GOLDEN GATEWAY BRIDGE
As Chinese artist, Shu Yong, prepares to replicate his famous installation in Kazakhstan, he hopes the concept will open a dialogue between different cultures, Cheng Yuezhu reports.
With thousands of silk flowers blossoming and golden bricks glittering, Chinese contemporary artist Shu Yong’s representative golden bridge will soon land in Kazakhstan, as he takes the artwork there in celebration of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Invited by the municipal government of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Shu is going to construct a second piece of his Golden Bridge on Silk Road, and a square of the same name centered around the artwork.
When receiving Shu on July 6, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed his appreciation and support for this project, saying that he will choose an ideal spot in central Astana for its construction. The first Golden Bridge on
Silk Road is a large-scale art installation built in 2015, based on the broad narrative of the Belt and Road Initiative. Standing 28 meters long, 4 meters wide and 6 meters high, the work embodies the artist’s yearning of bridging the communication gap across different cultures.
“In my opinion, the Belt and Road Initiative itself is a bridge that links China with the rest of the world,” Shu says. “This installation symbolizes our hope for joint cooperation within the framework of the Initiative, the creation of a global community with a common destiny and shared interests.”
The bridge is constructed with approximately 20,000 artificial amber bricks, embedded within are the floral emblems from countries and regions involved in the initiative.
“Amber is a material that could capture a precious moment, its color bearing auspicious symbolism in both the East and the West,” Shu says of his material selection.
“The semi-transparent golden bricks present a scene of ‘let a hundred flowers bloom’, a Chinese expression for cultural diversity. I would like it to be immediately apprehensible that this is a peaceful, auspicious and valuable bridge, able to bring us all together.”
Shu defines the piece as an “interactive sculpture landscape artwork”, the element of interaction being one of the
I feel that art, as a universal language ... could serve as an effective means in breaking cultural barriers.” Shu Yong, Chinese contemporary artist
most important characteristics, with the intention of directly involving the viewers in a dialogue.
Ever since the piece was first publicly exhibited at the Milan Expo 2015, Shu has been inviting leaders of the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as representatives from all walks of life, to sign on the golden bricks.
“I want the bridge to be a collective creation by the entire world. With the signatures, the artwork links the individuals, the nations and the peoples.”
The artwork is designed to be displayed outdoors, as Shu strives to bring creativity to the masses. Ever since the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, the original piece has been on exhibit in front of the China National Convention Center in Beijing, where the forum was hosted.
“I would like it to be seen by more people, so that the meaning and value of the initiative could be quickly grasped through the artwork. Only by returning to the broader public society, can the value of these works be truly realized.”
With a vision to extend the artwork into a series along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Shu aspires to make his golden bridge “a cultural symbol of the new era”.
“Cultural symbols are the most straightforward and memorable way to present the values and development of a country. I believe it can be meaningful if we can substantialize the idea of ‘a community with a shared future for humanity’ into a new cultural symbol,” Shu says.
Compared to existing cultural symbols, which are usually a fixed shape, in Shu’s vision, his would be a flexible one. Being made of golden bricks means that the bridge can be assembled into different structures.
The original piece takes the shape of Zhaozhou Bridge, the oldest standing bridge in China, an accurate representation of both the ancient and the modern — it was then an example of advanced technology during the Sui Dynasty (581618), and is now an icon of China’s cultural and historical heritage.
According to Shu, the golden bridge dedicated to Kazakhstan is designed to take the form of a famous Kazakh bridge.
“The golden bridges could be constructed in different nations, and take the form of their representative bridges, with the core value of the artwork unaffected, indicating tolerance and openness,” Shu says.
As the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative approaches, Shu feels that Kazakhstan, where the initiative was first put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2013, is an appropriate location to establish the artwork.
Asset Issekeshev, mayor of Astana, says the square will showcase the unique charm of Kazakhstan to the whole world and represent the active participation of Kazakhstan in the initiative.
Within the complex to be built on the square is a Golden Bridge on Silk Road Cultural Center, an interactive platform serving Shu’s ultimate purpose of cultural exchange.
“I feel that art, as a universal language and a higher-level pursuit of human beings, could serve as an effective means in breaking cultural barriers. I do hope the project can help me to realize this goal,” Shu says.