zhu jinshi suspends boat with 8,000 sheets of folded rice paper

zhu jinshi overlaps 8,000 sheets of rice paper for boat
‘boat’, 2012
xuan paper, bamboo and cotton thread, 590 x 137 x 165 in. (1500 x 350 x 420 cm)
image courtesy of the rubell family collection, miami

at the centerpiece of the exhibition ’28 chinese’ at the rubell family collection is zhu jinshi’s ‘boat’: a monumental, walk-in installation composed of bamboo, cotton and 8,000 sheets of rice paper. a complex layering of overlapping sheets of the xuan medium forms an almost complete, 12-meter cylinder suspended from the ceiling, one that asks visitors to enter within and view the intricately placed pieces at close range. row upon row of the fragile material — an ancient means of writing and painting steeped in history and tradition — stack in succession, wrapping around some invisible barrel and completing a gaping void. jinshi describes boat as representing ‘a symbolic journey’, as the numerous folds extend as walls, gently blocking out the outside world as each viewer moves through the length of the vacant tunnel. the sculptural work outwardly expresses the artist’s meticulous dedication to material, and his lifelong commitment to the language of abstract form. the opening of ‘boat’ and the exhibition spotlighting chinese creatives in the disciplines of painting, photography, sculpture and video has coincided with art basel miami beach 2013.

‘boat’, 2012
xuan paper, bamboo and cotton thread, 590 x 137 x 165 in. (1500 x 350 x 420 cm)
image courtesy of the rubell family collection, miami

‘boat’, 2012
xuan paper, bamboo and cotton thread, 590 x 137 x 165 in. (1500 x 350 x 420 cm)
image courtesy of the rubell family collection, miami

feet on the opposite end of ‘boat’
image © designboom

the towering, 12-meter sculptural installation
image © designboom

visitors to ‘boat’ look through the massive void
image © designboom

details of the folded panels, interwoven to create the cylindrical form
image © designboom

‘boat’ at the centerpiece of the ’28 chinese’ exhibit

‘boat’, 2012
xuan paper, bamboo and cotton thread, 590 x 137 x 165 in. (1500 x 350 x 420 cm)
image courtesy of the rubell family collection, miami