On May 18, in Beijing Workers’ Stadium, UCCA collaborates with Zhao Yao to present “The Power of Nature: A Ten Thousand Square Meter Painting in Beijing.” Zhao produced this installation, some 116 meters tall by 86 meters wide, over a three-year period, unfurling it in an uninhabited mountainous area of China, and subjecting it to the fluctuations of sun and wind. He has since “recycled” the work, uninstalling and shipping it back to Beijing. This marks the first time the installation has been shown since reaching the city.

Realized from 2016 to 2017, this monumental installation is a continuation of Zhao’s 2013 solo exhibition at Pace Gallery (London), “Spirit Above All,” and the patterns that decorate its surface are based on the earlier exhibition’s brain-teaser-inspired A Painting of Thought. Designed and manufactured in Beijing, The Power of Naturewas shipped in October of 2016 to a remote, mountainous area, where, the following month, 150 farmers used an entire day’s labor to mount it on a snow-capped peak. There, 5,000 meters above sea level, it was buffeted by wind and snow, soaked with sunlight and starlight. Six months later, its bright colors were faded, and its surface crisscrossed with marks from nature, reminding viewers of Goethe’s words in The Sorrows of Young Werther: “[nature] alone is inexhaustible, and capable of forming the greatest masters.” In May 2017, the artwork was uninstalled and shipped back to Beijing, where, on May 18 of this year, it will be shown in its entirety in Workers’ Stadium. This new, modern setting in the heart of the capital will infuse the painting with new history, culture, values and memories. Through “The Power of Nature,” Zhao Yao hopes to kindle the audience’s yearning for the natural world, its staunch belief in human will.

One of the “Ten Great Buildings” constructed on the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, Beijing Workers’ Stadium has more than stood the test of time and weather in the following six decades. On the dawn of May 18, Zhao’s installation will be shipped to the Stadium. With the city as background, and the lights of the Stadium as foil, it will once more be unfurled by a team of more than 50 technicians. The different blocks of color on its surface will compliment the bright, industrial tones of the seats, reminding audiences of the interplay between nature and modern society. Flanked by the towering buildings of the Central Business District, the artwork demonstrates the power of humans in concert with the natural world. What began as a “meaningless pattern” gains new layers of significance, enters new contexts, and expands its boundaries.