Nova (2019)

Cao Fei

Nova
2019
From ‘HX Project’, 2019–2020
Single-channel HD video, colour, sound, 2.35:1
97 minutes 13 seconds

Hongxia
2019
From ‘HX Project’, 2019–2020
Single-channel HD video, colour, sound, 16:9
56 minutes 55 seconds

Hongxia Theatre 01
2019
From ‘Hongxia Theatre’, 2019
Inkjet print on paper
105 × 150 cm

The Eternal Wave
2020
From ‘HX Project’, 2019–2020
Virtual reality installation
Dimensions variable
VR hardware support provided by VIVE Arts

Courtesy of the artist; Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou; and Sprüth Magers, Berlin, London and Los Angeles

Overview

Cao Fei’s practice examines how technological advancements intersect with popular culture and urban transformation in contemporary China. Cao’s multi- part installation project HX Project (2019–2020) reflects on the intense industrial development in the area surrounding Beijing’s Hongxia Theatre, where her studio was located, as well as the neighbouring Jiuxianqiao and Dashanzi districts.
Presented across four spaces, the work traces the rise and fall of neighbourhoods from multiple perspectives. It features a screening area for the fictional narrative film Nova (2019); a space detailing the theatre’s history via archival materials, a documentary and an original publication; a virtual reality room titled The Eternal Wave (2020); and a reception area.