Open Letter to the Artists Participating in Restart: Suojia Village—International Art Camp Exhibition

Dear artists,

Greetings!

Our exhibition Restart: Suojia Village—International Art Camp will open as scheduled on April 29, 2007.

First, I would like to thank every artist taking part. Without your active cooperation, this exhibition could not succeed. We also wish to extend particular thanks to Wang Chuan, Yin Mengqiu, Ju Duoqi, Li Rui, Yang Shuai, Lan Zhenghui and Chen Kun, who have undertaken much of the practical work.

The idea for the exhibition began before the Spring Festival. Afterwards, we repeatedly discussed and negotiated with the Gao You Gao company in the hope of securing its support. The title changed from Temporary Residence—Suojia Village Contemporary Art Open Exhibition, to A Changed World—Suojia Village International Art Camp Open Exhibition, then Suojia Village—International Art Camp Exhibition, and finally Restart: Suojia Village—International Art Camp Exhibition. These changes themselves embody a deepening and transformation in our understanding of what it meant to organize the exhibition. Many artists offered their cooperation, ideas and advice throughout this process, and we thank them all.

We both left Beijing for a time in mid-April and resumed practical preparations only after returning on the 22nd. Despite the short time and uneven access to information, we received materials from fifty-four artists. After several nights of work, we completed the design and printing of the brochure, poster and other materials, moving from a preliminary exhibition announcement to the idea of a “collective calling card” for fifty-four artists in fifty-one studio units. We sincerely regret that uneven access to information prevented other artists from participating.

The artists contributed 5,100 yuan. The design, printing, large-format production and posting of brochures and posters cost more than 8,100 yuan. Gao You Gao generously supported the shortfall, enabling us to meet all the costs, including refreshments for the opening.

The exhibition’s success ultimately depends on the cooperation of its artists. We understand that your individual artistic activities make it impossible to comply fully with the opening schedule, but we nevertheless ask for your continued cooperation and for studios to remain open as much as possible during the agreed hours. Some studios genuinely cannot be opened; with support from Gao You Gao, those artists’ works have been installed in Room D05.

I am sending the poster image to your email addresses. Please use it as an electronic invitation to invite your friends and contacts to visit. In particular, bring your friends to the opening at 4 p.m. on the 29th, and attend if at all possible.

Given the limited time and our limited experience and abilities, some aspects of organizing this exhibition may fall short. We ask for your understanding.

With your support, we believe we can do better next time!

Thank you!

Liu Qiming · Li Fang

Night of April 27, 2007