The Open Door
The government commissioned a
series of artworks in the newly built government HQ and the Legislative Council
at Admiralty. The works below represented the result of an open competition
held in 2010.
Tai, Victor
Sheung-shing 戴尚誠, Key to the City 城市鑰匙,
Painted stainless steel
The hyped-up key with three
bittings is analogous to the artist’s blessing of the executive, legislative
and judiciary orders in the city. The concept runs in parallel with the “arched
door” configuration of the architecture. With well intentions, the message has positivism
firmly anchored. Yet the
play with analogy is a risky pursuit;
and it may easily lead to misreading – from the slapdash arrangement of the
key, or parodies out fun (say “a lost key” to start with).
Ho,
Steven Chun-wai 何俊宏, Kung, Alvin Yick-ho 龔翊豪 and
Wong, Edmund Chak-yuen 黄澤源, Soundscape 聲嶽,
Stainless steel and terrazzo
The silhouette of Hong Kong
mountains integrated with the introductory melody of the national anthem makes a
flesh approach. The hitting of the idiophones attached to the steel bars requires extraordinary
physical agility to relate the tonal measures to the undulating
skyline, but the gesture to serenade the semi-autocratic regime no doubt is
understood.
Artist
and attribution details unknown.
At the centre of the sculpture
walk is an unnamed spiral work (title plate probably not ready) in the shape of
a Lego-like structure. The centrifugal display of colourful boxes filled with
pebbles makes open interpretations. This accidentally untitled work, despite its populist appearance, does not have
much visual focus to connect with the spectator.
One
particular issue to address is the weathering property of the work. The
extensive horizontal surfaces would behave as dust collectors that gather unbearable stains.
On top of this, the timber boxes (indeed it is what they are made of!) are
hardly durable and would be a lagging pain on maintenance in future.
Mok,
Yat-sen 莫一新 and Man, Fung-Yi 文鳳儀, Scent of Spring
迷蝶香, Stainless steel, brass and bronze.
The sculpture, in its style of
representation and bandwagon concern on the subject of sustainable environment,
has a depth only compatible to a pre-kindergarten pop-up book.
Zoie So 蘇慧怡, Phoebe So 蘇慧婷 and Ryan So 蘇智謙,
Photosynthesis in Motion 葉一片．光合動態, Coated stainless steel
Another missable work that challenges
the common sense of the viewers is this steel fabrication, which is loaded with an ‘added
value’ of a reclining divan. But upon close inspection, its
skewed curvatures along both axes present a blatant health hazard. Not intended with sarcasm, the piece begs a
warning sign addressing orthopaedic risks for impulsive users.
Invisible
answer to the open call
The step-up platform where the
staff posts are is supposedly accompanied by an artwork, which is chosen from
this open competition. The procedure of short-listing
had been completed in 2011 with three pieces duly selected and shown in public.
Among them, advocacy on democratic transparency was the common agenda. But no
winner was ever announced.
A common theory suggests, in view
of the politically charged locality, the organizers decided to eliminate any potential offence to the
government by ditching this award altogether. Hence, it might make an alternative
point of view to say that the piece does exist in a higher form of existence.
Old School at Kowloon Park
Van, Lau 文樓 (1933 -), “Please” 請, 1989
The bronze
work, in rough cast and finish,
fits in well among the Banyan trees.
For someone
inclined to physical assertions,
the title might as well be “Bang”.
Van is the grand duke among local
sculptors who spends much of his career to bring in the oriental elements in
modernity. The gripping hands induce strong visual impacts from distance
viewing and the gesture of which makes open associations depending on the
cultural backgrounds of prospective viewers.
The title of “Please” for most is
enigmatic, and yes something is lost in the translation. For the bilingual readers,
it is actually a gesture of greeting confirmed in the Chinese title and only
too appropriate for the shop-lined boulevard.
Cheung,
Yee 張義 (1936 -), Crab 將軍, 1984,
Assembled bronze works
The
gentleman who picks this location for Tai Chi exercise
must detect certain positive energy beyond me.
The search of a Chinese tenet has
always been a constant preoccupation by local artists. The hybrid-looking
creature was one of the subjects from which inspiration and meaning were sought
by the sculptor. Those were the times in the 1980s that cosmic abstraction was
fashionable and symbolic of serious thinking. Cheung’s oeuvre embedded with obscure
signifiers sometimes still ignites a spark on occasions like the above.
Eduardo
Paolozzi 愛德華多．鮑洛齊 (1924-2005),
Concept of Newton 牛頓的構思, date unknown, Cast Bronze
The tree
planted to the left beats a dead horse.
The fame of Paolozzi had surely prompted
the organizers of the sculpture garden to switch to a mindset of adulation.
The response was a colonnaded seating space, slightly claustrophobic in space
and hoarded away from everything in sight. However the VIP treatment proves to
be detrimental in attracting the mass public and most visitors simply don’t
know it exists at all. Loathing is the mainstay in locus.
This life-sized bronze actually
gives hints to graphic arts and geometry due to the misleading presence of “platonic
shapes” of triangle, square and circle.
‘Newton’
after William Blake, 1995 for the British Library
in London.(photo∣Neo Reynolds@Flickr)
The
gigantic scale and context of which seem to be
more befitting of this work by
Paolazzo.
Business Art
David
Williams-Ellis (1959 - ), The Watcher, 2000
The primitive percher makes pleasant
contrast against the sophisticated surrounding. The canonical use of bronze is
just as powerful as any new medium. The
Watcher is among the rare subversive works one can find in any business
premises in any city, and the tolerance displayed is worth a compliment to the patron – the Swire Group. Its unusual demeanour and hawk eyes deserve a
pause for thought from on-lookers.
Kevin
Fung 馮力仁 (1964 -), The Real Me - Hey Miss, 2009
Another approach on the reflection
of a workaday existence, Fung’s melodramatic agenda, split among groups of
narratives, is more pragmatic than inquisitive.
Made with timber and painted sensibly in
this grouping, there is only a peeking head to break the mould. Otherwise all is
normal including the passers-by. Along with the figurines, self-assurance is
the momentum for people to walk a life.
Anne
Ross, The Meeting, 2008
Attractive patina considered, canine
observation is not Sundial's vocation.
This open metaphor of the human condition can accidentally yield to
forbidden imaginations between man and animal.
Bahk,
Seon Ghi 朴善基 (1966 - ), Organic Float, 2011,
Charcoal and nylon threads
The suspended charcoals, visually arresting
because of its size and colour, however is mishandled in its setting. The physical detachment, due to height, has
whittled down much interest at first glance. Without proper lighting to address
the suspension effect and the material, the installation is seriously compromised.
(Note: the charcoal flowerpots are lit only at evenings when pedestrian traffic
is far less than those at daytime.)
(Above
four works located at Taikoo and Quarry Bay)
Lighting decision
makes a huge different – “An Aggregate”
by Bahk from Art Stage Singapore, 2011
(image∣http://researchfacility.wordpress.com)
Horse Play
Freeman
Lau 劉小康, Miracle Horse 幻彩神驅, 2008, Painted Steel
Attributed to the 2008 Olympic equestrian
game held in the city, the subject of horse is repeated thrice within a stone
throw away. At here, the visual mottos
of the distorted figure, painted skin and exaggerated size stack up little to a
fashion-conscious attempt. The metal barriers thrown in haphazardly whilst the
photographs were taken perhaps give this tamed horse a magic touch it yearns
for.
Joaquin G
Palencia 喬凱尼．帕蘭斯亞, Red Horse 赤驅,
2008, Painted Steel
A visually
torturous work that does not inspire much even after the title is
revealed. The installation was first conceived
partly indoor, partly outdoor and to be separated by the glass of a shopping
mall. The idea not materialized was said
to be related to the fire codes. Anyway a horse that lies on the ground is
hardly good omen. The work built-in with seating, is rightly voted to be
unpopular with the public as it is left idling most of the time.
Mimmo
Paladino 米莫．巴拉第諾 (1948 -), Zenth 峰,
date unknown, Bronze and aluminum.
Like
architect, a sculptor would be rewarded by
studying his site prior to inception.
Figurative than the two horses
above, the noble beast has been the recurring theme of the artist of
multi-media interests. It is also the most
responsive to context where the sculpture is standing on platform at one angle
and yet appears among trees from a roof terrace nearby. Within a short interval of time, the
metalwork looks urbane then and surreal now.
This is true magic an audience rarely savours and it is a pleasure of any
re-visit.
View of Zenith from the roof terrace which is
accessible for all. The live bird perching at the head of the horse
incidentally is not part of the sculpture.
Zaha
Hadid 扎哈．哈廸 (1950-), Wirl 旋, Fibre-glass
“Designed to convey the intensity
of a hyper-acceleratory force”, explains Hadid, the white fibre-glass is
everything but mobility. The plastic configuration is wisely ambiguous: it
looks unearthly, cyber-technic but also recalls organically like the
semi-circular canals of the ears in you and me.
During the few minutes of observation, it seemed to be friendly amongst children - that is an intended success.
Hadid’s architecture seems to be
getting bigger in size as her fame grows, so as the controversies (especially in consideration of context). Her sculpture, devoid of much contention unlike her buildings, might provide
an angle of self-reflection.
(Above
four works located at City Art Square, Shatin)
Art in Art
Lee,
Shu-fan, Mok, Yuk-kwan Faye, Yiu, Fung Leo, Overlap,
2003-04. Stainless steel,
glass and aluminum.
The view at
daytime from the Cultural Centre
towards The Peninsula Hotel.
The reflective surfaces,
computer-programmed LED and varying heights of the columns explore the
interactions of individuals in an urban environs. The changing colours and tinted
mirrors make interesting reading from different perspectives. Pedestrians are
encouraged to walk between the columns, but many of them are so tightly spaced
that the experience is left to the inquisitive few.
It is noteworthy to observe the quiet
existence of the columns in the daytime that tend to escape from public notice. Just like lamp fixtures, only the outstanding few can speak to the audience when the lights are off.
Sim Chan 陳閃, SimKites, 2013,
Paper, bamboo, string and acrylic
Understandably
low-budgeted due to minimum funding from the Hong Kong Arts Centre that
houses it, Sim’s kites communicate primarily to a young audience on the fading
memories in this city of change. The installation is light and airy though a lack
of kinetic movement leaves something to be desired.
It appropriately addresses the vista of
looking above as the only means of escaping the concrete cluster reality of
Hong Kong. Or to be precise, almost.
One point to note is the absence of a title in
the local language that does not equal his commitment to local issues.
Sexuality and Determinism
Eva Drewett, Growing Shell 生命之貝, 1989, Cast
bronze
(front); and Yung, Wai-mun Zoe 容慧敏, Figure 造像, Marble
(back)
There are natural attributes of femininity in both
works located at Kowloon Park. Whether on the female figure or association with
birth, they are subdued as much as graceful, conservative yet timeless.
Leung, Kui-ting 梁巨廷, Ultimate Union 天人合一, 1992,
Bronze
and granite
Leung’s
work, taking away the hard edges, is more direct on the theme of sexuality. More
explicit than the title suggests, two entities are caught in the act of copulation.
Though angular in shape, the two have a soft aura that connects with the fresh
and blood of individuals, perhaps due to their glow and the surrounding lush vegetation. The
work, sophisticatedly composed and made at the time, has an appeal of innocence
like sex itself with no string attached.
Eddie Lui 呂豐雅 (1949 -), Luscious Spring,
Flourishing
Summer, Harvesting Autumn, Solidarity Winter
春茂．夏盛．秋收．冬藏, Ceramic
Arguably the most sexually charged
works in the city, the references to the female body is intently
discernible. The breasts intertwine with
the archetypal teapots and the vagina reveals itself as the budding plant. They
are open expressions with little for imagination, I mean real imagination not
libido.
The objectification of the female
body, lined up like trophies, might instigate uproar in other cities, though
not Hong Kong. Critique on his deterministic connection between bodily parts
and seasons is peripheral in comparison.
Home comfort
among wonders.
(image∣www.artron.net)
This photo perhaps could allay any
accusation that Lui is a chauvinist – his studio is a larger-than-life temple
of phalluses. What a waste they are not shown in the open along with the other specimens
at the Academy of Performance Arts!
Campus Agendas
Jens Galschiot
(1954 -), Pillar of Shame 國殤之柱,
1996, painted concrete
The sculpture in floodlight.
Unveiled at the Victoria Park in
1997, it was moved from various sojourns before settled in the University of
Hong Kong in 1998. The shaft, wrapped up of figures, can be attributed to the Nordic expression of humanity through postures. The
original fair concrete had been painted to follow the human rights organization
– The Orange Colour set up by Galschiot himself.
In remembrance of the
Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, the work has been elevated to the status of monument.
Among the many plaques that are mounted at the base, “The old cannot kill the
young” is probably the most riveting statement to remember.
Van, Lau 文樓 (1933 -), The
Static Leaves 風和氣逸, 2010,
Colour
coated stainless steel
The glistering
dash of leaves is another attempt by Van in his long quest of regional identity.
Like most of his works, there are insertions of formal meaning on his subjects represented. The bamboo leaves carry the well-wishes for the young
guns, who study art related subjects in the campus. Same case as the gripping
hands, the translation here has swayed the wrong direction.
The
Baptist University at which the work is located requires extra efforts to
demonstrate their commitment on arts. The piece is still a loner since the sculpture garden was launched in 2010. Besides, nowhere is any attribution for the work to be found. This is hardly a role-model to follow for the
visual arts and media departments nearby.
China Winds
Zhan Wang
展望, Artificial Rock No.121 假山石121號,
2007, Stainless steel
A
cultural chasm may be hard to bridge; and the statement from Saatchi Gallery’s
website is perplexing to say the least: ‘In
Chinese custom, rocks and water are the two most important five elements, and
through the sculpture’s reflective surface, Zhan combines both in a spiritual
emblem, merging their associative connotations of stability, prosperity and
wealth.’ Whooh!
A
no-nonsense clarification attempted is as follows: Artificial rocks (better
translated as Scholar Rocks personally) are particular rock types that have the
visual similitude with forms of nature, be it a mountain, cave, or gorge. They are displayed
at gardens, courtyards or even at studies for viewer’s mental connection with
mother earth.
Sadly
this particular one does not possess any of the above characteristics. Even to
the trained eyes, this steel rock is anything but a bemusing lump with little
appeal. I have seen better variations of Zhang’s steel rocks from which the
intent of iconoclasm is better transcribed. Having said that, there is nothing
new or more powerful than what Jeff Koons had done years ago.
Zhang
Huan 張洹, Long Island Buddha 長島佛,
2011, Copper and steel
Imagine
a deformed statue of Jesus in a Christian city or a twisted star and crescent
in an Islamic community, there could well be roaring outcries. Yet one has to
admire certain open-mindedness if not insolence in this city of ours. There has
been nothing but silence so far.
Zhang
uses the broken head of Buddha as a vehicle to ‘comment on the longevity of Buddha as a belief system… the monumental
scale of this work seems to illustrate the side of organized religion that is
given to excess and extravagance, the side that is often the target of
criticism.’* However, I still see kindness on the face of the beheaded
Buddha.
Religion
in itself is no crime, unless the reader is a Marxist. It is how religion is practiced
that makes a difference. Perhaps the artist could instead use the believers as his
subject; or maybe he deliberately retains a vista of benevolence on Buddha for
viewers to attain enlightenment.
*Quotation from display plate on location.
(Two works above on display at Asia Society Hong
Kong.)
Subversive Fun
Florentijn
Hofman, Rubber Duck,
Victoria Harbour 2013, Inflated polyethylene
Yoskay
Yamamoto, Wish To Meet You One Day,
Causeway Bay 2013
Fabien Mérelle, Pentateuque, Central 2013,
Fibre-glass
(image∣Anita Ng@blog.yahoo.com)
Designer unknown, Old Master-Q老夫子,
Kowloon Park 2013, Fibre-glass
These four pieces successfully
draw our emotions and other senses. Personally I had moments of enjoying these
spectacles. I would be stone-hearted to dismiss the rubber duck completely, so
to say. This is not an opportunity to denounce their existence. In my opinion,
they are not works of art because they are incapable of stimulating the
intellect and advancing the spirit.
However these works unwittingly
confuse the public into treating them as public art. Their disseminating presences,
always managing to attract audiences through their pleasant appearances,
undermine the way we look at artworks. In time, it becomes the setting criterion
in the public sub-conscious of art appreciation.
In a market-driven society today,
art cannot evade from the commercial currents. Art practitioners may even be succumbed
to take the easy option of crowd-pleasing and produce quasi public art. There
might be those who are taken to believe that this is the way to communicate with audiences. In a long run, the quality of art takes a beating and we are on a downward spiral.
