Wang Sishun

The Indeterminate Boundless No. 5, 2012

The multimedia artworks of Wang Sishun originate significantly in his analytical approach to economic principles, and in the industrial manufacturing and processing procedures that result from them – and in how these procedures are optimized and standardized. It is from this perspective that Wang investigates subjects such as the deep-seated entanglements that exist between commerce and the art market. For pragmatic reasons, his gallery requested a ‘not too big’ sculpture for display at the Art Basel event in Hong Kong. This prompted Wang Sishun to create a series consisting of several artworks, entitled The Indeterminate Boundless. The critical context for this group of sculpture is provided by the increased influence of the art market on the genesis of artworks.  What role does the spatial extension of an artwork, or the dimensions of the exhibition venue, play in its commercial attractiveness? To what extent do the maxims of the art market directly influence the artistic decision-making process? An advanced context is given through Wang’s studies of the theses of the pre-Socratic philosopher Anaximander, who attributed the arising of everything in existence to a primal, metallic substance.