REVIEW: "Sensory Spaces 4: Liu Wei" @ Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
“You don’t want there to be any traces of reality in there,” Liu Wei remarks in a video about his site-specific exhibition installed at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, for which he created a grid from different types of construction materials, such as glass, wood, foam rubber, iron, plywood and stainless steel. Curator Noor Mertens calls Liu’s installation “a momentary city in the making.” The work is part of “Sensory Spaces,” an exhibition series that commissions artists to create solo projects for the museum, which features Liu for its fourth edition.
Walking through Liu’s exhibition, visitors might feel as if they are going through a maze of diverse elements. A giant, mirrored, square-shaped object is positioned on the right corner of the gallery room, reflecting—and causing interaction with—the other sculptures in the space, as well as the visitors. All of these surrounding works have an individual and unique form, shape and structure that reference minimalist sculptural tradition. However, whereas minimalist sculptures usually evoke notions of peace, harmony and clearness, the different elements in this room create a sense of chaos and a dizzying feeling comparable to what one might experience being in a large, busy city.
