Artist in Residency - AIR Chiyoda, Tokyo 2016, Samues Leung

TOKYO AIR

My experiences earned from the artist in residence, exhibition, learning, exercise and more importantly –art making in Tokyo Jul – Oct 2016

Contents

004-010 About 3331 Art Chiyoda and my Residency Plan

011-028 1ST Solo Exhibition - THE ART OF IMPERMANCE (30/07 to 01/08, 2016)

029-032 Snapshot of studio practices and art making

033-034 The drawing and calligraphic workshop (25/08, 2016)

036-037 Meeting with Tokyo Wonder Land

038-046 Social activities

047-068 Artwork creation - MAY WAY/ LONG DIARY

069-105 1st Open Studio - TROPICAL SECENERIES (05/09, 2016)

106-127 2nd Solo Exhibition – LINE ON BOARD (17/10 to 20/10,2016)

128- 137 2nd Open Studio – LINE ON BOARD (25/10,2016)

138-170 Art Walk in Tokyo and my favorite artwork capturing

171-204 Snapshot of city tours, hiking and daily biking

205-209 Snapshot of Fanny’s daily cooking

210-212 My favorite cooking for my best friends

213-228 Selective architectures in Tokyo and snapshot

3331 Art Chiyoda - a place to encounter multiple expressions

Based in the renovated Rensei Junior High School 3331 Arts Chiyoda creates a space in which leading artists and creative have the freedom to present their diverse expressions. 3331 brings together cutting edge art with the familiar everyday.

The first floor gallery presents an exciting range of exhibitions highlighting 3331’s unique vision of the art scene 3331 aims to break the barrier of inaccessibility often associated with art museums and instead create an art space which everyone can enter at ease, including a wide range of spaces which visitors can enjoy for free. While walking throughout the arts centre you can sense the creative energy which makes up 3331 through the diverse range of artists and creative practitioners based here.

3331 is an active space hosting a wide range of events and exhibitions and transmitting a new form expression not only as a hub for Tokyo, but also acting as a hub which links Japan’s various regions and that of wider Asia, with the objective of forming an international base for a new kind of art.

The origin of 3331

The name "3331"is the traditional Edo Ippon Tejimehandclap translated into numbers

Traditionally used when people want to share their happiness an encourage each other, the Edo Ippon Tejime is one of the old yet immaterial traditions inherited from the Edo period. When a leading voice says "Iyo'o!"(supposedly a contraction of 「祝おう」iwaou:let’ s celebrate), 3 sets of 3handclaps answer "da-da-da da-da-da da-da-da", adding to become 9,which stands for stress or labor (as「苦」ku:the pain, has a pronunciation similar to「九」kyu, ku:9 ) Then a final single handclap "da" comes to expel all that stress (as a single stroke added to the kanj「九」 transforms it into「丸」maru:the achievement) Taken as a symbol of the Edo Ippon Tej ime,"3331" visually evokes an images of rhythm as well as distilling a sense of people’s gratitude and positive feelings

1 Ote wo haishaku:lit Borrowing[your]hands

2.Iyo'o clap clap clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap, clap

3.Arigato gozaimashita: thank you Everyone's applause

Residence Period: 2016.07.15-2016.10.29

Residence Project

Samues Leung's residency at 3331 Arts Chiyoda will be kicked off by his debut solo exhibition from July 30 to August 1, and concluded with a second exhibition in October, 2016. Samues will expand his MFA research project by conducting local research and artwork production. He will use experiences from his own life as subject matter from which to develop his new conceptual work, exploring the idea of "less redundancy" in art.

Profile

• Master in Marketing Management (MAMM) Macquarie University

• Master of Fine Arts (MFA) RMIT University

• Master of Arts and Cultural Enterprise, Central Saint Martins, University of Art London

• Art Consultant and Artist

• Base of activity: Hong Kong

• Media: Mixed media installation, photography, painting

Samues Leung has carried out seventeen art projects in multiple disciplines, including painting, performative photography, sculpture and mixed media installation between 2014-15. His current academic research explores how an appreciation of the beauty of Japanese aesthetics (wabi-sabi) and aspects of Zen philosophy may be used to consider ideas of impermanence in the inspiration and art making process within a fine art context.

Samues explores how an appreciation of the beauty of Japanese aesthetics and aspects of Zen philosophy may be used to consider ideas of impermanence in the art making process of fine art context. Included into the investigation are considerations of the ideas of “consciousness” and “minimalism”, which come directly from his interpretations of the universal ideas relating to Wabi-Sabi

The term and philosophies which Wabi-Sabi embraces centre around a holistic way of living and being in the world which embraces ideas of incompleteness, beauty, solitude, imperfection and profundity in life and nature. It aspires to ideas of slowness and simplicity and ultimately authenticity, where the marks and gestures of the passing of time are accepted and revered

Through the research in his Master of Fine Art program, the “Zen” related concept such as “Minimalism”, which encapsulates the idea of “redundancy”, and the ideology of “Solitude” (Sabi) are explored and expressed in different media and contexts, by exploiting various processes and materials to the fullest, which echoes with the questions of his research. Combining these intrinsically related ideas together with his own lived experiences, his artworks in this exhibition attempt to encapsulate the essence of impermanence, through materials and processes across both paintings and more linear sculptural and spatial forms, where cast shadows become as important as the physical form in considerations and meditations on the art of impermanence

レジデンスでの計画

サミューズ・リョンのアーツ千代田3331でのレジデンス滞在では、7月30 日から8月1日までの初個展を皮 切りに、成果報告展としての2回目の展示を2016年10月行う。サミューズは作品の制作と地域研究を行う ことによってMFAでのリサーチを発展させる予定である。

彼は自身の生活から来る経験を主題として使用し、彼の新しいコンセプチュアルなアプローチの作品を発 展させるため、アートにおける「必要最小限」というアイディアについて研究する。

経歴

2015年、RMIT大学 マスターオブファインアーツ (MFA)

ユニバーシティ・オブ・アート・ロンドン セントラル・セント・マーティン マスターオブアーツアンドカルチュラ ルエンタープライズ受験者

アートコンサルタント業・アーティスト

主な活動地域：香港

使用メディア：ミクストメディアによるインスタレーション、写真、絵画

サミューズは2014年から2015年の間、ペインティング、行為を主体とした写真、彫刻、ミクストメディアによ るインスタレーションを含む複数の分野にわたる17個のアートプロジェクトを行っている。彼の近年の学術 的研究調査は、どのように日本の美的感覚(侘び寂び)と禅哲学の観点を理解し、古くより重要視されてき たであろう諸行無常の考えとファインアートのコンテクストの中でアートを生み出す過程についての調査 である。

AIR 3331 Nishikicho Studio

AIR 3331, 東京都千代田神田錦町3-16 五十嵐ビル2F

2F 3-16 Kanda-Nishikicho Chiyoda-Ku Tokyo, 101-0054

Memories of Shadows

“An incident in memory is impermanent; Memory of incidents as history is permanent.”

This installation work is developed to further explore the possibilities of how “linearity can be applied in 2 and 3-dimensional media to articulate spatial considerations of time in the context of Wabi-Sabi”, in response to my MFA Research Question I attempted to use metal and copper wire as the main materials to develop a series of linear sculptures. The feature sculptures are entitled 1) A Man Story and 2) A Seed Story and the remaining part of the sculptures are all included in this “Memories of Shadows” series

In the set-up of these site-specific installations with lighting, different shadows will be reflected on the walls at the back of the sculptures. They will be viewed in a holistic perspective of “Memories of Shadows” including the viewers’ shadows.

The term “shadow memory”, when applied in the computing world, is a technique used to track and store information in computer memory used by a program during its execution Shadow memory consists of shadow bytes that map to individual bits or one or more bytes in main memory. These shadow bytes are typically invisible to the original program in the computer and are used to record information about the original piece of data

However, from a human point of view, each person has his or her own memory history which stores the past. They might also have the capability to create a “back up” memory naturally, that’s what I would call “personal shadow memory”. However, in our real life, how to access our memory, how to read it, how to use or save things in our memory are our personal choices……

Compared with the computer memory which is non-selective, the human memory is much more intriguing in the sense that it is highly selective and personalized, governed by our consciousness. As pain is a powerful retrieval cue, painful memories tend to register longer in our consciousness, and so they often have a stronger impact on us than happy memories. It is thus explicable that some people tend to choose painful things to remember.

The shadow is subject to change when viewed from different perspectives, at different times, under different kinds of light. In very much the same way, memory is relative to time and space. For example, how we remember the same past event today or ten years from now would be totally different, just like how the shadow appears stark and intense under bright lights, but fades away as the light dims out (the passage of time). Hence, there is no right or wrong, good or bad; no absolute truth but transient perception. Our perception is changing constantly, depending on circumstances and perspectives, which change from time to time, just like the shadows of these sculptures.

All in all, these wire (shadow) sculptures express the philosophy of impermanence in the form of permanence, embodied with the spirit of Zen. The tangible wires represent the journey of life in an endless cycle of birth, aging, sickness and death, while the intangible shadow represents the memory, the loss and suffering one experiences in life. What we did in the past can be a shadow of life. The “Shadow” in the sculpture represent past events that become the focal points of life with permanent impact. We may also treat this installation work as “Shadow sculpture”. The installations in place and their shadows on the wall invite viewers to walk around and ponder on the different wire forms, while their own shadows are projected on the wall.

A note to the A Seed Story - That’s a rule of the nature.

People need to practice living naturally and following their heart with patience and a peaceful mind without too much manipulations and expectations. Similar to a seed, an event can only happen at the right time, at the right place, and under the right conditions. To echo the Buddhist Concept of Impermanence, the seed is not the tree, though it produces the tree, and the fruit is also not the tree, though it is produced by the tree.

Mixed media Installation

The Man Story 2015

Mixed media Installation

Title: Three is Balance

The three narcissus stalks in tripod represent balance and a rock solid foundation of love, support and understanding among the family members. Lining up neatly in one direction, this image suggests that we have one heart and one goal despite our different positions and contributions in the family.

Title: Unbroken Thread

Without the Narcissus Images, and set up at Stanley Military Cemetery where soldiers rest in peace, this artwork describes the relationship between the two generations.

Under a gorgeous sunset, two pairs of scissors - one antique and the other modern – are placed apart, side by side, in contrast with each other The collar-pots, connected with a thick thread, have dropped their weapons and are now facing each other thoughtfully, as if one were asking the other, “Shall we talk?”

Title: They don’t understand each other

The gloom in my heart blooms toward late evening;

Up the old Cemetery, The setting Sun's endlessly endearing, But the light of Day is disappearing!

Narcissus Love

Installation configurations / Presented in digital printed photo in 68x100cm

Though I never told my father about this artwork, it should have an aesthetic expression which can be dedicated to my family, as well as honoring my father’s profession as a tailor This series of work, under the theme “Narcissus Love”, which features the Narcissus plant, was transformed from my previous work of an oil painting , which is also titled: “Narcissus Love” to an installation work consisting of 7 individual piece I then tried to make a new series of installation art in which the pots were handmade and sculpted in the shape of British shirt collars and the blossom stalks were made of real thread spindles. I have experimented setting up the seven collar-pots, with the narcissus plant being taken out or added in different backgrounds and settings to suggest different layers of meaning and narratives.

Original artwork medium: A set of 7 Narcissus-themed installation configurations

Plastic animated flower, sewing tools, card-paper, mixture of sand and acrylic

Dimension variable

Title: Family

The seven collar-shaped bowls, while different in style and character, represented the seven members of my family, designed to complement each other in a unity of harmony This installation work is a tribute to my beloved family of seven unique, but nonetheless united, members who I always cherish.

Title: With the Clocks and Shoes

Without the Narcissus, the relationship between my father and me cannot be better illustrated than by this piece. The passage of time is represented by the two clocks; the one in the foreground represents my father’s time of birth, while the blurred one in the background refers to mine. The pair of shoes is a symbol of my growth as an individual. Throughout the course, my father has played an important role. Although I have taken a different life path from my father’s, I am always my father’s son and following his footsteps.

Poetic Landscape

This series of paintings aims to capture the four seasons in the use of colour and form. The consistency in style expresses the permanent change of the season, each with its character and unique kind of beauty.

Title: Spring Gone with the Rain (連雨不知春去)

The misty rain that wets the soil is portrayed by the mixture of blue, green and earthy hues in the background. The blooming flower is the focal point of the painting.

Medium: Paper collage, acrylic and mixed media on wood board

Dimension: 80 x 120cm

Title: North Winds Chilling Down the River (北風江上寒)

The chilliness of the north winds is effectively portrayed by the cool colour tones and the rusty texture.

Medium: Paper collage, acrylic and mixed media on wood board

Dimension: 80 x 120cm

Title: The Seasons Come and Go without Staying (天不言而四時行)

This painting is inspired by A poem from Japanese Monk Ryokan (良寛 )

Translation by Steven D. Carter: Our life in this worldto what shall I compare it? Its like an echo resounding through the mountains and off into the empty sky.

For just as language cannot apprehend, nothingness cannot be expressed except in language. Over time, poems and paintings are transformed, moving towards abstraction until they are nothing but shapes and colours.

Medium: Paper collage, stone, acrylic and mixed media on wood board

Dimension: 80 x 120cm

Title: The Earth Nurtures Lives without Saying (地不語而百物生)

Medium: Paper collage, acrylic and mixed media on wood board

Dimension: 80 x 120cm

The work desk is attached in the bedroom where is located on the 3rd floor. This was the first time I experienced working and studying in a dedicated environment where allow me to concentrate on what I would love to do, grab the time to work in studio or go outside for biking, sightseeing everyday…..

“Trust yourself. You know more than you think, you do.”

DRAWING AND COLLIGRAPHIC WORKSHOP FOR THE STUDENTS OF SANAE STUDIO 25-08-2016

Tokyo Wonder Site is an art center dedicated to the generation and promotion of new art and culture from the heart of Tokyo. Based in TWS Hongo, TWS Shibuya and TWS Residency, Tokyo Wonder Site supports and nurtures young talent in all fields as well as takes a role as a hub in a global cultural network of affiliated cultural facilities in Japan and abroad, and at once a platform for both new talents and internationally active creators to exchange and showcase their works.

Social networking and luncheon event in Tokyo Wonder Site to meet worldwide artists and creators.

Feiyi Wen (right) / visual artist and researcher that lives and works in London, UK. She works with different mediums such as photography, moving image, sound and installation. She is currently undergoing a practice-led PhD at

Slade School of Fine Art (UCL).

Michael Amter / Base of activity: Brooklyn, New York, USA / Media: Multimedia

Xiaoxuan Liu / Base of activity: Beijing, China; Chicago, USA / Media: Painting, drawing, text, installation

Rayer Ma / Shanghai, China, studying at Yale University, USA / Media: painting and video medium

From left to right:

From left to right:

Chris Romero / Base of activity: New York; Raleigh, United States / Focus: mixed media (website, installation, found ephemera, video, photography, illustration)

Fiona McGurk / Base of activity: Glasgow, Scotland / Medium: painting, photography, installation, objects

Katherine Longly / Base of activity: Brussels, Belgium / Media: Photography, moving image, installation, painting, mixed media

ARTIST FIONA MCGURK

“My way”, Long Diary drawing, 40x1,000cm, mixed media on canvas

My first intention is to simply sketch some images based on the selective photos that I took from 15 Jul (the arrival date) to Aug end as a diary drawing roll in mono tone – black color with some photos prints as collage. But then I added on colors and the lyrics of the “MY WAY” bilingual in both Japanese and English. (perhaps I needed to added on Chinese lyrics later). More interestingly, I invited y roommates, other 3 artists and the group of Sanae’s art class students to add on more elements to enrich the diary’s graphically content. They became part of my diary and memories. And I finally made a video of this artwork with the background music –the song of “MY WAY” This art making process made me feel blessed and meaningfully in my art journey in Japan.

And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full. I've traveled each and every highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few; But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course; Each careful step along the byway, And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried. I've had my fill; my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that; And may I say - not in a shy way, "Oh no, oh no not me, I did it my way".

For what is a man, what has he got?

If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels; And not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blowsAnd did it my way!

Yes, it was my way.

IT’S THE WILL, NOT THE SKILL!

THE FIRST LAYER OF DRAWING IN LONG DIARY

The showcase presented a new vein in Samues' painting practice for a series of canvas work that consists of 18 pieces of abstract paintings, moving between colors to colors; lines and spaces to interpret landscape in tropical sceneries in Japan, taking nature as the inspiration for his contemporary forms.

Memories of winter (Kawanoriyama)

Acrylic on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Tokyo Night Time

Acrylic on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Sunset beyond the Imperial Palace Garden

Acrylic on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Color of Takaosanguchi (

高尾山)

Acrylic on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Hakon Open Air Walk (箱根彫刻の森)

Acrylic

on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Peaceful afternoon in Euno

Acrylic on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Colored sky

Acrylic on canvas, a set of 3 canvas, each 86x86cm, 2016

Period: October 17 (Mon) - 20 (Thu), 2016

Hours: 12:00-19:00

Etc.: Open from 15:00 on Oct. 17; Closed at 17:00 on Oct. 20

Admission: Free

Venue: B108

Artist: Samues Leung (Hong Kong)

Samues presents the results of local research and artwork production conducted in residency with 3331 Arts Chiyoda in this solo exhibition.

Artist statement:

This exhibition focuses on lines. Time and the journey of life itself is a line. I try to capture the moments when people are basking in sunset, enjoying their life or even grasping a fleeting image I always like to experiment with new materials while exploring opportunities to create works with greater artistic impacts than ordinary paintings on canvas In this exhibition, I use cardboard collected from the streets during my stay in Japan and put lines in them, both physically and conceptually These paintings and sculptures made of cardboard, share the theme of 'line', which is flowing, running all the way, with no limits...in very much same way with time, life, and art itself By making artwork out of cardboard, I am also exploring their other purposes beyond their original function of packing, in a sense breathing life into cardboard with artistic meanings

Cardboards in good quality and thickness where I found and picked from here!!!

Staypositive WorkhardMakeithappen!

Possible Journey, 110 x110cm, Acrylic on cardboard, 2016

This is not the end, 110x110cm, Acrylic on cardboard, 2016

Dreaming with open eyes, 110 x110cm, mixed media on cardboard, 2016

Refuse to lose, 110 x110cm, Mixed media on cardboard, 2016

Pick your focus, 110 x110cm, mixed media on cardboard, 2016

Peripheral version 110 x110cm, mixed media on cardboard, 2016

Giving thanks for another day, 110x110cm, Charcoal and acrylic on cardboard, 2016

Keep calm and dream big, 110 x110cm, mixed media on cardboard, 2016

ART WALK IN TOKYO

Visited 2 Museums where are close to Roppongi Station

Mori Art Museum is located on the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. It boasts the highest location among other Japanese museums.

The glass-encased, unique National Art Center, Tokyo, stands out in Roppongi, where there are many high-rise towers. It has three floors above ground and one floor underground, and boasts the largest exhibition space in Japan.

Lovely collection from R

One single room with only one book

With hundreds of thousands of books published every year, the choice of what to stock can prove bewildering for booksellers. The owner of one small bookshop in Tokyo has taken an unusual approach to the problem: Morioka Shoten, located in the luxury shopping district of Ginza, offers just one title to its customers.

Owned by experienced bookseller Yoshiyuki Morioka, the store opened in May 2015, stocking multiple copies of just one title, which changes weekly.

“Before opening this bookstore in Ginza, I had been running another one in Kayabacho for 10 years. There, I had around 200 books as stock, and used to organise several book launches per year. During such events, a lot of people visited the store for the sake of a single book. As I experienced this for some time, I started to believe that perhaps with only one book, a bookstore could be managed,” said Morioka.

“This bookstore that sells only one book could also be described as ‘a bookstore that organises an exhibition derived from a single book’.

For instance, when selling a book on flowers, in the store could be exhibited a flower that actually appears in the book. Also, I ask the authors and editors to be at the bookstore for as much time as possible. This is an attempt to make the two-dimensional book into three-dimensional ambience and experience. I believe that the customers, or readers, should feel as though they are entering ‘inside a book’.”

“The concept of this bookstore seems to have gained the sympathy of a lot of people, and I receive a number of guests from all over the globe,” said Morioka, who has sold 2,100 books so far.

The bookseller added that while “the current book market seems to be taking second billing to ebooks and other media such as social networking services”, he believes that “a book is a physical object with special attraction that has been, is and will always be the same, and that many will continue to utilise physical books, especially as a communication tool”.

Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/23/japanese-bookshop-stocks-only-one-book-at-a-time

AIR 3331 Nishikicho Studio and resident

AIR 3331 ART CHIGODA Art center

We have been biked almost everyday not only for visiting other districts within 10 km from our studio but also shopping for supermarket foods and meeting people in 3331 Art Chigoda art center. It was even more beneficial to us for early evening exercise, instead of jogging. We biked surrounding the Tokyo Imperial Palace where is so beautiful for biking and jogging!

We usually start biking from around 4:00p.m. when the temperature is not so high. In case of biking to other districts, such as Shinjuku or Shibuya, we usually start right after late breakfast time around 11-12:00p.m. as the biking usually take around 2 hours to the destination We were so happy to take such great chance to visit many other small towns within Tokyo that was unordinary for typical tourist

DAYDAY COOK

Cooking and enjoying home-made meals in the studio apartment was definitely a extraordinary experience for us because of the variety of choices of foods and fruits that we can buy from the near-by supermarket at very good price and quality. My gratitude to Fanny for her great support to me as always and we enjoyed very much everyday .

This combo sausage pack is available in 7-11 shop which I enjoyed as later meal with bears after finishing my work at night. It was a little bonus to me as its price is just below HK$30/pack with 4 different sausage and potato that you never can see in HK or elsewhere. Delicious! Superb!

We started with a simple hello but ended with a complicated

Tokyo AIR

東 京 。 生 活 製 造