Closer to the 'spectator' and 'users'

All the way we appreiciate artworks in Art Museum, there must be certain scared distance dividing viewers and the artworks. We are taught to be obedient to 'worship' the High Art with traditional sense. It seems that the basic rules in an exhibition are understood, albeit we somehow really want to approach the artworks curiously.

Last week, I gained enormous visual pleasures in the Contemporary Hong Kong Art Gallery of Hong Kong Muesum of Art -- " Exhibition of Charming Experience". Curator Grace Cheng, who previously worked in Art Center, attemtpts to introduce an extraordinary experiences of art appreciation to the public. She quoted a few lines from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: " Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.... " Both from the creative work of the artists and the scrupulous planning of the Museum open up the different sense of the audience to receive and interprete messages from the artworks. Besides the Chinese and English audio guild services, the Braille codes are also provided for blind people. The exhibition not only brings different people closer to each other, it apparently brings the audience closer to Art!

Ho Siu Kee - Visible Sound

Size variable/ Bronze, mixed media and video installation

Chow Chun Fai - Mahjong

Size variable/ Oil on wood/ 2003

With the deconstruction of the object's form, the artist has shifted the Mahfong players' attention from the game to their bodies. I doubt if it is another useless invention or writing a new rule for the games?

Otto, Li Tin Lun

Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No.5 in C minor, First Movement

Size variable/ Mixed media and video installation

Otto Li's animation and mixed media stimulates our vision and sense of hearing. He vividly interplays the physical reality and virtual space into a new form of digital units. Both ends are the pixel images showing on the screen. At the first glance, the groups of digital units hung on wall are solid and concrete. But when I was encouraged by the security staff, I felt its softness and smoothness. I do appreciate his conceptual idea of translating the computer pixel images into tangible sculpture! The mixture of high art and scientic technology strenghten its contemporaneity.

Kwok Ying- Commodity

Size variable/ Colour pencil and cement on canvas

Details

Kwok Ying's work is poetic. Her subjectivity and the intension of drawing or painting is strongly reflected from her artwork. That's the reason I long for her works. The daily motifs chosen in this series is crucial to her. She has strong sense of her surrounding. In her hands, the towels are not just commodity, but lines and colour. We are directed to form a new way of seeing! Her works are soft but confident. May not carry serious issue or academic topic but is familar and personal. I am looking forward to seeing more surprise from her new paintings!

anothermountainman- Impermanet

Size variable/ Mided media/2009

1 1/ 2 2 (Two Art)

3x3x3m/ Mixed media

This is one of the most fascinating artworks in my eyes of my students! Pak is a conceptual artist who is well know as a visual art columnist in newspaper. With the instruction and sketches given by the artist, the visitor become a 'user' and learn how to 'play' with the mixed media! They peep in from a hole, touch and feel the heat and finally leave marks on the wall. All keep trying effort to explore the meaning of incompletenss. Through the shared experience, we get more idea to communicate with the artist and another 'half '!

Without the active 'users', an exhibition can't be completed! It's worth to visit once more!