Zhou Chunya & Jaime Hayon

Libido refers to a person’s primitive and intuitive biological urges contained in what Freud called the ego. Some of the subconscious desires unfulfilled during one’s childhood are compensated for through games or other methods as a means of consolation. While a person’s desires intensify as one grows older the need to fit in, to meet the expectations of the society, and to conform to ethics and religion often suppress the opportunity to act on these desires. Artists, through their self-exploration, highlight libido in a way that forces viewers to introspect and sublimating their desires to a whole new level. Chinese contemporary artist Zhou Chunya gives a truthful portrayal of the libido of grown men through the pompousness, clumsiness, and growling faces of the “green dog”, manifesting both the restraint and the liberation of the libido. Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, on the other hand, thinks outside the box with his bold style and unique works. His freewheeling dream-like, yet realistic style paints the true face of one’s libido as a child.

Two figures from different disciplines join hands to launch ALIVE, with dozens of pieces portraying different faces and motions of the green dog, while the display case showcases fluid lines and contours. This collaboration between art and architecture reveals the maturity of both artists as well as their optimism towards reality. ALIVE explores the changes of the libido as one grows older emotionally and transforms and evolves. It surpasses previous artworks by transcending personal experiences and specific contexts to portray a general phenomenon that every one of us goes through. With concepts of modern design incorporated and reinterpreted, ALIVE forces viewers to open up and reflect upon artworks with a genuine and honest attitude.