PROJECTS 2017
Curated by Jims Lam Chi Hang, former associate curator at Para Site, PROJECTS celebrates large-scale contemporary installations and interventions that showcase works made distinctive raw materials.
Glen Hayward (New Zealand)
Everyday People, presented by PAULNACHE
Everyday People is a large-scale, site specific installation by New Zealand-born sculptor Glen Hayward, of over 1000+ hand carved rusty nails (created from wood and paint) inserted directly into a feature wall at Art Central. Inspired by the dichotomy of Hong Kong’s national identity, the artist plays on the notion of the individual versus the collective. Over a thousand wooden nails scattered across a wall carry their individual marking but are also part of a larger collective. The choice of material contradicts the inherent qualities of the depicted object; questioning the values of one’s portrayed identity.
Simon Pericich (Australia)
!!!ALL TOGETHER NOW!!!, presented by MARS Gallery
!!!ALL TOGETHER NOW!!! is a site-specific installation made from melted plastic garbage bags, coated in glitter. Contrary to its inexpensive and hollow material existence, the installation asserts a grandiose and ominous presence. Simon Pericich’s practice explores dystopic visions of the future, apocalyptic ideas and what he has described as the “hilariously doomed nature of humanity”. Positioned right at the Fair entrance, the installation welcomes visitors with a critique of the commercial art landscape.
Tang Jie (China)
Stone Story, presented by Line Gallery
Having grown up in the countryside of Hunan Province, the artist yearns for the natural environment in the midst of a buzzing metropolis. He seeks to achieve this dynamic by incorporating natural and industrial elements in his works and the Fair provides a perfect setting. He believes that the object themselves are “story tellers”. In Stone Story, he integrates objects of opposing characters to explore the natural principles of life and the universe together with the viewer.
Hannah Quinlivan (Australia)
Estuary, presented by .M Contemporary
Inspired by Henri Lefebvre’s Rythmanalysis, Quinlivan will use ephemeral spatial drawing to apprehend and intervene in the rhythms of urban life and capture the dynamism of the Fair. The artist will develop the artwork in two stages where she will first install the mesh of wire and nylon component prior to the Fair opening. She will then spend the duration of the art fair to complete the salt component of the drawing in a manner that responds to the first phase of the installation and to the energy and flux of bodies in motion at Art Central. This dialectical performance approach constitutes a response to the Fair itself, its temporalities, its flows and its spaces.
Santi Wangchuan (Singapore)
Auba, presented by Yeo Workshop
Thai artist, Santi Wangchuan introduces elements of his hometown culture and lifestyle in a large-scale installation consisting of three intricately woven “Auba” garlands approximately 10 meters tall. These garlands are monumental structures made by different villages to honour the Buddha during special festivals in Thailand. The installation, using rope, thread and fiber, will reinterpret this unique culture of the E-sarn region.
Yu Youhan (China)
Mosaic, presented by Rén Space
For Art Central 2017, Rén Space will showcase a new masterpiece by Yu Youhan. The work is a culmination of his exploration with old materials and new techniques that presents his artistic expression in the largest scale to date. Yu Youhan is a revered and pioneering first generation contemporary Chinese artist who is widely considered as the father of abstract paintings and political pop in China.
About the Curator, Jims Lam Chi Hang
Jims Lam Chi Hang is an artist, curator, producer and former Head of Production and Associate Curator at Para Site, one of the leading independent art institutions in Asia. In 2015, Lam curated an exhibition Imagine there’s no country, Above us only our cities which attracted critical acclaim with its inquiry into the notion of individual identity, within the context of nationalism and geographical boundaries. Lam trained at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University and won the prestigious Hong Kong Art Prize in 2013.