the piece will let people recall the great human misery and suffering the Communism caused”.

The Gao Brothers, whose father was killed during the Cultural Revolution, often critically portray Mao and Communist figures in their art. As a result, they have long been subject to raids by government authorities on their Beijing studio and continue to hold underground exhibitions because their more critical artistic depictions remain banned in China.

We continue to stand behind our decision to include this sculpture in the Vancouver Biennale. Our overall objective is to create an outdoor museum that includes some of the most exciting rising stars and established international artists that are on the forefront in their medium and artistic expression. Works by the Gao Brothers have been exhibited internationally and are held in private and museum collections throughout the world. Their participation in the Vancouver Biennale provides residents and visitors a rare opportunity to experience one of their grand scale, controversial sculptures first hand and it helps establish Vancouver and neighbouring Richmond as a world-class cultural destination where public art is allowed to go beyond pretty and where images aren’t politically controlled.

For more information, please visit:

ABOUT THE VANCOUVER BIENNALE

The Vancouver Biennale is a non-profit organization that mounts bi-annual public art exhibitions, bringing sculptures, new media and performance works by celebrated and emerging international artists to Vancouver and surrounding area parks, beaches and urban plazas. In doing so, the Biennale creates an open-air museum that merges the natural beauty of our landscape and our love of outdoor recreation with a world-class cultural experience, all contributing to our designation as one of the most livable cities in the world.

Water #7, Stainless steel, Jun Ren, (China) Photo by Dan Fairchild

The long-awaited installation of Jun Ren’s amazing, mind-blowingly engineered piece entitled Water #7 has been finished.  This long, gorgeous, expectation defying piece resides along the entrance to False Creek in Vanier Park.

Once the sun gets a-hold of these polished curves in the summertime it’s gonna be the talk of the town.  As it is, it’s still an outstanding piece and a great addition to the Vancouver Biennale.

Read more…

Water #7 by Ren Jun. Located in Vanier Park.  Photo by Dan Fairchild.

NOTE: This piece has just been installed in Vanier Park and is still under the protective wrap that it was shipped in from China.

When it is unveiled it will be shimmering stainless steel.

Seriously jaw-droppingly amazing 90′ long silver sculpture that looks like a giant mercury splash imitating the wings of a gull seen through rain streaked glass.

Check it!

Water #7
Jun Ren (China)
Stainless steel

This artist’s inspiration came from pure forms; liquid water or mercury stopped in motion that revealed its shape as a drop or spill caught in the air.

Though weighing seven tons, with no angles, or hard edges, the form flows visually and appears light and fluid.

The foundation for this sculpture has a substructure of 65 cubic metres of concrete and steel.

Jun Ren makes his North American debut with this elegant, amorphic stainless steel sculpture titled Water #7 & Water #10 (still forthcoming).

The recent work by the Chinese sculptor Jun Ren, draws his inspiration from pure forms, liquid water or mercury stopped in motion to reveal its shape as a drop or spill caught in the air.

Though weighing seven tons with no angles, or hard edges, the form flows visually and appears light and fluid.

Jun Ren graduated from the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Shaanxi Provence, China. Jun Ren represents the energy and opportunity of the ‘New China’, living outside the metropolis of Beijing; he has become a successful and respected sculptor of monumental and historical sculpture with works spanning cities from South to North of China, including many emerging industrial cities.

His older work embodies a spirit of heroism that reflects the political, economic, cultural and historical characteristics and contradictions that flow through this time of great transition in Chinese society.

His recent body of work is a dramatic departure in form, and inspiration from his earlier representational work.