Bare Minimum/

2023 - ongoing

“Bare Minimum” is a series of projects initiated by Zheng Yuan in 2023. It is a collection of different types of artistic practices, moving images and actions. The first presentation of this series in full took place in the spring of 2024 at his solo exhibition “Bare Minimum” at MadeIn Gallery in Shanghai.

The experiences from the past three years (2021-2023), a large amount of which was spent in some degree of insolation, has triggered this idea of exploring the “bare minimum” in various aspects of life: on the one hand, as the basics, of movement, communication, mourning; and, on the other hand, and more abstractly, of dignity, hope, and resistance. “Bare Minimum” does not come with a prescribed concept, nor does it attempt to measure the exactitude of the development of things or the scope of an action. Instead, it connotes a pray for returning to normal, a latent resistance that is expressed through existence and resilience. “Bare Minimum” originates from Zheng’s intent to reflect on the self and the status-quo in a time where life has become fundamentally different, to respond to imposed constraints, social and political, and to construct a time-space that blends the history of destruction and efforts of rehabilitation.

“Bare Minimum” is a place where diverse narratives are assembled and retained, where multiple actions take place and take refuge. It tries to recover the meaning of words and rebuild channels of communication in the midst of rupture and silence. Let the suppressed language regain the ability to narrate and to resist the reality of collective oblivion and loss of words. Let the deprived images regain the right to be seen, and their history and witnesses be preserved. “Bare Minimum” rejects disengaged observers and authoritative narrators, challenges grand historical narratives, and interrogates grandiose declarations that are forms of propaganda. “Bare Minimum” embraces ephemerality, improvisation, and collaboration; it seeks to rebuild interpersonal connections based on shared experiences and mutual understanding and protects the creativity that belongs to everyday life.

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