Press release 31/03/2005 Para/site Artspace, Hong Kong Pls scroll down for the Chinese version. Press photos available upon request
Curiosities:
post-art from the edge –installation exhibition Artists: Ivy Ma (Hong Kong), Judy Cheung (Canada), Louise Hubbard (Australia) and Shiro Masuyama (Japan). Opening Reception: 28/4/2005 (Thurs), 6pm Exhibition Dates: 28/4 – 29/5/2005 < Ivy Ma, A FAIRY TALE (2005, Bangladesh) Iron-made playground ride, sweets in black handkerchief, color light bulbs
While the child-protagonist Alice's journey through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole is a consequence of her intelligence and inquisitiveness; so is curiosity the drive for artists to work on materials, elements and found objects they meet in the everyday life. And while familiarly unfamiliar are fairytales and dream adventures are to us all; so are the works of the artists on themes that are universal to the collective unconscious such as dreams, traveling, fairytales and the very sense of being itself. After presenting the vaudevillian garden together with an op-scape and taking the audience to a-rolling and strolling with images in donut shape, Para/site Artspace is proud to present “Curiosities: post-art from the edge” in April and May 2005. This is an installation exhibition comprising works from 4 artists from different background and nationality, and out of a pool of 120 proposals submitted, yet bearing the similar cutting-edge way of interpreting and re-presenting everyday life objects as art-objects out of everyday materials and found objects. And similar too, is the fact that the works may have exhibited somewhere else individually but shipped and post to the site here for an open dialogue with each other; and on what site-specificity may mean; and what everydayness may become in a playful manner. If “curious” has similar meaning with “concern, eagerness, inquiring mind, inquisitiveness, interest, interestingness, intrusiveness, investigation, meddling, mental acquisitiveness,
nosiness, officiousness, prying, questioning, regard, searching, snooping”, yet at the same time is synonymous with “anomaly, bibelot, bygone, conversation piece, curio, exoticism, freak, knickknack, marvel, monstrosity, nonesuch, objet d'art, oddity, peculiar object, prodigy, rarity, singular object, trinket, wonder”; then “curiosities” promises certain degree of “interest” and “oddity”. So be there to explore how oddities may work against the norm; and how interesting an art space can become with the works of marvel.
About the artists & their works: Ivy Ma (Hong Kong) works in varied media and the notion of using materials in art making as the ever-ending process of transmigration of Subject and Object. Her art is an expression in response to society and her experiences. Her interest in psychoanalysis reflects in the notion of art as a doll that will listen to and absorb her thoughts and emotions. In working in paint and concerning herself only in form, circles and other plane shape, Ma denies the viewers any intricate interpretation, and in doing so create intimate compositions measured only by her artistic intuition. “This series of art pieces is about childhood memories, imaginations, and fantasies. The materials I choose help both myself and viewers stepping into psyche, where the space is always the enclosed room as solitude for putting ‘things’ (memories) in and for someone to ‘create’ (memorize) their own fairy tales.”
Judy Cheung (Canada) works on kinetic installation, photography and video and has been included in exhibitions across Canada, USA, Europe and Hong Kong. Her photographic art is a continuous experimentation and investigation of perceptual reality. Installations she constructs are often interactive, rendering a form in which the audience is propelled into a journey. She received a BFA degree from University of Calgary in 1987 and an MFA degree from Pratt Institute, New York in 1992 and is a recipient of numerous awards for her innovative projects. An active member in the arts community, she is involved as an artist, a teacher and a curator. Cheung lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. “skyLink is a virtual airport. A multi-component installation, viewers navigate through travel effects, re-created and re-contextualized by the artist, that resonate, with subtle humor, the homogeneity, banality and frequency of international travel. The work exemplifies our cultural existence, increasingly similar and
borderless, through globalized consumerism and consumption. It embodies ephemeral moments of engagement, where spatial and tactile senses are aroused through one’s perception and interaction, in an undefined territory.”
Louise Hubbard (Australia) receives her MFA by research at RMIT University in 2000 and has participated in solo and group shows since 1977. She has also been a writer, director, producer of documentaries, short drama and experimental works for cinema and television from 1983 to 1998. Currently she is a lecturer at the School of Art, Victorian College of the Arts. Her work provokes memory and association with a seemingly unstable installation of found objects. Familiar objects are turned unfamiliar yet not unrecognizable but with a feeling of uncanny fear and obsolesce. “I collect objects which trigger psychological and emotional impulses which I then harness into relationships of abstraction. My work relies upon a strategy that is anthropomorphic by nature. The ‘nature’ of training (submission, subordination) is my obsession, as is my interest in pedagogical and disciplinary spaces in which subjectivity and knowledge are formed. My work complies with the doctrinaire no cut and paste, look, put, and look again, means to making sense.”
Shiro Masuyama (Japan) has always been seen as anti-social as he playfully questions the behaviour of people in the norm, Shiro’s works is also special in the sense that he encourages participation from the audience which is rare in the ‘usual’ gallery and museum spaces. Originally trained as an architect at Meiji University, Tokyo, Shiro commences his contemporary art practice and exhibitions, group and solo, in Tokyo, New York, Vienna and Stockholm etc after his Master of Architecture in 1997. Presently he is at an artist in residence program at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin. “I would say that it is after people got involved in it when my work completed. To make the devices is only preliminary for me to a completed work. I think my work is different from peaceful one that is common in so-called "communication art" or conventional "interactive art", as it puts people trapped to use in the work. It creates a reverse of standpoints of the viewer and the artist; the artist watches the viewer and the viewer is watched. After all, the viewer comes to face himself. I mean I don’t just present my work on the media. I create a four-dimensional situation, having the viewers got involved in the work, and take it as a media.”
Exhibition Details: Opening Reception: 28/4/2005 (Thurs), 6pm Exhibition Dates: 28/4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29/5/2005 Opening Hours: 12-7pm, closed on Mon, Tue & Public Holidays Venue: Para/Site Artspace (No.4 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong)
Artist Talk: 30/4/2005 (Sat), 2-4pm Venue: Para/Site Artspace (No.4 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong) Moderator: Rita Hui
Free Admission. All are welcome
Press & Exhibition Enquiries: Caroline Hu 2517-4620 or info@para-site.org.hk This exhibition is presented by Para/Site Art Space. (www.para-site.org.hk)
Acknowledgement:
31.03.2005 新聞公佈
奇異樂思天 (來自既遠亦近的愛與夢飛行) 裝置藝術展覧 參展藝術家:
馬琼珠 (香港) + 張茱迪 （加拿大） + 露易絲‧哈伯德 （澳洲）+ 增山士郎（日本） 開幕∶2005 年 4 月 28 日（星期四）下午六點正 展期∶4 月 28 日（星期四）至 5 月 29 日（星期日） <露易絲‧哈伯德 （澳洲）, 木筏 (2004)
如愛麗斯夢遊仙境時懷著的好奇心與童真一樣，藝術家對身邊的日常生活點滴總抱非一 般的無限洞察力。而當裝置藝術作品總是因環境空間與情緒經驗的種種影響與限制時， 它們卻每每也呈現出像夢境或童話故事裡非常一般的幻想空間；而這非常一般的空間也 正是於看像一般生活裡的小小視覺與經驗遊樂場。 繼 Para/Site 2005 雙個展菲比的雜耍花園與馬浩賢的剎那「光」景 的二次元與三次元 空間的關係測試與展示，及《圓．遊．會》裡的三百六十度環迴視野「大平（面）玩（音 讀「反」 ） ，Para/Site 藝術空間再以寶驗遇上概念性，創出藝術作品與空間的無限有趣 可能性。奇異樂思天(來自既遠亦近的愛與夢飛行) 裝置藝術展覧 將展示由四個來自不 同國籍與背境藝術家的装置作品。將於四月二十八日開幕的奇異樂思天，除了是英文 題目”Curiosities” 的譯音外，也顧名思義地充滿了無窮的「奇異」 、 「樂」趣與橫行的 「思想」空間外。這個裝置藝術展覧也是 Para/Site 藝術空間從接到多達 120 個的展 覧計劃書中，精心選出其中四個的結合。別題「來自既遠亦近的愛與夢飛行」 ，是概括 地指四個作品能同時於不同的文化領域裡找出能讓大眾有共鳴。就如童話故事裡的虛與 實、浮與沉、樂與悲、遠與近，四個作品也應用了日常生活中極平凡的物與質，再加以 概念性實驗，更分別以「愛」 、 「夢」 、 「飛」與「行」的點子遊樂於同一個非常場地。再 者，四個作品也不約而同地曾於其它海外展覽場地個別展出，今趟同場展出，實行互相 對話、也互相交流於另類的展示方式，場地與空間中。
奇異樂思天也以「遊」為主題﹕
「遊」如「遊遍」 、 「遊行」 、 「遨遊」 、 「雲遊」 、 「浪遊」 、 「漫遊」 、 「交遊」 、 「遊目」 、 「遊魂」 、 「遊 憩」 、 「遊蕩」 、 「遊觀」 、 「遊記」 、 「遊客」 、 「遊覽」 、 「遊樂」 、 「遊獵」 、 「遊歷」 、 「遊目」 、 「遊刃」 、 「遊戲」 、 「遊興」 、 「遊心」 、 「遊手」 、 「遊說」 、 「遊蹤」 、 「遊子」 、 「遊玩」 、 「遊豫」等。
關於參展藝術家與其作品﹕ 馬琼珠 (香港) 的作品均利用多類型媒介、及以避免特定解釋的形式形態與洞察力製
作。曾就讀英國利茲大學 MA Feminist Theory and Practice in Visual Art 的她，喜以藝術表 達對社會與身邊經驗。也因對心理分析的濃厚興趣，而深信藝術能像洋娃娃般聆聽與吸 取她的思想感情，並致力探求物質與藝術品的長久分不清誰是主動或被動的關係。 「這作品糸列以童年回憶及幻想作主題，亦籍著所用的物料（如汽球、洋娃娃、棉花與 糖果等）將觀眾帶領至靈魂深處那似乎既孤寂既温柔的回憶與童話國度。」
張茱迪 （加拿大）主力於機械裝置、攝影與錄像創作。她的攝影創作是對視覺現實旳
一個連續實驗與探素，而她的互動性裝置往往帶領参予者進入一個似曾相識的旅程。先 後畢業於加拿大 University of Calgary (BFA, 1982)及紐約的 Pratt Institute (MFA, 1992) ，張 氏獲獎無數，亦曾參予多個於美加，歐洲及香港的展覽。現居於加拿大温哥華的她，既 是藝術家、攝影師、也是教育工作者、作家與策展人。 「skyLink 是一個虛擬機場。以數個裝置（客機裡提供的膠杯作飛機模型、在入口處的 電視營幕播放著行李於輸送帶上被保鮮紙包裹的過程等）及其豐富幻想力與幽默性讓參 予者溜走於旅途中。 它表現我們於無國界地域裡與全球化現像下的消費文化與身份價 值，也體現了裝置藝術於人體的感官與思考領域裡的互動可能性。」
露易絲‧哈伯德 （澳洲）在 2000 年於澳洲 RMIT 考獲藝術研究碩士並自 1977 年起參予
多個個展及聯展。於 1983 至 1998 年間她曾先後任作家、電影及電視製作的導演及監製， 現於澳洲 the School of Art, Victorian College of the Arts 任講師一職。哈伯德的作品提出不 少與回憶及潛意識有關的議題，極具夢景般的不可思議。 「以收集回來的物品作装置的物料，籍此希望能啟發對身邊不同的物品與物料的重新觀 點與想法，也願能以人類生態學角度看看四週、再回看自己。」
增山士郎（日本）的作品刻意地反影一般體制及社群行為表現，於藝術場地裡的裝置作
品更挑戰參予者於一般該類場地空間裡的參予性與態度。於東京 Meiji University 修讀建 築的增山，於 1997 年考獲建築碩士學位後始創作多個近代藝術裝置與作品，並於東京、 紐約、維也納和斯德哥爾摩等地作個展及聯展。現階段正參予於柏林 Kunstlerhaus Bethanien 舉辦的藝術家註場計劃。 「以溝通作藝術品概念、也以藝術品作溝通渠道。但增山士郎的裝置藝術品大大有別於 其它一般互動藝術裝置，因他的作品令參予者變成被動 – 被動於藝術家；互動藝術裝 置變成「主動」的觀察者。這關係正如人與媒體的多層次複雜關係一樣 –觀者利用媒 體去看，但同時也被媒體在看…主動反變被動…而互動藝術裝置也正正變成此種媒體。」 展覽詳情﹕ 開幕酒會: 28/04/2005, 6pm 展覧日期﹕28/4 – 29/05/2005 開放時間﹕中午 12 時至晚上 7 時 (星期一、二及公衆假期休息) 地點: Para/Site 藝術空間 (香港上環普仁街 4 號) 藝術家分享會：30/04/2005, 2-4pm 地點: Para/Site 藝術空間 (香港上環普仁街 4 號) 主持﹕許雅舒
費用全免，歡迎各界參觀 新聞界及展覧查詢: Caroline Hu info@para-site.org.hk 或 2517-4620 ﹝藝術空間﹞
是次展覽由 Para/Site 藝術空間主辦 (http://www.para-site.org.hk)
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