Manfred Schoeni: Art, Love and Legacy – A Chinese Contemporary Art Collection

Schoeni Projects is pleased to launch its virtual exhibition space SPXR, with Manfred Schoeni: Art, Love and Legacy – A Chinese Contemporary Art Collection from 30 June 2022 onwards.

The exhibition was conceived and developed by Nicole Schoeni, the daughter of the late Manfred Ludwig Schoeni (1946 – 2004), a pioneer and great advocate for the Chinese contemporary art movement.

Nicole Schoeni said: “This exhibition represents a long-overdue personal milestone to formalise and celebrate the achievements that my late father accomplished in supporting and promoting Chinese contemporary art within the International art scene. It feels appropriate to launch my new venture SPXR with a virtual exhibition dedicated to him. I am excited to see the potential possibilities and opportunities that Web 3.0 presents in creating innovative and immersive art experiences as a means to engage with wider audiences.”

Curator Dr Martha Liew, worked alongside Schoeni in his early efforts to carve a place for Chinese contemporary art, and conceptualised and curated the Art, Love and Legacy exhibition with inspiration from Manfred Schoeni’s artistic journey.  Rather than presenting the Schoeni Art collection in chronological order, one of the more common curatorial methodologies used in public art institutions, Liew adopted a different approach.

“I don’t see how the viewer can engage with the collection when Manfred’s story is told chronologically or marked by major movements in Chinese contemporary art. I want the audience to get to know him and his collection by highlighting key aspects of his art journey: the curiosity, the passion, the success, and in some aspects, his mischiefs. I want his story to be told truthfully, but also creatively,” said Dr Liew.

The exhibition will explore eight sub-themes that define the collection. They are:

• Early Years: Journey to the East
• Everyday Life Under the Reform
• Constructing Social Reality
• Making the Invisible Visible: Art and Politics
• A New Milestone: 8 + 8 – 1
• The New Romantics
• Family & Love
• the Other Side of the Collection

The emphasis is placed on Manfred Schoeni’s relentless dedication to bringing Chinese contemporary art to international audiences over the span of twelve years (1992–2004).

The exhibition will be permanently housed in a metaverse which enables viewers and researchers from all over the world to gain access to the exhibition, including over 80 Schoeni Art Gallery art publications in digital format with supporting materials, exhibition photos, newspaper clippings and more. The digital exhibition catalogue will be published after the launch of the exhibition.

Details of accompanying public programmes and a comprehensive academic essay by Dr Liew will be announced on Schoeni Projects’ website and social media channels in due course.

Manfred Schoeni: Art, Love and Legacy – A Chinese Contemporary Art Collection will be launched on 30 June 2022 at SPXR Metaverse and on Decentraland, a 3D virtual world browser-based platform.