Photo by Sean Cranbury.

I took a sculpture walk along the seawall yesterday with my friend Stefanie, who’s from Saskatoon by way of Shanghai, China by way of London, UK.

We started at the new Vancouver Convention Centre and walked west from the Pillows of Harbour Green past the Meeting in Cardero Park to the celebration that is Yue Minjun’s A-Mazing Laughter in Morton Triangle at the edge of English Bay.

It was a great walk on a beautiful day.  Here’s some photos of Yue Minjun’s A-Mazing Laughter.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Photo by Sean Cranbury.

Swallowing golden light at sunset. Photo by Sean Cranbury.

A truck full of long wooden boxes and a crane showed up in the early morning hours at Morton Triangle near English Bay to unload a precious cargo.

The cargo, still cocooned in clear plastic wrap, was Yue Minjun’s figurative sculpture A-Mazing Laughter.  14 figures – each standing roughly 8′ high – sculpted in 7 different, evocative positions.  With more teeth than ever thought possible & squinting eyes, the figures are bent forward, leaning back, making funny gestures with their hands.

Are they laughing, are they playing?  Or is something else happening here?  What’s behind that smile?  Is it a smile, is it something else?

And who pays for the dental work?

The installation site from up above.  Photo by Dan Fairchild.

The theme for Phase One of the Vancouver Biennale is “In-transit-ion”

To kick off “In-transit-ion” is the arrival of “A-Mazing Laughter” by artist Yue Minjun (China). The installation will take place on Monday September 21, 2009 at Morton Triangle located at English Bay between Denman and Davie Streets. The Vancouver Biennale has also chosen this location, in and amongst this incredible sculpture installation, as the site for the official launch on October 27, 2009, where media, sponsors and friends will gather for a ribbon cutting ceremony and sculpture tour.

Still wrapped tight, the sculpture waits for freedom.  Photo Dan Fairchild.

“A-Mazing Laughter” consists of multiple figures depicting the artist’s own iconic laughing image, all with gaping grin and closed eyes in a state of hysterical laughter. The longer you look at the cast bronze figures, the more evident the contradiction between the animated laughter and the silent, frozen form of sculpture. It is cartoon like and playful, yet curious and intense.

Looks like some sort of jamboree is about to erupt.  Photo by Dan Fairchild.

The Vancouver Biennale brings sculptures, new media and performance works by celebrated and emerging international artists to Vancouver and surrounding area parks, beaches and urban plazas, transforming our city into an open-air museum. Pursuing the theme “In-transit-ion”, the exhibition is situated along bike routes, on buses, at the Vancouver International Airport and at new Canada Line rapid transit stations.

Infectious laughter.  Photo by Dan Fairchild.

Those of you who live in Vancouver don’t need me to tell you how ridiculously beautiful the weather has been around here lately and those of you who don’t live in Vancouver probably aren’t interested in hearing about it.

Photo courtesy of Dan Fairchild.

Either way, it’s been a classic August.

In the second last weekend of freedom before kids return to school our trusty photographer Dan Fairchild spent some time in Cardero Park with Wang Shugang’s ‘The Meeting’ and more than a few of their closest friends.

Here’s a look at the photographic journey that Dan took that weekend.

For more amazing photos please check our Dan Fairchild’s Flickr Photostream or the Vancouver Biennale Flickr photostream and/or our Facebook Fan Page.

Photo courtesy of Dan Fairchild

Please click below to see more photos from this series.  All photos by Dan Fairchild.

Read more…

Yue Minjun was born in Beijing, China in 1962.

He is one of the most important artists of the Chinese avant-garde. He lives and works in Beijing and is part of the key movement of the post-1989 era in Chinese avant-garde art: Cynical Realism.

Yue Minjun’s works are instantly recognizable by the characteristic laughing figure, actually representing the artist himself, depicted in various guises in virtually all his works.

The figure has more teeth than one could possibly want, like the expensive smiles of fashion models advertising the latest whitening power of a toothpaste brand.

Yue Minjun’s trademark smile is many things at once. It is hilarious and infectious yet cynical and mocking. It appears superficial, mindless – even ridiculous – but is deeply revealing and compelling.*

Besides the art that has been embraced in his native China and internationally, Yue Minujun’s work has started to seep into the North American consciousness.  I came across this freshly designed book cover for Five Spice Street by Chinese writer Can Xue at the Book Design Review tonight and was struck again by the power of his work.  So expressive and mysterious.

The Vancouver Biennale is happy to have several of Yue Minjun’s sculptures of his ‘characteristic laughing figures’ en route to the city for the exhibition.  They’re going to be incredibly infectious and popular, I know that for sure.

To see more of Minjun’s amazing art work in all forms please check out his Flickr account.

For more information about the artist please visit this outstanding site called the Museum of Chinese Contemporary Art on the Web or visit YueMinjun.com.

* This biographical material was taken from the excellent Museum of Chinese Contemporary Art on the Web.