CHONGQING, China, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chongqing International Finance Square (Chongqing IFS), in collaboration with Brazilian national treasure artist Gustavo Prado, proudly presents a large mirrored digital art installation from October 20 for a three-month debut exhibition in Asia.
“Gathering Place” Art Installation
Prado has created and revitalized his inaugural public art installation, named "Gathering Place," with a custom-crafted design exclusively tailored for Chongqing IFS. Bridging the realms of art, fashion, trends, and digital technology, he also collaborated with five emerging Chinese digital artists to create an avant-garde and innovative virtual interactive space. Through blending diverse inspirations, the six artists have rendered a radiant celebration for the sixth anniversary of Chongqing IFS.
Chongqing IFS, a luxury shopping mall in China, continues to move toward the bright future since it began the business six years ago. The POP brand gene continues to unleash the potentiality of creativity, aiming to bring a new page with the contemporary art symbols and hoping to co-exist with the public for a common value. Chongqing IFS will remodel the landmark of leading art, reflecting a new light of Chongqing's city culture.
Gustavo Prado focuses on light, site, and context to create a body of work that dissects the need to constantly negotiate inhabited space as a means of deriving an understanding of personal identity. Employing effects like mirrors, reflection, and refraction, he crafts radiance and illusions that guide the public into an abstract virtual realm, embodying a collective experience. Prado received a Public Art Grant from Art Prize 10 and is a recipient of Projéteis Prize for Contemporary Art presented by the Brazilian National Foundation for the Arts (Funarte). His iconic work, "Lamp Beside the Golden Door", was once acclaimed as one of the finest creations in the history of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
In this unveiling, Prado has breathed new life into his work, presenting an exclusive and pioneering fusion of art and digital installation at Chongqing IFS, the "Gathering Place", which also marks his debut exhibition in Asia. The iconic monumental array of mirrored installations stand at the outdoor plaza on the third floor of the shopping center, reaching a height of up to 9 meters. A total of 124 LED light columns harmoniously interweave with hundreds of circular mirrors at various angles, symbolizing all-encompassing observation and contemplation. This representation symbolizes Chongqing as a melting pot of cultures, where people see themselves and others in the mirrors, reflecting the city's historical past and showcasing its diversity and inclusiveness.
The installation's forest-like structure echoes Chongqing's mountainous terrain and its distinctive skyline filled with towering buildings. The "Mirror Tower Forest" captivates visitors, enticing them to meander and wander within. Combined with on-site gesture-based interactive technology, visitors can manipulate the play of light and shadow by simply moving their hands, thereby immersing themselves in a space that exudes a sense of futurism and fantasy.
Moreover, as a tribute to Chongqing's status as one of China's crucial smart cities, Prado ingeniously incorporates digital art into the installation, creating a fresh, multi-dimensional viewing experience that enables the audience to deeply engage with the artwork.
The unveiling of the new art installation at Chongqing IFS not only features Prado but also uniquely integrates the representative works of five other outstanding Chinese digital artists. These six artists, utilizing cutting-edge digital and virtual technology from various dimensions, have collaboratively crafted an international avant-garde interactive space, once again conveying forward-thinking and innovative international art and culture to Chongqing. In the central area of "Gathering Place", three-dimensional LED screens cyclically display digital works from these artists. Additionally, on the first floor of the mall, a special "POP SIX Digital Art Exhibition Area" has been established. Through their distinct perspectives and creative styles, the artists explore the passage of time, the perception of space, and the relationship between nature and technology, prompting viewers to gain a deeper understanding and experience of time and space. Chongqing IFS continues to explore the integration of art and technology, contributing to the city's technological innovation and modern development.
Digital artist Sheepmaomao has exclusively customized a glasses-free 3D artwork, titled " Camellias Bloom in the Mirror Oasis ", for Chongqing IFS. With rolling mountains and swirling clouds, camellia flowers grow and blossom, gradually coming into view, creating an awe-inspiring experience. The cross-border creative team Much More presents a virtual digital flower garden work, "Data Conjecture Flower-City Garden#2", with an on-site interactive digital flower experience where visitors can generate personalized digital flower images by scanning a QR code.
In addition, Stico's "Birth of Flora", Qifeng Tsang's "Cyberbaba", and the CTC Lab (Chinese Traditional Culture Digital Studio)'s "Beijing Opera · Impressions" also express the aesthetic charm of digital art to the fullest.
