Taking a Stance > Dutch > Design > Fashion

maart 06, 2010

On 6 March, the exhibition Taking a Stance - 8 Critical Attitudes in Chinese and Dutch Architecture and Design opened in the Dutch Culture Centre in Shanghai. The exhibition, curated by the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) as part of the Dutch Design Fashion Architecture (DutchDFA) programme, centres on the work of eight ground-breaking designers from the Netherlands and China.

Dutch designers:

OMA (architects),
Hella Jongerius (product designer),
Alexander van Slobbe (fashion designer),
Irma Boom (graphic designer).

Chinese designers:

Urbanus (architects), 3rd image is "Urban Tulou"
Ai Weiwei (architect/artist), picture of "Monumental Junkyard" above,
Ma Ke (fashion designer), following image
Me We (graphic designers), last image

The eight selected designers are all highly acclaimed in their field thanks to their originality and boundless capacity for innovation. Each one of them is driven to challenge conventions and codes within their discipline, recasting standard conceptions with audacity and creativity. Operating in an area rife with tensions, the designers are constantly compelled to balance competing interests: mass production versus traditional artisanal techniques, commissioned versus personal work, tradition versus innovation, the human scale versus large-scale planning, globalization versus the need for identity.

Despite many common traits, the eight designers are all highly distinctive. Distinctions that reveal the contrasts inherent in Dutch and Chinese design and that shed light on design culture in the Netherlands and China.

In 'Taking a Stance' all eight adopt an individual position and enter into dialogue. With this exhibition, the NAI kicks off the Dutch cultural programme during the World Expo 2010.

Opening

‘Taking a Stance’ opens to the public on 6 March, coinciding with the opening of the Dutch Culture Centre in Shanghai where, during the entire World Expo 2010, a cultural programme of exhibitions, presentations, concerts, lectures and more, offer a taste of Dutch culture.

'Taking a Stance' takes to the road

While the World Expo 2010 is up and running, 'Taking a Stance' will travel through China. From 6 – 26 March, the exhibition will be in the Dutch Culture Centre in Shanghai, from 24 April - 16 May in the Today Art Museum in Beijing and from 25 June - 5 August in the OCT Art & Design Gallery in Shenzhen.

'Taking a Stance' was curated by Linda Vlassenrood and Suzanne Mulder, both affiliated to the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) and Li Degeng, director of the OMD Contemporary Design Terminal. The exhibition display was designed by Dutch agency TomDavid Architecten. 'Taking a Stance' is part of the Dutch Design Fashion Architecture (DutchDFA) programme and is made possible thanks to the generous support of DutchDFA and Netherlands China Arts Foundation.

Read the Press release here.