“We really want to take the show to the level of the modern world,” says Silke Schmickle, Chanel lead curator of video at M+.
A wonderful clay work crumbles before my eyes
A wonderful clay work crumbles before my eyes
“The extraction from the mountains, the mining of minerals, the scarcity of some of these materials is very obvious to us. Without mountains and water and energy, we would not have any of these things [new technologies].
“I think these tools are the kind of things that encourage us to think: [shanshui] It’s built into our understanding of the world as a whole. ”
The curator’s text also connects modern ideas of communication with humanity’s eternal desire to connect with a higher power.
“As you discover these devices throughout the exhibition, think about the meaning of the landscape in the digital age and the invisible communication networks that blanket our physical world,” it reads.
Some may wonder if you are using landscape As an overarching paradigm, it is akin to replacing a domineering Euro-American-centric art historical narrative with an equally domineering hegemonic one.
However, the curators explain that they are not offering “doctrine.” The exhibition also includes works by the late Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta (1975 film). Silueta Sanglienta (Blood Silhouette) – and, of course, they say, radios, telephones, and most works of art are consciously influenced by the ink tradition.
In many ways, this exhibition is completely successful in promoting a new appreciation of the nature of ink landscapes. It also reveals how the genre inspires subversive strategies for artists of all kinds, and features several beautifully situated installations that draw attention to the mountains and water that surround the museum. to introduce.
The first gallery sets the tone.Shanghai-based Guo Cheng newly commissioned become ripples It’s a mirrored fabric wall that shimmers and trembles to the rhythm of the interior.
Mr. Yang Jiechang Black & White Mustard Seed Garden (2009-2014), a Chinese ink painter introduces scenes of bestiality and predatory violence that challenge the cultural authority of the classical art form.
Wesley Tongson was born in Hong Kong. Spiritual Mountains 3 (2010) was made entirely of his fingers and other parts of his hand. Xu Bing’s sketches of the Himalayas are composed of Chinese and English words representing elements of landscape painting.
Singaporean artist Chua Chye Teck combines a collection of miniature scholar stones with construction debris. (In another room, works by Hong Kong artist Lily Chan endless consumption This is another example of a sculptural landscape created using found and discarded materials. )
The exhibition also features American artist Isamu Noguchi’s first abstract mountain of steel. Then, in one of his galleries overlooking the sea, Singaporean composer Vivian will exhibit his One Soundscape, along with his steel landscape “forests” that change according to light and crowd movement.
Another sunny room is given over entirely to the work of Korean artist Lee Ufan. Relatum-Mirror Road (2021/2024), a long strip of polished steel lies between two rocks and is surrounded by a layer of pebbles. Visitors can walk through this work and feel as if the landscape painting has been brought to life.
The exhibition will last for two years, and parts of the exhibits can be replaced. Lee Ufan, for example, will be replaced in eight months by the work of Loni Horn and MAD Architects, respectively.
All in all, it’s a slow exhibition. There are many “continuous” films where the camera is trained on rocks, mountains, etc., and changes occur at an almost imperceptible pace.
M+ video curator Chanel Kong explains that many of the works are mirrors. landscape By taking a creative approach to scale, contrasting the permanence of the land with the fleeting presence of humans, and actively looking at different parts of the work from multiple perspectives, the work engages the viewer and I create paintings by completing the following.
One of the most exciting crossovers landscape The show’s film is a new work called 47 days without sound A work by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Trinh Thi.
Some of the 30-minute multi-channel productions feature no footage of birds or animals in nature, only audio recordings. The images displayed are culled from Hollywood and Vietnam movies, many with war themes, and carefully edited to avoid any human presence.
The screen placement and mirrored panels are inspired by the different perspectives present in the space. landscape Nguyen says this is a strategy she employs to destabilize “enduring power relations in postcolonial Vietnam.”
They took care of the children of many families.Photo exhibition reminds us not to forget
They took care of the children of many families.Photo exhibition reminds us not to forget
Foregrounding nature and sound is also an attempt by Nguyen, who is accustomed to seeing the world through a single lens, to explore a less egocentric and anthropocentric perspective, she says.
The way this work was commissioned also serves as a model for how multiple stakeholders can come together in non-hierarchical dyadic relationships.
The plan was for M+ to collaborate with the Han Neffkens Foundation, Mori Art Museum and Singapore Art Museum to co-commission works with the aim of opening up the pool of knowledge and avoiding institutional groupthink. “Scouts” invited to four educational institutions created a list of artist proposals, from which Nguyen’s work was unanimously chosen. Each institution then decided individually how it wanted to display the work.
Another separate joint commission is that of Indian filmmaker Amar Kanwar. peacock graveyard (2023) was first exhibited at the Sharjah Biennale in the United Arab Emirates. Like Nguyen’s work, this one is also a multichannel production, with the story moving across his seven screens.
In some ways, the exhibition could have evolved further. There are a lot of Hong Kong-born artists featured, but I wish there was some kind of sidebar that would provide context for Hong Kong’s unique response. landscape, Given the genre’s deep cultural roots;
There is also a complete lack of background on the history, evolution, and diversity of East Asian ink landscape paintings.
Although M+ curators have made it clear that this exhibition is about “echoes and signals”; landscapethey seem determined to avoid speaking directly about their ink heritage.
He covers his body with a white sheet and is able to draw using all five senses.
He covers his body with a white sheet and is able to draw using all five senses.
Two works by Liang Quan based in Shenzhen Fish hidden in the clear stream (2013-15) Request at least a small photo from the Song Dynasty landscape An explanation of why Li Tan’s painting of the same name, or Liang’s abstract paper collage, was given such a title.
Indeed, visitors unfamiliar with the term or its heritage may not understand this thoughtful “expansion of the canon,” as the curators describe the exhibition.
A simple solution is to collaborate with the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which is just a few minutes away and has a repository of classical ‘standard’ ink paintings.
Perhaps someday these two silos will level their walls.
“Landscapes: Echoes and Signals”, South Gallery, M+ Museum, West Kowloon Cultural District, 38 Museum Drive, Kowloon, Tuesdays to Thursdays and weekends, 10am to 6pm, Fridays 10am to 10pm.