Rauschenberg working on The 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece (1981–98) in his Laika Lane studio, Captiva, Florida, ca. 1983. Photo: Attributed to Terry Van Brunt
Rauschenberg in China: The 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece to travel nearly 7000 miles to be exhibited in Beijing, June 2016
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation is delighted to announce that the artist's The 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece (1981–98) will be shown at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing from June 12–August 21, 2016. Comprised of approximately 190 parts and stretching over 1,500 feet, this work has been described as a self-contained retrospective, referring to significant developments throughout Rauschenberg's career.
While it will be the first time this monumental artwork has been seen in Asia, it is thirty years since Rauschenberg’s ROCI CHINA was presented at the National Art Gallery, Beijing. The artist first conceived of the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) while collaborating with master papermakers in Jingxian in 1982. A multi-year international project, ROCI aimed to foster cross-cultural understanding through art.