The word “CHINA” in English and the sound of the word in Chinese which makes the characters “CHAI-NA” (拆那) which means “Demolish Here”. In an ever-expanding nation the characters “CHAI-NA”...
The word “CHINA” in English and the sound of the word in Chinese which makes the characters “CHAI-NA” (拆那) which means “Demolish Here”. In an ever-expanding nation the characters “CHAI-NA” are painted on buildings and the spectators watch their beloved momentos and the old city streets of China disappear into massive change and urbanization. The work needs one word of translation to a Western audience and the profoundness of its meaning strikes you at once. And suddenly, the old lanes of Beijing all seem to have the newly recognizable cirlced character of CHAI (拆) on them. Huang Rui poignantly and poeticly captures this both nostalgia and anger in the series of paintings entitled CHINA/CHAI-NA(拆那).