Shanghai Biennale: Yue Minjun

"Colorful Running Dinosaurs" is the title for this monstrosity (pun intended) of an installation by internationally renowned Chinese artist Yue Minjun. Minjun is arguably the best known and most annoying of the recently mega-minted contemporary Chinese artists. Minjun, from Beijing, was one of the few recognizable names (for a foreigner) in the Biennale, and of course, his trademark grinning man's face was being employed as usual. I have to say that his installation was amazing. My photographs really do it no justice. As you came up the stairs and turned into a narrow hall, you were faced with human-headed, life size dinosaurs, ranging from inches to dozens of feet long. The scale of the larger models was incredible, they completely blocked the ones behind from view, so it was surprising that they kept going and going and going- there were very many of even the largest ones. The scale was very effective and combined with the wild colorings inspired wonder and amusement in everyone, I think. I kept trying to figure out how they had gotten them in there- obviously in parts, but they were seemless, leading me to believe that they must have been painted on site. That must have been quite a task in the narrow hallway.