Everyday, we roam about in gorgeous scenery and appreciate many grand views – the dazzling street and happy crowd, the various costume and food and clothes of marvelous new kinds, intense argument and claims could be heard here and there. The world we live has never been so interesting and exciting; we no longer live on a gloomy and tedious terrestrial ball. We experience so many undaunted adventures plus much bobbling noise; people strive to extend their arm to purposely weave a bizarre and motley pattern for their particular way of lives.

　　Mr. Wang Nengtao takes “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD” as the main theme and describes a seemingly dazzling and rosy dimension, where we can find a world of prosperity flickering with fame and anxiety, we can fully be sunk in a strange illusion. Mr. Wang intentionally takes into as many life matters as possible, such as food, drink, recreation and joy into his writing, hence architecturally structures a profound silhouette. In this earthly heaven, people are well-fed and well-clothed, the air here echoes the voice of “Dream World Music”, flies “birds of paradise”; we can sense the cosey feeling of a happy family with four generations living together, and the comfortable sense of “Wandering around the World”. Ramble about the “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”, what kind of sight and enjoyment can we be bestowed?

　　Under an epic environment which can be called great assimilation or a big mishmash, fresh naive flowers always live blindly together with poisonous grass. Prosperity goes hand in hand with hollow emotion, ambition mixes together with despair and apathy; some people rapidly go up in the world, some continuously hit with disappointing setbacks. Under the mask of vulgar revelry, there is bleak hollowness, and under the shrine of beauty and grandness, there are scars of demon and filthy maggots. Owing to all these substances, our time can not be otherwise described as “splendid”. The “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”, so to speak, is just like a cruet, inside, there is sweet, also, hard fearful bitter. We are here led by artists to wander around the “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD” and appreciate the connotation it kindly contains –happiness and bitterness are going hand in hand, they please us, and they torture us. Either elation or depression is appropriate adjective here.

　　“WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD. A Bird of Paradise” is a live show with the format of a living theatre, which is composed of jarring costume models, light and shadow effects, language and sound. The performance smoothly flows like a rolling kaleidoscope, flickering with all sorts of lights and artistic conceptions – people on the earth are going in jubilation, in the way much like a bird of paradise is flying freely and singing whole-heartedly. Ghosts wandering in hell seem to be disturbed by the happiness on the earth and creep out of mildewed cave, they look down to the world and suddenly are amazed by all the strange things, then fear as well as envy arises simultaneously from the bottom of heart. Between the heaven and the earth, stands a mysterious onlooker with a cold strange face, for one moment, he is mumbling some curse, and then, he throws a cold look up to the sky. It seems that under the “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”, he has no where to escape, and eventually becomes a lonely gymnosophist. Mr. Wang himself acts the protagonist, he subtly reveals his feeling through his stage lines, but we, the audience, can’t grasp his points or connotation’s where about.

　　Eight professional actresses are acting “birds of Paradise” wearing twinkling clothes, they have fascinating looks on their faces, and their dancing is close to insane; a cunning female lutanist is shuttling back and forth in the scene, playing an unbalanced melody of “Jubilance” and “Deeply Ambushed”. The four onlookers in the sky are also played by four professional actors, they are wearing classical theatrical costume rigidly crouching down on the transparent glass of hell, they put their heads downwards from time to time, their faces are covered with eeriness and whammy presenting a ferocious appearance. With their long dark sleeves hanging down, they remind people of the savage devils roaming around for blood in the neighborhood.

　　To make an experiment showing an on-going behavioral art with a kind of theatrics that is rarely seen in the present artistic world, is a wish that has been long lingering in Mr. Wang’s mind, this idea may stem from his keenness on stage model or theatric conversation. From the early expressionism style to the paintings and sculptures of “Red Series”, one can always feel the emotional factors motioning in his works. It seems that he very much likes to configure the settings and the characters, and show his inner world with blood and flesh as well as perceptual language featuring earthly elements; his unique “Gathering Art” is the combination and fusion of the features. Gathering always sets up an environment and atmosphere rich in suspense, which provides an unclosed real stage to the audience, where all kinds of characters show up, they greet, communicate, argue, tease, to perform the vicissitudes of life. The plot, action and format all naturally fit in well with the stage.

　　This great performance consists of 16 parts, of which, 9 are classified into the category of “Enjoyment” series, and they are an important part of the “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”. Eat, drink, play and have fun are just the basic and natural needs of human being. Our Chinese people should have a fresh memory about the bitterness when these common right were deprived, but now, it has gone from one extreme to the other; from the babbittry that denounced by the society, it has transcended to the acme of joy and objective that all the earthlings are longed for, this is the strongest voice of the era of materialism. While not a few people are striving to realize their desire to “eat, drink, play and have fun” freely by fair means or foul shamelessly, the babbitt will take the upper hand, and at the same time, a sinking down society of mental deterioration will eventually show up. “The Diners” is literally a collection of dining face of all kinds, they are all generally enlarged and exaggerated; gentlemen, scholars, and the common Jones all present a mean and dirty look at table. All the sick “eating” faces are the symbol of unlimited greed – facing the obtained raw material, all people have forgot themselves and just remember to open their mouth. The play “Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst” put 20 kinds of self-made wines on the table, most of the wines have the merit to prolong life, build body and improve appearance. Its exaggerated scale and form don't aim to deny the traditional theory of Chinese medical science, but to use their silly and crazy manner to doubt the extreme materialism symbolized, at the same time, it is a metaphor to mock the disordered and ridiculous behavior of people when they are indulged in material desire. “Joys and Sorrows of Life” is improvised by two duel performers surrounding the topic of “food, drink, recreation and joy”, they curse, laugh and play, they show self-praise and self-mockery at the same time, they laugh and cry together, they extend their joys and sorrows to the infinite limit, in this way, the long story of human being’s hardship is best expressed.

　　“The Diners”, “Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst”, “Joys and Sorrows of Life” all directly take human being as the object, while “A Duck’s Story”, “Jing Mountain”, “Happy Pig” takes animals as the object and criticize the humanitarian numbness and distortion. “A Duck’s Story” is composed of two parts, chapter one depicts an unfortunate experience of a duck, it is a complete story sighing on the utilitarianism’s savage erosion against romanticism. It looks serene and slow on the superficial, but you can feel the strong sorrow and anger soon; chapter 2 demonstrates the shocking scene that the whole duck tribe is experiencing its doom. The whole process of raising, cramming, killing, roasting and eating is full of brutal violence. Duck eaters are accustomed to the delicious taste, but only a few of them have the interest to considerate the cruelty behind the sweetness.

　　There is a small mountain piled up by the bones of several hundred of ducks in “Jing Mountain”, and this provides a sharp contrast with the beautiful landscape of “Jing Mountain” on the axis of the capital city, also it tells a sad story vividly to the audience. “Quan Jude” roast ducks and Jing Mountain are the cultural symbol of Beijing which have been passed down from ancient time, today, though they still remain the way they are, they have become a specious hollowness. In the process of rapid expansion of materialism, can Jing Mountain still stand in the quickly changed capital with every feature unchanged? Can ducks regenerate after they have been eaten? All the thoughts can only leave a chilly feeling to the audience. “Happy Pig” is an ironic imitation of the funeral ritual followed by today’s people. A clear scenario setting makes it resemble a tragicomedy. The dead suckling pig is silently lying besides the flowers, surrounded by all kinds of lovely gifts and presents symbolizing all sorts of good wishes; though its appearance has been entirely twisted by flame and heat, it still presents a satisfied and happy look during the graceful and extravagant funeral. It is a lament over people’s evil desire of material while putting the cart before the horse, and a grief over the mass killing against living creatures by human beings just to satisfy their twisted anxiety. Furthermore, it throws a doubtful shadow over the connotation of “Happiness” popular among mankind.

　　“Four Generations Living in the same House” and “Wandering around the World” of “Beer and Skittles” are positive landscape in the series of “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”. These two specially designed performances restore and reproduce the meaning of these two idioms with the method of pure demonstration. In “Four Generations Living in the same House”, people of different age are enjoying family happiness, they faces are enlightened by the flickering candle flame, everyone is happy with gentle and harmonious smile. In the admiration and praise of the tradition of a nation of politeness, is the voice to restore and rebuild the warm friendship and harmonious ethics that clearly be heard. People from all parts of the world gather together in “Wandering around the World”, they sing and dance together, there is no barrier of any kind that hinder their friendship, the world becomes a big family where the language of love prevails. Here, the cosmopolitism vision and quality is stressed, the bold openness and communication is encouraged, open your arm and embrace the world. The mutual influence and fusion of the two different connotations are the good wishes the artist holds under the general mood of cold human relationships and shameless selfishness. “Four Generations Living in the Same House” and “Wandering around the World” have simple and flowing stage space, in addition, there are configuration of settings and characters, fabrication of circumstances and atmosphere, these can also be regarded as the branch and transformation of “Gathering Art” in terms of form. “ABUNDANCE” puts forth new ideas through the way attaching popular sayings of today to the old posters produced in revolutionary era, it tries to locate the Gathering point of history and present in the form of dislocation and reorganization. The seemingly familiar brave words and the scene of prosperity all make sound in the echo wall; history and present often meet astonishingly together, they always go hand in hand.

　　“Dream World Music”, “Met Old Chap Marx in Paris”, “Daily Record of Fleeting Time” all keep a fragrant memory of the past, they form a spiritual symphony with all kinds of feelings well up in heart. “Dream World Music” builds up a sealed apartment with various interesting objects, it vividly presents the special inner world of the people born in 1950 and 1960. It is a spiritual file with color and sound recording the psychological track left by this particular group of people in different time, notes down their spiritual growth and the changes along with times. It can be seen without difficulty that how the flame of idealism found in this group of people had been enlightened, and how the flame flickered, excitingly or feebly, in the wind and rain of the time. The apartment can also be perceived as a spiritual museum of the artist that constitutes a well-defined figure of a young life involved in time of great change. It can be felt that the owner of the apartment is not paranoia of idealism, nor is he a person possessed by opportunism, he bears glowing worldliness and common features. He leads a normal and thrifty life along with the rhythm of times, but he holds a sweet Utopia dream in his heart from time to time. He has no place for hiding secrets, and is declined to praise or admire himself, while he is physically and mentally healthy; he optimistically marches forward along with the times. This kind of configuration is better depicted in a typical sense. The double bed in the apartment is a showcase for romantic love, it displays romance and fantasies of love shared by the same generation, and at the same time, voice the puzzlement and fuss toward that. White bedspread, clean under wear and the other items shows the pure and direct sexual desire, without the interference of low taste and carnality. The substances left after sexual intercourse form a pattern of rose with white and red color, it reminds people of the mysterious and romantic title of “Red Rose and White Rose” hence creates an amazingly ambiguous effect.

　　“Met Old Chap Marx in Paris” put the thoughtful meanings into the instant moment of interlaced time and space. Marx is the old fellow who lives in our heart, the name itself is a special mark of human culture and good wishes which will remain intact in history forever. To meet Marx in a strange place is just like meet an old friend in a foreign land, how could a person deny all the excited feelings after experienced such a great event? It must be a happy gathering arranged by God, let’s have a close look at history and ourselves. The gentle memories of the fleeting times jump up and down in the dark red liquid in the cup, all the joys and bitterness of long time concentrate on the point of the brush. The clock is tinkling, the events have passed and the times have changed, but the objects in the universe always motion in line with their rigid and never-changed rules.

　　“Daily Record of Fleeting Time” restores the memories in history, it tastes the meanings of the olds events and sweet emotions in great detail. Through the feel of the history, artists gain an effective balance and explanation for the active and energetic present world. In the dull gray color mixed all kinds of emotional colors, the passing times and figures suddenly emerge out of gloomy shadow with simple and soft silhouette, noisily repeating the destruction of Utopia with deep sorrow and apathy. But there is no cynical complaint or helpless despair; extreme happiness and sadness have been covered up by gray history, the ever coolness and grandness have been melted by today’s maturity and openness. Only the fragment of hope remained dumbly in the catastrophe and relics. The gray tone on the painting doesn’t point at the gray feelings of apathy and sadness eventually. As an article on shelf, this group of paintings still has the virtue of theatrical transformation and exaggeration; the composition of characters is just like the quick changes on the stage; plot design follows the fashion of old comic book and posters, and it fits well with the reappeared obsolete atmosphere. If “Red Series” can be described as active participation and shape into the real world, “Daily Record of Fleeting Time” can well be seen as a expression of serenity and peacefulness, it is a counter-check and silent consideration with smile.

　　“Here a Perfect Sight” photo series is a calm and considerate look over the big modern city: the congested and thick crowd, of which there are someone chasing material desires, and someone indulged in silent thinking over the old dreams. Big mansions soar up to the sky, large blocks of apartment buildings make a false show of strength while you can see little charm in them. The army of cranes is grandly march forward in all directions, the soil is rapidly transformed and dredged up…confronted with all these stunt, a naive little girl shows a frightened and puzzled look. In this era where efficiency is equal to cash, will big mansions and dazzling money crazily grow up just in the way wheat grows in the time of the Great Leap Forward? The material revolution happened in our old ancient land nowadays still secures a grand and magnificent appearance, while to whom can we entrust our mild and meticulous soul? It seems that behind every scene shot, there lie more meaningful stories whose plots can be carefully tasted and imagined. What we can directly catch is the distress and helplessness as well as the vague sigh of the photographer behind the camera.

　　“Play with Art” is an extension of the exhibition with the form of Gathering Art. Maybe it clears up all the joys and sorrows imposed by “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD” and all kinds of craziness and sighs of the artists. Go and have a look at the place where the artists live and create, you will see they are just some common people who can’t live without things like “eat, drink, play and have fun”; their mystery will suddenly disappear. Art is very close to you, they are not some decorations displayed in the big hall, they are just some usual scenes, sometimes, they are plain jokes and games, while sometimes, they are mincing rituals and masks of adults.

　　The whole exhibition and performance ends up on “Far away here, Start over”, it is a sheet of poster with a letter attached. Hopefully, it will not be thrown to the trashcan after the distracting exhibition and performance, it maybe the proof of a valuable time shared with friends. It records – Beijing, a modern exhibition hall, a spring afternoon, a drama not known whether to laugh or cry, and a multi-colored exhibition.

　　The performance and exhibition is over, take off the theatrical costume and masks, stretch arms and legs. The world remains the same –- the cloud is still flying slowly in the sky, people still wear their smiling. Let's continue our normal life to eat drink play and have fun! Take the bud whenever you can, don’t relentlessly fail the spring scenery of WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!