In line with its mission of helping in the development of Hong Kong’s as well as the regional art scene, Tai Kwun Contemporary’s current exhibition “Very Natural Actions” showcases the work of 12 young artists from Hong Kong, the Mainland and Taiwan presented by Arts Collective and curated by emerging, Hong Kong-based curators André Chan and Jing Chin-yin Chong.
The show at Tai Kwun is somehow an extension and elaboration of some of the curatorial concepts of “A Tree Fell in the Forest, and No One’s There”, a group exhibition presented by the two curators during the Shanghai Biennale at the Power Station of Art in 2018, after being selected as one of the two winning curatorial groups in the Emerging Curators Project at Shanghai’s PSA.
In their curatorial essay, Chan and Jing write:
This exhibition extends the artists’ discussions in A Tree Fell in the Forest, and No One’s There last year in Shanghai. That exhibition highlighted their artistic production and practices, cutting across the themes several artists raised with respect to our present society, focusing on the works that congealed and formed after they peered out at the world. Very Natural Actions meanwhile attempts to open up the surfaces of works, offering a cross-section of themes and creative impulses of the various artists.
The title “Very Natural Actions” is taken from French theorist and philosopher Roland Barthes’ structuralist interpretation of Balzac’s short story. Barthes believed that “great structures, serious symbols, grand meanings are built upon an unimpressive foundation of ordinary acts”. In this respect, the exhibition follows on Barthes’ belief by presenting art that reflects on artists’ experiences, the surrounding world and current issues, and an artwork’s spontanous response to the world. The curators argue that the value, social function and role of art change over time. From what once was the aim of art – Art for Art’s Sake – we have moved on to creating art that has a resonance with life, experiences, situations, and that aims to produce echos and spur discussion and dialogue.
The curators encourage the audience to look at art and its deeper meaning, rather than just at the surface, for artists’ actions are a natural response to what surrounds us and their work is laden with meaning. Interpretation, and gazing beyond the visible, become therefore paramount aspects of looking at art:
Very Natural Actions attempts to raise questions in order to encourage viewers not to linger on the surfaces of works but to seek out that gem of a tree within the forest of forms and meanings, one that resonates with one’s experiences, allowing the artwork to serve as the bridge between the artist and the audience. What the maker and the viewer focus on may very well be completely different, yet myriads of lines of thoughts may be launched from one single artwork. … Through the creative process, artists’ perceptions of the world generate a certain order and regularity, morphing into distinctive worlds. The works in front of the eyes of the audience should constitute enough of a trace, offering a dimension ordinarily hidden behind the process of artistic creation, and unfolding greater possibilities in the viewing of artworks.
Andrew Luk presents an emergency plane slide as a sculptural work. Standing on its own, away from its context and installed in an ‘unnatural’ position and location, the slide prompts viewers to think about its different connotations – as an escape route and as an entertainment park inflatable – as well as to reflect on the link between this relatively simple object and the engineering precision of a plane.
Lin Aojie tries to construct virtual relationships of family and kinship through art and photography, attempting to construct seemingly real, intimate connections. With the idea of the traditional family portrait, I Took Three Photos before I Taking off to Shanghai imagines the connections between the people in the photographs. For example, in the group photo with Chen Tong, an artist and founder of a bookstore and gallery, and Younghwa Jeong, the gallery director, Lin uses art to change or forge relationships in both the real and virtual spheres.
Lau Wai’s video and photographic work is an attempt to subvert Orientalist views of the East – and specifically Hong Kong – as presented in the West, namely through Hollywood films. For instance, the images in the video Walking to Nam Kok Hotel are taken from the Hollywood film The World of Suzie Wong, in which the opening scene sees the male protagonist walking from the Star Ferry Pier to Nam Kok Hotel in Wan Chai. In the American film, the Hong Kong streetscape is portrayed as a stereotypical chaotic scene of backwardness, coming from a perspective of colonial origins. The artist then superimposes various scenes from other films featuring Hong Kong or inspired by it, to reinforce her view of how Hollywood’s imagination relies on colonial, novelty-seeking perspectives. Her accompanying photographic works feature the artist’s own manipulation of imagery, creating digital and virtual city landscapes overlaid on top of Hollywood films.
Remy Siu and Sudhee Liao Yuemin both employ popular forms of communication or virtual socialisation and expression to reflect on contemporary realities. Remy Siu uses gaming to explore the human labour costs behind contemporary high-tech assembly lines in Foxconn Frequency [no. 3], featuring performers on stage playing mini-games based on piano exercises. In front of each performer is a 3D printer, which prints objects with the outcome of each game, thus recording and documenting the individual and collective efforts, and making a visual, tangible comparison possible.
Sudhee Liao Yuemin’s Going Live: Enigmatic Perception looks at how social media has transformed interpersonal relationships. She examines how certain relationships exist only virtually, and how individuals change themselves and create a persona to present online, by documenting and posting everything they do, transforming their lives into a sort of live performance. Her work livestreams a dance performance, in which the dancers’ movements are controlled by net-based interactions, all the while interacting with live audiences.
In “Very Natural Actions”, the relationship between the real and virtual, and uncovering what lies beneath the surface are of key importance in order to seek a deeper understanding of the artists’ intentions. Many of the works seem to represent something that ultimately is not what we see, but rather is a reflection on a parallel reality extracted from the world we live in today.
C. A. Xuân Mai Ardia
“Very Natural Actions” is on view from 22 September to 31 December 2019 at Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong.