Danwei Unfolding

Danwei Unfolding explored the relationship between collective life, social structures and individual experience, taking the concept of the danwei (work unit) as a starting point for examining how communities are formed, organised and transformed.

Through contemporary artistic practices, the exhibition considered the ways in which shared environments, institutional histories and everyday interactions shape experiences of belonging and social identity. Rather than approaching the danwei solely as a historical structure, the project opened up broader questions around collectivity, memory and changing relationships between individuals and the spaces they inhabit.

Presented at TANK Shanghai, the exhibition brought these questions into dialogue through artistic perspectives and exhibition-making, reflecting an interest in the relationship between contemporary art, social histories and cultural contexts.

Co-curated by Nathan Yeomans, Merit Zimmermann and Jiayue Yu

Participating artists Liu Yu, Kanthy Peng, Nishiko, Qiu Xiaofei, Tong Wenmin, Xing Danwen, Wu Yijia, Zhi Wei, Zheng Tianyi and Dino Zhang.

Photography Courtesy TANK Shanghai.