Archive: Journey to the West
The title “Journey to the West” draws on a story dating back to the Ming Dynasty [late 16th century], which relates how a Chinese monk journeyed towards the West and brought home with him the Buddhist scriptures. Over the centuries of tradition, the story became more and more infused with the customs and traditions of Chinese society, whereby the historical facts were increasingly consigned to the background. In the context of this present exchange, it is this tradition of the complete absorption of a foreign culture that the two curators now wish to contrast with their “journey to the West”. “We are going towards the West in order to narrate new Chinese stories. […] On the one hand, we treat of the ‘true’ Buddhist scriptures so that, when contrasted with a foreign culture we can discover more about ourselves while, on the other hand, we would like to give to the West what Marko Polo neglected to take back with him.” [Zuo Jing]
Cooperation with RCM Art Museum, Nanjing/China;
Curator: Zuo Jing and Sun Jianchun;
Organization from RCM: Chris (Wang Xin);
Management RCM: Mr. Ge (Ge Yaping) and his wife Alice (Chen Yun)
