The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg at Castello di Rivoli, Museum for Contemporary Arts, Turin, Italy
(Dir.: Michael Schindhelm, Switzerland, 2016, 93 min., English)
Uli Sigg is not a man who does things by halves. “My ego, my way” says a t-shirt he wears at one point in the film. When he took up rowing, he went to the world championships. When he negotiated a joint venture, he wanted to create a model for future partnerships. And when he became interested in Chinese art, he built a world-class personal collection. Sigg championed the artists he admired, working tirelessly for their international recognition and to preserve their artwork as a record of China’s tumultuous and historic changes. Eventually, Sigg became the Swiss ambassador to China and a consultant on major Chinese art projects, including the construction of the Bird’s Nest stadium for the Olympic Games.
Filmmaker Michael Schindhelm’s documentary is a history of China’s recent opening to the West, and of the West’s embrace of Chinese contemporary art, through the eyes of Sigg and the artists he championed.
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Public screening at Covid-times: Talk with chief curator of
Castello di Ricoli, Marcella Beccaria
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Scene from the opening of the film, screened at Castello di Rivoli