La Town

Sponsored by the Claudine and Jean-Marc Soloman Foundation for Contemporary Art, Images passages (a contemporary visual and digital arts association) presents La Town, an exhibition of a mythical city in a miniature apocalyptic world by Chinese artist Cao Fei.

A multimedia artist from China’s new generation, Cao Fei drinks up Western pop culture and uses digital media to create her work demonstrating the rapid changes taking place in her country to share her chaotic vision of the world. Although Cao Fei has shown her work in some of the world’s leading museums, she’s agreed to set up shop for a bit at the Haras in Annecy.

With a 42-minute video installation that plays on repeat, the artist depicts a Western city on the brink of chaos in a crafted miniature world. Hit by an unknown disaster and deprived of sunlight, the residents wander aimlessly through time and space. Fei explains "It’s a miniature world, both for the characters and the set, that fascinates us with the magical atmosphere that emerges from it and sends us back to a reality that we can identify with: so small, so close… a universal heartbeat."

Full of visual and audio film references, Cao Fei’s installation stands out for its lucid reality. A shocking vision of what could become of any Western city, La Town raises questions and fascinates viewers.

The opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Sunday 11^th June at 5:00 pm at the Haras grounds.