"Puente," Take #1 – Fundación NMAC, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz Province, Spain

Shen Yuan was born in Xianyou, China in 1959. At then end of the 1980’s she emigrated to the west. She currently lives and works in Paris.

Ceramic, the essential material used in her work Bridge, for the NMAC Foundation in 2004, providing the vehicle for a union between very distant cultures, one the one hand the Chinese culture, from which the artist originates and on the other, the Spanish culture with its Islamic reminiscences, as a reflection of the past. It is a ceramic bridge derived from an oval handrail and a walkway which has no concrete end. The balustrade is comprised of two identical rows of decorated vases with Chinese and Islamic motifs. Furthermore the ends of the bridge are decorated with two slender ceramic structures with the same decorative motifs.

"Bridge" represents a metaphor for the difficulties which must be overcome by different cultures, before one can obtain an influence over the other, as on occasion language, traditions and customs can become serious impediments to multicultural coexistence. This work symbolises the cultural syncretism reflected in the ceramics (Chinese and Arabic designs) and the obstacles imposed by the cultural differences which at times impede understanding between mankind.

The Fundación NMAC (the Montenmedio Arte Contemporáneo) is a unique space in Spain which explores the space shared by contemporary art and nature. The objective of the NMAC Foundation is to invite international artists to carry out specific artistic projects that are in tune with the landscape. NMAC is a cultural reference in southern Europe also for its educational and cultural programming.