PHILADELPHIA — Created by two of China’s most acclaimed contemporary artists, the Philadelphia Art Alliance’s 2013 centerpiece exhibition will transform the historic Rittenhouse Square mansion into a three-story, multimedia installation that invites viewers to contemplate the similarities and differences between contemporary American and Chinese family life. Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen’s The Way of Chopsticks (on view September 12 through December 29, 2013) is supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Mindspring Foundation, and the Asian Cultural Center.

Inspired by the PAA’s history as a private residence, Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen have collaborated with their 11-year-old daughter, Song ErRui, on an installation that will turn the historic Wetherill mansion into a three-story multimedia exploration of modern family life in China. The exhibition traces the evolution of family dynamics from the 1960s and ’70s China of the artists’ youth, when large families were the norm, to the increasingly globalized present day where only children, like their own daughter, are fast becoming the majority.

“Early in their lives, the artists grew up largely disconnected from the West; in the China of their childhood, families were large, and individuality was suspect,” says senior curator Sarah Archer. “Their daughter’s 21st-century Chinese girlhood is vastly different: Song ErRui is bilingual in English and Mandarin, an avid basketball fan, and, thanks to her parents’ occupation, a sophisticated world traveler. The Way of Chopsticks addresses this fascinating generational divide with aplomb, referencing objects we encounter on the smallest cultural scale — the household — to explore a story that affects their entire nation.”

In addition to a free public opening reception (Thursday, Sept. 12, 6-8 p.m.) and a series of artist talks, food tastings, gallery tours and family workshops (more details follow below), The Way of Chopsticks will be accompanied by a scholarly catalog including essays by Professor Eileen Boris, University of California–Santa Barbara; Professor Wu Hung, University of Chicago; Philip Tinari, Director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; and an interview with Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen by Philippe Vergne, Director of the DIA Foundation, New York.

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (closed on Mondays). Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and free for members.For more information, please call 215-545-4302 or visit philartalliance.org.

About the Chopsticks Series

Since 2001, the Beijing-based artists have collaborated on a signature long-term conceptual art project that balances the importance of independence and partnership: they create singular large-scale chopstick sculptures, built according to certain agreed-upon parameters, but completed in isolation. Neither artist knows what the other will do until the final sculptures are revealed and joined together. The artists believe that chopsticks serve as an ideal metaphor for family: neither one can function, creatively or as parents, without the other.

About the Artists 

Song Dong has been a prominent figure in the Chinese art world since the early 1990s when he first came to attention through performances such as Breathing. His practice embraces performance, installation, video and photography, but the references are always highly personal, based on his own life experience and that of his family. Recent important exhibitions include Waste Not (2009) based on his mother’s possessions accumulated over a lifetime and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); and The Wisdom of Poor People 2005-2011, exhibited at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), Beijing, in 2011.

Yin Xiuzhen was one of China’s first female artists to gain recognition in the early 1990s. Conceptually oriented and active in performance and installations throughout China and internationally, Yin Xiuzhen’s work concerns family and daily life experience in Beijing. Although she works in many media, she is widely recognized for her use of textiles as in Collective Subconscious at MoMA, New York in 2010, and Portable Cities (2001-present).  She also represented China at the Venice Biennale in 2007.

About the Philadelphia Art Alliance

The Philadelphia Art Alliance (PAA) was established in 1915, andis dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of contemporary art with a focus on craft and design, cultivating connections between artists and audiences.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Exhibition:
The Way of Chopsticks
Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen
September 12 through December 29, 2013
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 12, 6-8 p.m., Philadelphia Art Alliance

Talks:
A Discussion with Song Dong, Yin Xiuzhen and Philippe Vergne
Saturday, September 14, 2-4 p.m., FREE
The University of the Arts, Caplan Recital Hall, Terra Hall, 
211 South Broad Street

Philadelphia Art Alliance senior curator Sarah Archer and Philippe Vergne, director of the NYC-based Dia Art Foundation, host a conversation with Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen about The Way of Chopsticks and how the artists have balanced family life with thriving careers.

Philip Tinari on the Beijing Art Scene
Thursday, October 3, 7-8 p.m., $20 ($10 for members)
Writer and curator Philip Tinari, director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, discusses the art scene in modern-day China.

Tastings and tours:
DesignPhiladelphia: The Five Tastes of Chinese Cuisine with Chef Joseph Poon
Friday, October 11, 6-8 p.m., $20 ($10 for members)

Setting the Chinese Table: A Tasting and Conversation about Food and Design with Michelle Liao and Chef Joseph Poon
Thursday, November 14, 6-8 p.m., $20 ($10 for members)

Third Thursday Gallery Tours 
September 19 // October 17 // November 21 // December 19, 2-3 p.m., $10 (FREE for members)
Join Philadelphia Art Alliance senior curator Sarah Archer for a personal guided tour of The Way of Chopsticks.

Family Workshops:
Saturday Family Workshop Series
10-11 a.m.; $10 per child ($5 for members)
Programs are designed for families with children ages 5-8 years of age.

October 5: The Art of Shadow Puppets
Join artist, performer and educator Hua Hua Zhang to learn about the Chinese tradition of shadow puppetry and to make a shadow puppet of your own.

November 2: The Way of Calligraphy
Hua Hua Zhang will introduce families to the Chinese art of calligraphy, in which beautifully crafted characters provide both visual and verbal expression.

December 7: Creating a Family Story with Robin Markle
Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen worked with their daughter Song ErRui to create this exhibition. Be part of our storytelling workshop and create your own mixed-media art project that tells your family’s story.

Performance:
Shadow Puppet Performance
Saturday, December 7, 5-6 p.m., $12 ($10 for members), adults and children welcome
Enjoy an original work of shadow puppet theater, written and performed by artist, performer and educator Hua Hua Zhang, in the intimate setting of the PAA.

The Way of Chopstickshas been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Additional funding comes from the Mindspring Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council. Song Dong and Yin Xiuzhen are represented by Chambers Fine Art in New York City and Beijing.