Inward Gazes: Performance Art in Asia – Exhibition by Invitation 2008

Inward Gazes: Performance Art in Asia – Exhibition by Invitation 2008

I like this exhibition very much. It is prepared and hosted by the Macao Museum of Art of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. There are totally 15 famous contemporary Asian artists’ works in this exhibition. These artists are from different regions in Asia such as Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.


Artists from Asia presented their thoughts in different cultural contexts as they all have different nationalities, cities, regions and groups. In this exhibition, I am glad that I have the chance to uncover some of the Asia features in their art works.


Here are some of their works:

Phantom of History


Yao Jui-Chung (Taiwan)

Location: Taiwan

Video: Wu Dakun, Lin Fangyu, Chen Yi Zhang

Date: 2–5,11/2007


If art’s posture in history is indicative of art’s value, then does the degree of art’s clash with society determine its value? In Taiwan’s tangled historical and social setting, how one reflects on life by virtue of art’s relationship to life is what the exhibit Phantom of History addresses.

On the Table


Seiji Shimoda (Japan)

Location: Warsaw Contemporary Art Center, Poland

Date: 10/5/2008


Table is an artificial tool which no other animal will use. Table is useful too, at the time of eating, working and meeting friends etc. But those times, our human bodies are always separated by the upper half and the lower half of the table.


Through this performance, the artist tried to see what really happens if he put the whole body on the table.

Lunch


Mimi Fadmi (Indonesia)

Location: Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten,Amsterdam, Netherland; Berlin, Germany; Venice Italy; Bangkok, Thailand; Bandung, Indonesia

Photograph: Daniel

Date: 9/9/2003


Sometimes life is harmful and irritable, feels like having lunch with plenty of red chilies.














Kiss


He Chengyao (Beijing, China)

Location: House of World Cultures, Berlin, German

Date: June, 2008


This performance requires free interaction between audience and artists. The audience can decide whether to act and how to act. Each member of the audience who participates in the performance can select an ice-lolly—the experience is full of unknowns, fortuities and uncertainties.


The performance appears to be an adventure. With an ice-lolly of unknown flavor in our mouths, we accept it as a bridge that attaches two separate worlds existing in a motley group of relationships, which makes us feel, discover, communicate, resist and compare. When we express our physical and psychological selves through actions, we see the dynamic relationship of phenomena influenced by the politics, economy, cultural environment and personal will behind our individual worlds. This demonstrates that we are products of the influence of society, culture, history, biological nature and individuality—and how such entities differ from each other in reacting to various relationships.

Macao Watercolour Scenery

Macao Watercoulor Scenery

As there was a short trip to Macau with my students, I went to the Museum of Art to see the Macao Watercolour Scenery exhibition. It is an exhibition about the tradition of Macao watercolour landscape paintings.

The art of watercolour painting is best known for its flexibility, colour gradation and intensity of expression. There was a time in the 18th century when the art of watercolours was held in Britain.

Later, it was developed into an independent art form of landscapes and human figure painting before gradually spreading around the world.


Ruins of St. Paul's
Io Fong
54 x 74cm/2000




St. Francis Garden in Autumn
Cheong Iu Sang
52 x 76cm/2000





Dawn on the Mount Fortress
Ung Su Lon
54 x 73cm/2004





Palha Street
Lio Man Cheong
73 x 146cm/1998





Former Bela Vista Hotel
Sio In Leong
47.8 x 68cm/2001





Luis de Camoes Square
Poon Lum San
29.2 x 38cm/1975




Patio of Eternal Happiness
Choi Su Weng
45 x 36cm/1993




Mansion on St. Joseph Street
Ng Wai Kin
27.8 x 38.8cm/1987

St. Dominic's Square at Night
Lai Ieng
55 x 75cm/2007

Fotanian Open Studio Program, 2008

Fotanian Open Studio Program, 2008

Artist: Yip Cheuk Tong, Moon

Installation: Qi Dong Qian: Apple Doesn’t Fall Far Away From the Tree

Mixed media

January 2009 / Approximate: 200x120x100cm

From Yip’s Work, she used her grandmother’s name “qi dong qian” as the title of her work. It conjures up numerous childhood memories. It also symbolizes her grandmother’s life story as a traditional woman. Her grandmother had perfectly played the role of the “good woman” of strict feudal morality and social construction in her family. These all influenced Yip’s value and her life. She thought that women did not have many choices in the older generations. However, she could see her grandmother has lived happily.

Yip used different kinds of media to create this art piece. The main colour of her work is red—red umbrella, red curtain, red coils on sewing machine, red embroidered shoes, red shredded paper and red apples on the floor with a tuft of black hair on each apple. In traditional Chinese culture, red has the symbolic meaning of luck, happiness and energy. She used red to imply her grandmother’s life was full of happiness.

Through this art piece, she wants to disseminate a message that the gender roles of women have changed greatly from the old generation as time goes by. Women have more choices nowadays. The traditional definition of the “good woman” is now in a question or no longer exists after various equality and freedom movements in our society.


As there was a stock market crash in 1997, most of the factories began with “the migration of Hong Kong industries to the Mainland China” and “the economic recession in Hong Kong.” Thus, a lot of artists established their art studios in Fo Tan because of the relatively cheap rent. Also, the Fo Tan factory buildings is a suitable site for artists which enables the creation and transfer of large pieces or art works as the high ceiling and industrial sized elevator.

“Fotan Gathering” was the open studio in January 2003. The title in Chinese which means ‘old fire’ and ‘new charcoal. It is according to the show including both established and young artists. This exhibition was very successful to catch the eye of the public. As a result, Hong Kong Museum of Art invited the Fo Tan studios to be a Fringe Activities in the Hong Kong Art Biennial at the end of 2003. “Fotanian” was the first time to targeted on general public. The word “Fotanian” means the artists who have their studios in Fo Tan old industrial buildings. This event included exhibitions of 30 artists previously from 18 in 2002. As Fo Tan open studio attracted a lot of audiences from different levels in the public, this project was one of the most popular and well publicized event in the history of Hong Kong contemporary art.

Fo Tan is not just a desolate industrial area but many factories are still in business. There are many corner stores, fast food restaurants and factories around the studios. This is the characteristics of Fo Tan Studios which is primarily in an industrial area.