Austrian artist’s installation reflects need for free expression in city planning

Karl-Heinz Klopf with his work. Photo by Mestre Alexis

By Liang Meilan

A spatial installation called Blackboard: Beijing by Austrian artist Karl-Heinz Klopf will be on display at CU-Space Gallery in 798 through September 9. It challenges what we know about urbanization and how we think about urban Beijing.

Klopf said the work was inspired by Beijing’s rapid urbanization and its public spaces that no longer provide joy, but instead “hamper a city’s livability.” He aims to communicate, through his art, the possibility of free expression in city planning.

The main piece is a huge blackboard that divides the exhibition room into two spaces. On the front, names of places the artist has visited are diagramed. “This is a work in progress. The initial sketch will be further developed during the course of the exhibition and visitors will be invited to add their related thoughts and comments,” Klopf said.

By creating such an installation, Klopf wants to convey what is unusual about a city. He also wants to emphasize that big ideas in city planning don’t have to come from big firms.

After speaking with many architects around town, he learned that there aren’t many opportunities for young architects in small offices to realize their ideas “because they are (trapped) in the hands of big investors,” Klopf said.

“The implication of the artwork for me is the freedom of expression in the city. That’s the most important thing people should learn to demand through their way of living,” he said.

For this 53-year-old artist and architectural consultant, the problem with modern cities – Beijing in particular – is they are often not planned for the people who live in them. “You get the impression when you come in from the outside that this city is here mainly to make money,” he said.

“There are very few public spaces for people to relax, and such places are important,” Klopf said.

Che Fei, architect and owner of CU-Space, said Beijing’s public spaces are being privatized, which is what happened in other developing countries. He gave an example that in the US, people have to pay to use restrooms in malls.

Klopf’s work has attracted the attention of city planners and architects. On August 21 at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, he will be a guest at an event that will bring together architects, artists, musicians and writers from Beijing. The theme will be: small gestures, big projects and the imaginary city. Information can be found on cu-space.com.