Contemporary Art & Cultural Interactivity

My Mindmap...

2009-04-18T08:26:00.000+08:00

My Mindmap...

Please click the image to enlarge it.

DaFen Oil Painting Village

2009-04-12T21:55:00.008+08:00

During this Easter Break, I went to DaFen Oil Painting Village in LongGang District, ShenZhen to spend my weekend holidays.

You can buy different paintings in cheap prices!!

Da Fen Oil Painting Village is a unique culture industry brand. There are 622 galleries and over 5,000 artists. It relies on producing the original and imitation paintings. It also sells national paintings.

《沐浴輝煌》
Brilliant Bath
105 x 160cm2008

《鳥人系列—大棵樹》
Bird-Man Series: Big Tree
120 x 120cm
2008

《鳥人系列—大軍車》
Bird-Man Series: Large military
120 x 120cm
2008

《中國。1966》
China 1966
114 x 146cm
2008

《中國。1903》
China 1903
114 x 146cm2008

《在古老的蘇達里》
Old Sodali
80 x 50cm

《白衣女子》
Woman in White Dress
60 x 155cm

Doors in Black and White

2009-04-05T21:14:00.004+08:00

Doors in Black and White

I went to the Taipa Houses-Museum, Exhibitions Gallery to see the exhibition which is called " Doors in Black and White". This is an exhibition of sketches and portraits by Lok Hei.

Lok Hei is an artist from Macao. He had developed a fondness for making sketches and life portraits under the influence of his father when he was a child. He often went out with a couple of artists to make sketches and life portraits in many different places. He had sketched dozens of landscape sceneries from countries like Hungary and England.

Lok Hei has selected his black and white sketches and life portraits for display in this exhibition. Some of his works in this exhibition are landscape-themed or human portraits when he was in Macao, China and worldwide during the past ten years.

A Crowded Coffee Stall (Macao)

The stilted houses built along the Tuojiang River (Fenghuang Town, Hunan)

Shops along the "Gold Street" (Prage, Czech Republic)

A lama in deep thoughts (Sera Monastery, Lhasa)

When he makes sketches of human figures, he likes to depict the different moments in life od people from different social stratum in details.

Yearning (an elder)

The Dragon’s Stage

2009-03-21T21:18:00.001+08:00

The Dragon’s Stage
The Chinese Opera Artifacts from the Palace Museum

I went there with my family last Sunday. It is an exhibition about Chinese Operas. It is as a kind of entertainment in the Qing Dynasty. This exhibition shows the opera’s development, the evolution of official institutions in charge of operas and the materials used for operas in the Qing imperial court. This makes me have a better understand in traditional Chinese Operas.

Print of Yangliuqing New Year Picture—"Xianxiang Qingyun"
Gao Tongxuan
Late Qing Dynasty (mid-19th to early 20th century)
68.5 x 118cm

Lady's magenta satin armour embroidered with golden net pattern Guangxu's region (1875 - 1908)
Height: 134.5cm

Album depicting "Nazha Disturbing the Sea"
Guangxu's reign (1875 - 1908)
39 x 33cm

The tour guided handbook which shows all the information in this exhibition

The Art of Black and White

2009-03-14T21:04:00.005+08:00

The Art of Black and White

I went to Shenzhen Museum this afternoon. There is an exhibition called "The Art of Black and White: Chinese Ceramics in Song Dynasty".

In this exhibition, many kinds of ceramics were displayed. They all have unique and special designs.

I like this Tiger Box so much. The artist used simple lines to depict the shape of a tiger.

There are some traditional chinese pattern around each corner of the box. There are 3 men in the middle of the box cover. The artist wants to tell us a history or a story by this simple drawing.

Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre

2009-03-08T08:37:00.000+08:00

Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre

I am very interested in Wooden men's line (木人行). It is a museum that shows masks, shadow puppet, puppetry and creative works of art. A local artist Hoi Chiu operates it. This Hoi Chiu Art Gallery is divided into production studio and exhibition for sale of art products. This is a good chance for the public to have a better understanding of puppetry and puppet art production process. It also lets people to know that they have the right to enjoy the arts and it should be an integral part of their daily lives

The masks are used in the masked performance which will express the unique artist power to the audiences. Each mask has its own facial expression and characteristics, which can speak for itself. However the actor, who wears the mask, is difficult to act the character of the mask vividly and dramatically. What he could do is to seek the director’s directive so as to express the distinct aura of the mask in the performance.

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

2009-02-26T13:54:00.004+08:00

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

2009-02-15T20:03:00.006+08:00

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

2009-02-07T11:04:00.005+08:00

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.

Vivienne Westwood ：A Life in Fashion Exhibition

2009-01-24T15:00:00.009+08:00

Vivienne Westwood

A Life in Fashion Exhibition

I went to Vivienne Westwood A Life in Fashion Exhibition this 10 Jan 2009. It was held in Artis Tree, 3/F, Cornwall House, TaiKoo Place. This exhibition was really very great and I like it so much!

“Destroy T-shirt”

The T-shirt on the left hand side is called “Destroy” muslin. It is formed from 2 squares of fabric with elongated, straitjacket-like sleeves and with back D-rings. Vivian Westwood and Malcolm McLaren used highly charged slogans and provocative images in a deliberate attempt to provoke the establishment.

Westwood’s obsession with exaggeration and distortion has resulted in some challenging designs. She thought fashion for her was like walking a tightrope.

For the pair of platform shoes, the design is so fashionable. These platform shoes were made with bright blue leather and ribbon. It contains aesthetic value and catches the audiences’ eyes so much. They were acquired by the V&A and have become one of its most popular exhibits.

For the above Café Society collection, she created a number of evening dresses, which are too vast to be shown on a normal catwalk. This dress from Dressed to Scale, A/W 1998, is made in silk taffeta, tulle and raffia. She believes we would have a much better life if we wear impressive clothes.

Miao Xiaochun: Microcosm

2009-01-15T13:35:00.008+08:00

Miao Xiaochun: Microcosm

Miao Xiaochun: Microcosm is an exhibition which shows some multimedia works of Beijing-based Miao Xiaochun. I went there on 10 Jan with my MA classmates. It was my first trip in the Contemporary Art & Cultural Interactivity Class. It was a good chance for me to broaden my horizons and know more about contemporary art.

Microcosm, the centre piece in the exhibition, is the interpretation of Hieronymus Bosch’s 15th century masterpiece, the Garden of Earthly Delights. Also, there are some other series such as line and ink prints, graphite drawings and embroidered silk. Miao used computer to make the 3D modelling. He used lines to depict the contours of an object’s fundamental shape. This shows the beauty of its form.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5。 6。 7。

1. Poison
2. Vagueness
3. Nocturn
4. Suspense
5. Mutagenesis
6. Mirror
7. Talk

121 x 30cm
Digital Inkject Print on Xuan Paper
2008