Curator: Tan Zeen
Graduated from BA and MA Stage Design at The Central Academy of Drama in 1997 and 2003 respectively. He is now an Associate Professor in School of Theatre, Film and Cinematic Art, Communication University of China. Since 1997, he has worked as a stage designer, an artistic director as well as a co-creator in nearly one hundred productions.
His works has been selected and invited for attending numerous Arts exhibitions including exhibition of World Stage Design in 2009 (Seoul); Stage Design Invitational exhibition in China in 2011, 2015 and 2019 at National Centre for the Performing Arts; Invitational exhibition of CISD China Contemporary Young Scenographer Nomination Exhibition from 2014 to 2016 (Beijing, Wuzhen, Longli); the 3rd Exhibition of National Stage Design in 2015; World Stage Design in 2017（Silver Award of Performance Design）, Taipei etc. Several of his works were collected by the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and the National Museum of China.
He designed the exhibition for the China Pavilion at PQ15, and was the curator and exhibition designer of Chinese National Exhibition & Chinese Student Exhibition at PQ19, as well as the Tbilisi Biennale of Stage Design 2020.
‘Real’ism
curatorial concept of country/region exhibition, China
The pioneer of Chinese theatre design, Dianjie Xue, mentioned in his research, Stage as a Stage: A Place for Performance, that acknowledging the stage as a place for performance does not mean we must use it within its limitations. Instead, the stage should be considered from the perspective of theatrical aesthetics rather than material or technical constraints. As Brecht once said, it is not enough to demand insight and informative images of reality from the theatre; our theatre must stimulate a desire for understanding, a delight in changing reality.
Therefore, theatre as a performance space is the greatest reality we need to confront.
Artists have always been the most sensitive to the world around them. Otherwise, their work would become disconnected from reality, resulting in ‘poetic lies and falsification.’
In contemporary performances, reality—such as a political election, an old building, a journey, or a specific area of a city—relates to theatrical works in unprecedented ways. These tangible, experiential realities replace traditional literary scripts and become the basis for the beginning of some theatrical creations. This can be understood as contemporary theatre’s response to reality.
Tan Zeen
Curator of country/region exhibition, China
List of four universities and students participating in the Chinese Student Exhibition
China Central Academy of Drama
Chang Xinmiao
Cui Jing Ye
Hao Rile
Si Maohua
Chen Zhitong
Shen Siyu
Du Siqi
Gao Yuting
Ma Ye
Jiang Shuqing
Liu Zhihan
Song Jiale
Zou Weitang
Zhang Qiqi
Fu Zhenhao
Lei Youran
Zhang Yaxuan
Communication University of China
Ma Zhixin
Gao Min
Zhang Hanxi
Xiao Yuan
Li Mutang
Dai Ying
Huang Tianyuan
Qiao Yue
National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts
Zhang Xintian
Li Qiongwei
Gao JunYi
He WanYing
Tang HuiLing
Chen XinRan
Hao JiaYi
Lin YanFeng
Wu Jiawen
Wu YuTong
Guo Yunxiu
Zhou Xuting
Zeng Pengdan
Chen Jia Ming
Xu Jingwen
Li Zitong
Xie Nanfang
Xu Jingwen
Liu Xingyu
Zhang Zitian
China Shanghai Theatre Academy
Fan Yukun
Chen Yaqi
Lin Meng
Hu Junyi
Kan Zihan
Bao Xinhui
Gu Yiying
Xu Jiazhi
Cai Yuyang
Zhou Yuchi, Peng Cencen, Wang Xuemeng
Zhou Yaoyu
Xie Di
and students who participated in 7 collaborative stage productions
