Huang Yong Ping: Frolic

It has been claimed that the art of writing fiction lies in winning the suspension of the reader's disbelief. I'm beginning to think that this applies to art reviews as well! Take Huang Yong Ping's Frolic, which opens tomorrow in The Curve at The Barbican, London. The title comes from the name of an opium ship, and Ping's installation focuses on the 19th Century Opium Wars between Britain and China. The centrepiece is a statue of Lord Palmerston - the Prime Minister credited with starting the Opium Wars - on an opium bed smoking a huge opium pipe. Can you believe all this tosh? Even the names don't ring true. You have until 21 September to establish the truth for yourself. Admission is free.