Zhou Tiehai

(ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated 2002 on the reverse
(vii) signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated 2004 on reverse

ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai
Acquired by the present owner from the above

China, Beijing, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection, 19 July – 12 October 2008
(alternative edition has been exhibited in below events)
Switzerland, Bern, Kunstmuseum, Shanghai Kino, 30 May – 19 July, 2009
China, Shanghai, ShanghART , Stolen Treasures from Modern China , 8 September-10  October, 2009
USA, New York, James Cohan Gallery, Catch the Moon in the Water: Emerging Chinese Artists, 16 June-29 July, 2011
China, Shanghai, Minsheng Art Museum, Moving Image In China, 9 September – 27 November, 2011  
German, Karlsruhe, ZKM | Center for Art and Media, The Global Contemporary, 17 September, 2011 – 5 February , 2012
German, Berlin, Akademie der Künste, Nothing to Declare? 1 February, 2012 – 24 March, 2013
Germany, Munich,KINO DER KUNST Film Festival, 24 April – 28 April, 2013
China, Shanghai, 15 Years Chinese Contemporary Art Award (CCAA)Power Station of Art, 26 April – 20 July, 2014
China, Hong Kong, Asia Art Archive, Mapping Asia, 12 May – 16 Aug, 2014
China, Beijing, Zhou Tiehai Video Bureau, 23 May – 24 July, 2014 

These works are generally in good condition. The paper works exhibit some creases, which is consistent with the artist's working method and medium. On the canvas work that depicts two men holding umbrellas, there is a very minor dent in the upper right quadrant. Please note that these were not examined under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A Laugh in the Face of the Nineties
Zhou Tiehai

Will/We Must consists of a black-and-white soundless video that Zhou Tiehai created in 1996 and a group of fourteen works on paper and canvas that he made based on it. The characteristically humorous video dramatically exposes the strange phenomena of the Chinese art world at the time. Its imitation of the style of silent movies exaggerates the absurdity of the content to the point of becoming satire. During the nineties, Chinese artists frequently participated in exhibitions abroad. Reflecting on this period of prosperity, Zhou Tiehai satirises the overseas curators and collectors, as well as the Chinese artists themselves, in this footnote to the history of contemporary Chinese art.

Will/We Must has 9 independent soundless scenes. The first is a mock military meeting that dramatises an artist's need to establish his own status independently from museum directors, critics, and gallery owners. The second scene demonstrates an artist's wish to befriend critics and media in order to have his works exhibited. In the third scene, we see one patient after another queuing to be examined by a "foreign expert"; this is a parody of the need for Chinese artists to be "treated" by foreign critics before successfully exhibiting abroad. The fourth scene is a conversation between a collector who has traveled to China from afar and a guide taking him to an artist's studio; we witness the guide's taste and the collector's list of artists to visit. In the fifth scene, we see an artist calling five curators to say only, "Whatever show you curate I am willing to participate in." In the sixth scene, a Qing-dynasty official receives a foreign emissary, who denigrates China for having only traditional medicine and witchcraft but no art. The Qing official snaps, "Must our art suit your taste?" Here Zhou Tiehai articulates the prejudices held by foreign critics about the Chinese art world. Following all these absurd and bizarre situations, the last scene features 10 desperate artists on a raft, unable to move forwards or backwards, embodying the embarrassment and anger Chinese artists felt as they attempted to interface with the outside world in the nineties. This scene—and the video as a whole—ends with a line filled with pathos: "Goodbye, Art!" 

Will/We Must includes also 14 drawings on paper and also canvas works that recreate the important scenes from the video. Some of these are on newsprint, and others on white paper. Will/We Must expresses Zhou Tiehai's artistic philosophy and documents his creative direction. Satirising the art system itself has become an important topic in his subsequent works, including the renowned Placebo and Tonic series.