RONG LU 'Ephemeral Nostalgia'

Ephemeral Nostalgia
2024.11.4-2024.12.8
RONG LU

Curator: Luning Wang

As Shanghai Autumn Art Week commences, RONG LU officially opens its doors at the former residence of Rong Desheng, one of China’s most influential industrialists, on Changle Road, located in the historic French Concession area of Shanghai. This significant building was originally commissioned by Li Hongzhang, a prominent official of the late Qing Dynasty, as a residence for his parents and later served as a private club. Fusing past and present, the space preserves noteworthy architectural and cultural heritage.

Presenting works by leading international artists and curated design pieces, RONG LU incorporates a variety of aesthetic narratives. Central to the space’s ethos is the idea of a ‘melting pot’—a concept that reflects both the building’s heritage and the founders’ vision. In Chinese, “RONG LU” resonates with the idea of a ‘melting pot,’ symbolizing a place where diverse cultural and artistic elements converge.

The space also shares an ancestral connection with Prada Rong Zhai, the former residence of Rong Zongjing, Rong Desheng’s brother, which has been restored by the PRADA Group and now serves as a cultural venue for contemporary art. As an ancestral home of the Rong family, RONG LU is naturally associated with art and cultural exchange.

RONG LU offers a conceptual approach to curation, reimagining the gallery experience with a style that departs from the conventional ‘white cube’ gallery model. As a ‘concept store,’ it moves beyond traditional gallery practices of artist representation, focusing instead on transnational collaboration and fostering the online dissemination of art knowledge, cultural discourse, and insights into collecting. This approach allows diverse creative narratives to coexist within a historic environment.

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The inaugural show, Ephemeral Nostalgia, features works by Miriam Cahn, Ted Gahl, Peng Ke, Yeni Mao, George Rouy, Naomi Workman, and Flora Yukhnovich. Curated by Luning, the director of RONG LU, the exhibition will be on view until 8 December 2024. Notably, this exhibition marks the Chinese debut of several artists who have already gained recognition in the international art market, alongside pieces from the private collections of esteemed collectors.

This show centres around the concept of sensory memory, an emotional thread shared among the participating artists. By juxtaposing and intersecting works across various media, cultural backgrounds, generational styles, and personal experiences, the exhibition delves into how memories are formed and expressed through art. The generation of memories is intertwined with facts, knowledge, emotions, and personal experiences. The featured artists utilise their distinct artistic languages and media to offer new perspectives on characterising, reproducing, and reflecting upon the complexities of these memories. Through their art, the ineffable and dreamlike qualities associated with nostalgia gradually coalesce, evoking connections to people, places, or moments.

Among the participating artists, Ted Gahl, Naomi Workman, George Rouy, and Miriam Cahn centre their works on unique ‘characters’. By encapsulating a confluence of inspiration, perception, thoughts, actions, associations, and memories, they endow the characters with nuanced depth. These core figures not only hold personal stories but also convey resonances that transcend verbal expression, inviting viewers to engage with the artworks in a dialogical manner and facilitating an exploration of individual emotions.

Yeni Mao and Peng Ke both examine the concept of ‘fields’ in their practice. Mao draws upon her transnational upbringing, reflecting on the relationship between objects and their surroundings through combinations of texture, volume, and density, thus reinterpreting materials within her creations. Conversely, Peng Ke captures fleeting moments of beauty amidst the bustling urban landscape, revealing the symbiotic interactions and the sense of detachment that pervades both public and private spaces.

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Flora Yukhnovich’s work reinterprets Rococo compositions and colour palettes through a contemporary lens, directly addressing gender perspectives rooted in formal aesthetics while paying homage to 18th-century masterpieces.

The unique sensibilities of these artists facilitate an interplay between creation and memory. Through careful brushwork and a skilful selection of materials, they visually and tactilely coalesce personal experiences, emotions, and moments, transforming their artistic practice into a journey that bridges the past, present, and future. Each artistic act represents a negotiation between self-awareness and creative expression, resulting in a sublimation of art into a language of the soul, capturing the depth of lived experience and the enduring resonance of memory.

【About Rong Lu】

RONG LU is a concept art space that integrates historical architecture, design collections, and lifestyle aesthetics through contemporary art exhibitions, cross-border cultural dialogues, and the dissemination of aesthetic and curatorial insights. The name “RONG LU” is a deliberate play on the Chinese term for ‘melting pot’, symbolising the synthesis of diverse cultural influences while also echoing the pronunciation of both its founder, Luning, and its former resident, Rong Desheng, connecting the building’s history and its new artistic vision.

Situated on Changle Road in Shanghai, RONG LU occupies a historically significant building, originally commissioned by Li Hongzhang, a prominent official of the late Qing Dynasty, as a residence for his parents. The structure later served as a private club and the residence of Rong Desheng, a distinguished flour magnate in Shanghai. The former residence of Rong Zongjing, brother of Rong Desheng, has been restored and remodelled by the PRADA Group and has now become a venue for showcasing contemporary art. As an ancestral home of the Rong family, RONG LU is naturally associated with art and cultural exchange.

RONG LU differentiates itself from the traditional ‘white cube’ gallery model, adopting an ethos similar to that of a fashion concept store – RONG LU reimagines the role of the ‘art buyer’. Much like a boutique or multi-brand concept store, RONG LU curates artworks guided by both current trends and the curator’s personal aesthetic vision. With a focus on collaboration, the gallery selects works by internationally recognised artists, offering a distinct and thoughtfully curated collection. These shows transcend temporal and spatial cultural boundaries and are presented in a seasonal format, each being a thoughtfully chosen selection of works.

The exhibition space of RONG LU functions as a conceptual ‘melting pot’, wherein diverse creative narratives and artistic media are presented in a manner that allows for organic coexistence and interaction. This design enables invited guests to engage with the artworks from a direct, first-person perspective, fostering an immersive and contemplative experience within an inclusive, salon-like environment. The intentional integration of interior design with the exhibition space facilitates the permeation of art into everyday life and aims to offer a refined aesthetic experience.

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Text: Luning

Copyediting: Rosie