Xu Tan — Keywords School•Venice Recruitment Notice: Deadline: May 31, 2009 :: part of Making Worlds, 53rd La Biennale di Venezia.

The Keywords School is a project based on the continuous investigation and research of “keywords” by the Chinese artist Xu Tan. Underway since 2006, the project’s central premise of communication between audience and artist/art project now takes the form of “school”. The content of this school is “keywords”, terms gathered from Xu Tan’s persistent searching and researching through interviews and discussions among people from different fields and backgrounds. In Keywords School, Xu Tan communicates with all participants through the “keywords” to create a new idealistic public space.

The Keywords School•Venice was born when the project was invited to take part in the 53rd Venice Biennale. For each of the 14 days of Keywords School•Venice, we will accept 10 “students” as participants in the 2 and a half hours of each course. The participants will discuss and dialogue with Xu Tan around the “keywords” from Xu Tan’s several years of searching and researching. According to their interest in the different “daily keywords”, the participants can choose and apply to the courses in Keywords School•Venice.

Xu Tan was born in Wuhan, Hubei Province in 1957 and currently lives in Guangzhou. Since the early 1990s he has been part of “Big Tail Elephant Group”, an experimental art team in Guangzhou. Xu Tan has insisted on his lifestyle as “outcast”, maintaining sensitivity to the changes in social life and culture, and questioning the boundary of contemporary art. Over the years this has led his working style to appear more like that of a social theorist than a purely visual artist. His work has been shown around the world, including at the 50th Biennale di Venezia, the Berlin Biennial, the Gongdong Triennial etc.

About the course:

1. All the courses will be held on-site the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia; 10 participants for each course on each “Keywords School” day; applications must be sent to the keywords team before the deadline, 31st May.

2. At the beginning of each course, participants are invited to express their opinions on the “daily keywords” edited and provided by Xu Tan, and to expand the discussion on them.

3. Through free style communication between the artist and participants, participants can raise questions on any topics (including the keyword) to the artist, to inspire dialogs and discussions.

4. The process of face-to-face interactive discussions will, via voice and video recordings, then serve as research material for the artist and the keywords project.

How to Apply:

1. Please choose the course with date you are interested in from the “daily keywords calendar” on the right side.

2. Please send the course and date you request to attend with your true name, gender, and contact details to: info [at] xutan-keywords.com

3. Please wait for our confirmation by email; we will arrange your attendance according to your application and the whole application situation (First-come, first-served is the application policy), and we will offer you further information when your application is confirmed. Keywords School•Venice is supported by Uli Sigg Collection

Calendar of daily keywords of Keywords School • Venice:

2009/06/04
build; tradition;societ/社会; social (socialist)/社会（社会主义）; law/lag; nature,natural; unemployment/下岗/失业; survive, surviva/生存，幸存; power/权力，力量
2009/06/05
money; position/position, ställning; materials(materialism)/材料（唯物主义）;living (living cost); (daily) life; emotion/感情，情感; care; generation/代; value
2009/06/06
stress/stress; America, USA/美国; American; Centre/中心; west, western/西方;contact/kontakt; communication; standard; future
2009/06/07
religious, religions; believe/tro;industry; culture/文化; popular/流行; time/tid; metaphor/metaphor; humanist/humanistisk; control/kontroll
2009/06/09
buy; sell; land/地; brand; home/bostad; family;harmony（harmonious society）/和谐 （和谐社会）; private/私人的; work/arbete
2009/06/10
develop/发展; environment/miljö; car/bil; move, movement; restlessness/otälig; revolution; body/身体; city (city life, city structure)/城市; safe, safety/säker, säkerhet
2009/06/11
contemporary; collectivity/集体; chance;hope;individual; circles/圈子; group/群体;people/人民; obsessed/besatt

2009/06/13
public;relation (public relation)/关系（公共关系）; competition/konkurrens, tävlan; history/历史; ambitiousness/ambitionsnivån; not too much/lagom;adapt/anpassa; conident/trygga, säker; politics, political/politiskt; political correct/politiskt korrekt
2009/06/14
Europe/欧洲; property/财产, 产; democracy/民主; bank; happiness/glädje; child/ barn; free, freedom/自由; good behavior/gott uppförande; plate model/plattan model
2009/06/16
business/生意; system/体制; house/bostäd; apartment; opportunity/tillfälle,möjlighet; experience;red/röd; peaceful/lugn; Chinese girl/Kinesiska licka
2009/06/17
communist; confucius,confucian; shit/skit, fan; cheap/billig; old/(old house); elder; friends; market/市场; new
2009/06/18
fool; dream/dröm; humbleness/ödmjuchet; play/玩; consume (consumption)/消费; relax/slappna, slakna;company/公司;alone; CCTV/央视
2009/06/20
modern/människa; Olympic games/奥运; idea/Idé, begrepp; curious/nyfiken, vetgirig; change/变; classic;enjoy/享受; resistance/motständ
2009/06/21
reality/realitet; inluence;government/政府; boundary/boundary; concept; creativity/创意; censorship/审查; rational; propaganda/宣传