About

Cinema Club: The Swim (He Xiangyu)

He Xiangyu shot The Swim in his hometown of Kuandian, which is located next to the Yalu River that demarcates the border between China and North Korea. Making several visits over the course of a year, the artist attempted to capture what had now become for him the ‘strange reality’ of his childhood home.

Opening with lyrical sequences of the area’s beautiful landscape, the film presents interviews with several Kuandian residents including Chinese veterans who fought in the Korean War and North Korean defectors who live there illegally. Each with a unique story to tell, they reveal their daily struggle for survival and identity, tragic past experiences and their expectations for the future. Collectively they touch on the historical events that occurred in China and North Korea during the 20^th century, including the Land Reform, the Civil War, the Korean War and the North Korean famine. The film ends with a highly symbolic journey in which the artist attempts to swim across the Yalu River to North Korea, in order to better understand his protagonists’ lives as well as the ‘cruelty’ embedded within this bucolic landscape.

He Xiangyu was born in 1986 in Liaoning Province, China, and lives and works in Beijing and Berlin. He graduated from Shenyang Normal University, China, in 2008. Solo exhibitions include Qiao Space, Shanghai (2017); Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2015); White Cube, London (2014); 4A Center for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney (2012); Künstlerhaus Schloß Balmoral, Bad Ems, Germany (2011) and Wall Art Museum, Beijing (2010). He has also exhibited in various group shows including Bunker #3, the Boros Collection, Berlin (2017), The 13th Biennale de Lyon (2015); Fire and Forget, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2015); Shanghai Biennale (2014); Future Generation Art Prize, Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev (2014); Busan Biennale (2014); Yokohama Triennale (2014) and 28 Chinese, the Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2013).

Contains scenes of an adult nature.

Part of CINEMA CLUB

Join us for a weekly expanded cinema experience this season each Sunday, including a film accompanied a programme of shorts, installations, music and discussion & debate as well as a delicious brunch menu in our café-bar.

2pm: café-bar open and venue events begin

4pm: feature film starts

General Information

Access

The following access tickets can be booked online: spaces for wheelchair users, seats with flat floor access, best seats for sightlines of captions / BSL interpretation (when applicable). For guidance about online booking and for further information about accessibility at the venue see our Access page here.

If you have access requirements that you would like to discuss with us or would like to book a ticket for a Personal Assistant please contact the box office on 01273 678 822 or email boxoffice@attenboroughcentre.com.

Concessions

The concession rate is available for students, University of Sussex staff, Over 60s, and people in receipt of JSA or DLA/PIP. Proof of eligibility may be required on the door or at the box office (if collecting). Personal assistance tickets are available for free for customers who would otherwise be unable to attend the venue. Please contact the box office on 01273 678822 or email boxoffice@attenboroughcentre.com for further information.

Box Office Opening Times

The box office (phone line and drop-in service) is open from 10am to 4pm, Mondays to Fridays. The box office is also open one hour before the advertised show start time.