The performance artist Yingmei Duan marked the highlight of the exhibition. She comes from China, but has been living in Braunschweig for 20 years. PHOTO: Tinter

Neuss. Three artists now showed their experiences in the studio house in different ways in Asia. By Claus Clemens
An exhibition was opened in the studio building on Friday, which ended just three days later. Like a typhoon, according to the curators, they came to Neuss briefly and stormily. “Typhoon is the combination of two Cantonese words and means Great Wind,” explained the Chinese-born Lico Fang. She did this in English, and accordingly the title of the short exhibition on Hansastrasse was: “What we talk about when we talk about residence” (What we talk about when we talk about residence).
The results of the Asian stays of three artists were shown. In so-called “residency programs” they had spent a few weeks in Korea, China and Japan. Michal Martychowiec, born in 1987 in Poland, now lives in Berlin. His territory is historical and cultural symbols. Jürgen Staack was born in 1978 in the GDR. At the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf he studied in the masterclass of Thomas Ruff. The third artist is Yingmei Duan. She comes from China, but has been living in Braunschweig for almost 20 years. She has earned her master’s degree at the Braunschweig Academy of Fine Arts. One of her lecturers was Christof Schlingensief. Since then, she travels the world as a performance artist. “I’ve been to 40 countries already,” she told the vernissage.
Following the maelstrom of a children’s song, similar to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Yingmei Duan led the way past the exhibits. In fact, one of the video installations shows Chinese children playing happily in mud and dirt. Knowing that her mothers will punish her for it, as the text says.
Another video presents the world from the perspective of Asian pigs. They communicate with the viewer in English. “We do not live long, but we bring happiness,” says her running text. Immediately one sees how one of the animals is killed, exploited and processed into human food. Their short life in the animal world has not given them the happiness that they symbolically bring to humans. Sadly they look out from their kaen on chickens and other farm residents who are allowed to walk around freely. A sad, melancholy travel impression.
The subsequent discussion dealt with the production conditions under which works of art are created in residency programs. For Harald Müller, head of the Neusser Kulturamt, the whole thing is a fascinating topic. Later this summer, he plans to invite young artists to a residence in his city. Yingmei Duan struck a first bridge for this purpose: next to the pig video there was a bowl of sausage slices for the guests. A small piece of paper gave information: “We are sausage from Lidl in Neuss.”