Once upon a time he was Spanish artist Albert Porta, then he became Zush the psychomanual digital creator, then he became and is today Evru the artist scientist mystic. First, go see his exhibition, then go figure, writes Wang Jie.
"From Zush to Evru" is a tantalizing exhibition by pioneering Spanish artist Albert Porta, who has adopted the identities of Zush (1968-2000) and Evru, from 2000 through today. The renowned artist, sometimes called Zush Evru, has explored the frontiers of identity and applied new technologies in artistic creation.
Some of his works, on display at Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, use paper, canvas and wood, others are computer-created works, large-format digital photographs and software programs.
Zush is described as a "psychomanual digital artist" and Evru as an "artist scientist mystic."
The exhibition has two sections: one contains some of Zush Evru's most emblematic pieces, such as "Gran Leda." Large-format digital photographs, such as "Eria" and "Verudo," are shown for the first time.
In an interactive section, viewers can participate in the so-called "office of flows of the Evurgo Mental State" - an institution created specifically for this project, sometimes with cyborg aesthetics.
Evurgo is Zush Evru's state of mind. He has created a state with post-human inhabitants, a currency, an anthem, flag, a language and alphabet, and laws.
The figures of his women, mothers, wives, lovers and companions are analyzed with a dedication like that of the taxidermist, dissected in a vain attempt to comprehend the female nature.
The artist has also updated the Sphinmu and Tecura software programs for this exhibit, with an element of playfulness. Starting from the notion that there is an artist and a scientist in all of us, Zush Evru invites viewers to experiment with Tecura and Sphinmu. The viewers can use the images he has designed to create original works of art.
Tecura is a digital painting machine that invites viewers to create their own work of art based on the tools and images suggested by the artist.
A hall of bells brings the tour of the exhibition to a close.
Zush Evru has participated in prestigious international exhibitions such as the Kassel Documenta in Germany. His work has been displayed in the Georges Pompidou center in Paris and in the Guggenheim in New York.
Date: through February 28 (closed on Mondays), 10am-5pm
Address: 27 Duolun Rd
Admission: 10 yuan (5 yuan for students, free for children under 1.1 meters)
Tel: 021-6587-2530
