Was a master’s work cast aside? There is one near the staircase, and the loo has one too!

In Mr Shan’s No.55 Artspace, there is a photograph hanging near the stairs. It is from a Master Collection, so why is this work hiding in the corner? Did the living room or master bedroom have no place for it?

This work is an important piece of the history of photography. It was taken by the pioneer of modern photography, a man who was forgotten for 20 years of his life – André Kertész

In 1936, Kertesz accepted a job offer in the United States with the Keystone Press Agency. Unhappy with the contract terms and working conditions, he broke the contract, leaving him to look for freelance work with various magazines. During this time, while reviewing Kertész’s work, the Life magazine editor made a disparaging comment. ‘You said too much with no obvious intention.’ The magazine never saw André Kertész again. It wasn’t until 20 years later, when American photography finally caught up with Europe, that people realized that Andre Kertesz was an important part of that leap.

In 1972 when Andre published his book Sixty Years of Photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, a world-renowned photographer proclaimed that he was a proud student of Andre Kertesz and that no matter what others did in photography, Andre was always a step ahead of everyone.

The Mondrian Room photo was taken in 1926 at the home of Piet Mondrian; this is where they first met. The composition’s Mondrian style was flavoured by what would eventually be known as the signature vision of Andre Kertesz.

Today, Andre’s works are the darlings of many art auctions. Mondrian’s Pipe and Glasses, Paris, sold for $376,500, while In Mondrian’s Home, Paris, sold for $20,5 million. In 1964, MOMA had a solo exhibition of Andre’s works. In 1965, Andre received an honorary membership from the American Photographers Association. In 1974, a Guggenheim prize was added to his portfolio of accolades. And in 1983, the French government awarded Andre with the Medal of Honour.

The realization of photography’s important contribution to the arts led Mr Shan to collect some masterpieces over time. Mr Shan has an affinity for black and white, from the way he dresses to the way he collects works of art. The five elements of the subconscious mind, like Yin and Yang, black and white, make up the universal law.

The Mondrian Room transcends time and space and embellishes the space on Mr Shan’s staircase. Though this may be considered by some to not be the most prominent place for such a culturally significant piece. But its impact and visual profoundness cannot be understated. Linking the stairs in the photo to the real stairs forms one’s appreciation of its importance.

The work has not been cast aside; rather Mr Shan has intuitively chosen to display it in a different way.

‘The visible is not left out’, said Zhenheng, a Ming dynasty poet, in Superfluous Things. The ancient literati wisdom dictates the layout of spaces based on objective conditions and environment, those of nature, such as climate, topography and humanity, along with folk, historical and cultural heritage.

Why is there art in the loo?

In the loo, you’ll find Liu Xiaodong’s painting of David Lynch’s photograph of a human body, and Xu Tianjin’s calligraphy, Snow Fall, adorns the door. Are these works misplaced?

Xiaodong was one of China’s leading artists of post-realist movement of the 1990s. His keen observation of modern life and obsession with realistic paintings became a conceptual statement in the context of contemporary art, which is dominated by the medium of photography.

One such work of Xiaodong is from his Tavern series, where he recreated a photo using acrylic paint. The main subject of his work is a dog doing his business in an open field, which adds a touch of fun to the loo. The theme of this work predetermines the criterion of where it might be displayed; one would likely find it distasteful to display it in a study or a tea room. And that is why this work is truly appreciated here, because there is no ambiguity.

Snow Fall, calligraphy by Xu Tianjin, is in the category of ‘useless’ use. Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese Confucian philosopher, believed that what is perceived to be useful corrupts morality by distorting our views. ‘There is no life without useless things. Useless is healthier than useful for a happier life’, said Wang Shixuan, another Qing dynasty philosopher. Everything has a place in life. After all, what is deemed to be useless, boring or uncomfortable is subject to interpretation.