This is a draft of the curator's note... to be polished...
-------------------------------------------------------
策展人語
「10年回歸前後話」源於我們有感香港藝術史料缺乏有系統的整理，於是希望透過是次硏究及展覽計劃，為香港當代藝術造就一些批判性論述。相對於熱烈慶祝回歸十週年的活動清單，「10年回歸前後話」並沒想過大堆頭的歌舞昇平，只是希望藉著十年過後的機遇，透過一個創作及研究的平台，重新檢視九七後的香港藝術文化。
是次研究計劃以編寫回歸時期（1996-1998）香港藝術活動表作起點，並據相關的統計資料邀請一班當時活躍的藝術家（以參與展覽次數計算）參與計劃，再由他們每人邀約一位當今活躍的藝術工作者（包括藝術家、策展人、藝評人等）就「九七」這題目作對話，期間，對每組藝術家進行的錄像紀錄，會連同相關資料珍藏於亞洲藝術文獻庫的研究檔案內，供公眾參閱。而12位曾活躍於回歸的藝術家，連同他們的對話對象，合共23位藝術家參與是次展覽，以對話延伸至一個合作或個別創作的過程。
從他們的訪談中，我們看到不同的藝術家從不同的範疇及角度上，展示了他們的關注－－譬如說：在科技迅速發展下藝術媒介的轉變、網絡社群的盛放與香港社會文化和藝術的關係、文化身份、個人就宗教信仰與社會政治活動之間的掙扎、關於回歸時期香港藝術的口述歷史、香港的藝術生態環境、展望未來等。是次展出的部份訪談片段裏，可見藝術家從個人、社會及政治、美學與文化等層面，為過去十年的香港藝術提供了多元的批判性論述。
參與是次研究及展覽的藝術家，從對話中尋找靈感、互相刺激及發展作品，以獨特的表達手法、題材和取向，回應香港回歸與當今的現況。
不少人說，回歸期間的本地藝術家總是表現對社會及政治議題的高度關注，新一代相對地則較著重個人情感的表達。與其將藝術家劃分在個人或社會政治的二元上，我們寧可讓他們透過展覽裏的作品，以思考與想像的量度，各自有力地展現獨特的體驗，呈現他們對當下處境和當代藝術的真誠反思。
魂游、何翠芬
The aim of “Talkover/Handover”, a research and exhibition project presented by 1a space in collaboration with AAA, is to initiate critical discourse on Hong Kong art, and to respond to the previous lack of systematically collated information on Hong Kong’s art history. Rather than presenting yet another event with Hong Kong’s most popular artists under the government’s Celebration Calendar for the 10th anniversary of the Handover, this project, through research and creative process, aims to create a platform to facilitate criticism of Hong Kong art and culture, post-97.
The research began with the collating of visual art events in Hong Kong that took place during the Handover (1996-1998) and the gathering of their statistics. We then invited the artists we found to be most active in the art scene during that period to participate in the research project. These artists were to invite an artist, curator, critic active today to engage in a dialogue/discussion regarding issues relating to 1997. During these discussions, video-interviews were also conducted with the artists. In total, 23 artists participated in the project, amongst which 12 artists were active during the Handover.
The video-interviews, which have been included in Asia Art Archive’s collection, reflect various concerns and opinions of the artists. For example, the change of art mediums in the face of rapid technological advancement, the development of online communities, cultural identity, personal struggles between active involvement in social movements and Buddhism, oral histories during the handover, ecology of Hong Kong art, future of Hong Kong, etc. The dialogues, of which segments are presented in the exhibition, have helped to generate a critical discourse with which to review the Hong Kong art scene in the last decade, personally, socio-politically, aesthetically and culturally.
The concepts of the works exhibited originate from the earlier dialogues and interactions. The diversity of the works project each artist’s own artistic character and orientation, unique in their medium and subject matter, in response to the Handover and the current situation.
It is often assumed that artists active during the Handover are concerned with socio-political issues, whereas artists of the newer generation show more interest in their personal sentiments. Rather than dichotomizing the artists’ works between personal and socio-political subject matters, the Talkover/Handover exhibition showcases a collection of works which speak individually and powerfully, reflecting each artist’s own set of experiences and thoughts.
沒有留言:
發佈留言