Expo : Cont.Artists from China

Contemporary Artists From China
Cui Guotai, Danwen Xing, Feng Zhengjie, Frank Fu, Li Luming, Luo Brothers, Miao Xiaochun, Sheng Qui
9/02-3/03/2007 Gow Langsford Gallery


15/02/2007
Auckland can be depressing, I see artists of my age participating in ‘big’ events whereas I just shh around still not putting in much effort doing what I should be doing. Well, this is not a place to discuss WHAT I can do (for that the discussion would be far too long and lack of significant direction), I just want to write about something I saw and enjoyed.

“In Memory of Contemporary Art” by Frank Fu is probably the only piece worth seeing in this exhibition – and actually, you don’t even need to go into the gallery space to enjoy this piece – it’s an installation performance piece in the gallery window on Wellesley Street. http://www.gowlangsfordgallery.com/featured/contemporaryartistsfromchina/frankfu.asp
Well, I figured that the official documents are always useful when you need some back up info or simply when you are not in the mood to write. Another interesting fact, he is the only artist out of the eight who is Auckland-based, I guess there is certainly this cultural barrier in the presentation and appreciation of art/Art that attracts me to his work.

Would like to continue this writing if I get the chance to talk to the artist himself, chances are probably pretty high, I imagine.

Grosse in TFAM

22/02/2007
University of Auckland is having its orientation week to welcome new as well as returning students, and I am so supposed to go – having said that, it’s not hard to work out that I have been lazy. It’s a disease; I am now sommeil-some.

There are so many tasks to do in my diary that make me feel like I have been having a LIFE. Quite to the contrary, I have been losing it, so much of it. Ask me how my life has been, ‘nothing’ is most likely the response you would get. Or, “I have been browsing through the university website and wondering what I could do to master intellects-at-work.” Even though I could easily book a course online and go to the orientation lectures, I feel it’s against my anti-social nature and I’d rather stay truthful.

Talked to Shirly last night about the general arty-farty issues. He pointed out that the problems I thought I was facing were merely the tip of an ice-berg in any society, whereas the art circles in Taipei/Asia would have to deal with more media-related and political subjects. Having him as a connection to the Taipei artworld somehow makes me feel at ease – like, yea, I am not totally disconnected, however distant the relationship I seem to have with the New Zealand art scene. What is Art? What does it have to do with me? Does it make me happy? And what is the point in thinking that I am related in the circle at all? “Knowing the inner-workings of the circle, you just have to be them to beat them!”

If I had stayed in Taiwan long enough I would have been able to for once see Grosse’s work and feel great. I am no artist as to having the authority in judging what good or bad art is, yet I know what sort of art pleases me and the pleasure I get from seeing the works by my preferred artists is simply a feast – a feast I can hardly get being in New Zealand.
http://www.katharinagrosse.com/work.php?id=865&cat=Taipei+Fine+Arts+Museum

All that depression should soon vanish when I start doing some art – if i ever would.

James ROSS

James Ross
The Red Studio – Small paintings and sculpture 1982-2006
Curated by Luke Smythe
9/02-2/03/2007 The Gus Fisher Gallery

10/02/2007
Despite the un-popularity of people attending the artist’s talk to this exhibition, I nevertheless hold an opinion that this is a rather worth-seeing painting show. For that this exhibition is simple, well-installed, and the selection of work was good – it gives a clear idea of the artist’s practice in painting-sculptures, or sculptural-paintings. In an exhibition space no bigger than your living room, and full of bloody red on the walls – there is however relaxing ambiance in the room in which all the paintings set quietly. And one next to another, they vaguely tell a 20-year long process of the practices of their creator.

Vaguely as it may have seem, catalogues provided in the gallery explained everything.. and probably even more than what the general public needed to read about 10-ish paintings in an exhibition. Ross himself did go on a detailed talk on each painting – I arrived late but was impressed to see his explaining to only one person attentively.

What I liked most about this show was its clarity and simplicity – one of the exemplary exhibitions to take your friends to see and have a (nearly) purely objective discussion afterwards. His use of colours, shapes of supports and materials used, incorporation of objects and forms, his 2D and 3D definitions to presentation, etc. Clockwise in the room we could see the gradual change of colours from dark red to orangy red; creating dimensions by painting on irregular supports, or by cutting or building up impastos. The last piece in the gallery that was installed standing out from the wall acted as such a foreign object and had me wonder leaving the room.

“So, it was a painting show.. EH!”

13/02/2007 SH 1023

Hiromi TANGO

Hiromi Tango
3/02/2007 13h10 The Gus Fisher Gallery

I saw her;
I met her;
I watched her;
But how should I describe her?

“I am a very serious person, Art is a life or death matter to me – I might be killed during my performances/projects, but one of YOU can continue…”
I can’t recall just exactly how many times she repeatedly put emphasis on her loyalty and commitment to Art, while at the same time could not justify what relation did her personal life has to do with Art and with the society as a whole. “It is communication..” a voice inside of me suggested “..and so?” in absurd denial I rejected the thought.

I needed more, this could not satisfy me!

“I don’t understand why whenever you talk about Art you have to place yourself so much higher than most others, as if you think you were better than everyone else!” Aurélien exclaimed after I expressed my opinion about the lack of information during the talk.

“You often say that you observe people, but did you see how you broke her when you asked her the question?” Where ‘the question’ referred to my “What use is communication?” to Hiromi, but what other question can be simpler than this?

“Hope.” After a few seconds of uneasiness she replied promptly.

I sensed self-protection and the general over-glorification of Art. And so I stopped – instead of reading into her practices, I should care more about mine. I may have embarked on the same route but I have abandoned the path in search for a greater proportion of objectivity in one’s practices.

What use is communication, I ask myself.

True living works of art, too many of them make me sick.
It is Community after all.

Is it Community after all?
I don’t know. I really don’t.

Maybe when I have the ability to burn my everyday life on DVDs and present them in some kind of festival, I would be able to testify my own ‘pessimistic’ statement.


13/02/2007 SH 1023