Not Yet Art Fair

《未來藝術博覽》觀念藝術展覽(請往下閱讀中文版本)

In 2003, the SARS virus attacked Hong Kong. It was spread rapidly and had enormous influence. Back then, we associated SARS with the rapid development of biennales around the globe within the visual art world. Because of this, we went to Venice in the same year to conduct a performance art piece, ¡§A Survey on the Contagious Biennales,¡¨ outside of Venice Biennale.

2013 is the 10th anniversary of the war with SARS, and also is the time for the rise of panic over avian flu virus H7N9. To make the association with the visual art world again, it is not difficult to think of the upcoming outspread of the ¡§Mutated Art Fair Virus.¡¨

In the recent decade, art fairs have become more and more popular all over the world. Many different kinds of art fairs appear. Hong Kong has at least six different sorts of art fairs within a year. As art fairs become more popular, art becomes more commercial as well. In theory, this would be an encouragement for artists as they would have a higher chance to be rewarded through art-making. However, the truth is the development of art is in Hong Kong being polarized by the rapid growth of art fairs. On one hand, some artworks become more delegate, more commercial and market-oriented. On the other, some run in the opposite direction: going completely against commercialization. Due to the dislike of the market, and the current political and social atmosphere in Hong Kong, some local artists tend to address the contemporary society and politics more directly. They do not rely on sites like art fairs to exhibit their works at all, and their works can hardly be commodified.

Facing these two polarized tensions, people who are in the midst of hesitation about entering the art-making mode become so frustrated that they eventually back off after their first few attempts in the arts. A large amount of art-making-leftovers (cultural leftovers) are often produced during such art-making mode with frustration. These include all sorts of ideas, plans, materials, energies, semi-finished works, reference materials etc. Usually, ¡§cultural leftovers¡¨ can hardly enter the art fair market. However, after careful re-organization, leftovers can be turned into numerous tasteful art fairs also.

For the current exhibition, C&G Artpartment attempts to organize a few hundreds of artworks, mainly paintings, left behind by those who were ¡§in the midst of hesitation about entering the art-making mode¡¨ in the past five years.

The opening of the exhibit will be on April 26, 2013. It will run until May 27, 2013, and is free for the public. For enquiries, please contact 23909332.

Attn: The authors of all the currently exhibited pieces are welcome to take back their works.

Presented by:C & G Artpartment

Artists:Exhibited artworks are those not taken back by the authors from C&G Artpartment since 2007.

(Previous notice by C&G Artpartment: ¡§Regarding artworks not being worked on at all, but solely taking up storage space at C&G Artpartment for more than 3 months, C&G Artpartment are eligible to discard these works without further notice.¡¨)

Opening: 6-7:30pm, (Fri) 26 April, 2013

Exhibition Period:(Sat) 27 April to (Mon) 27 May, 2013 [except 13-17 May, 2013]

Exhibition Time:2:00 - 7:30pm, Thursday to Monday, (Closed on Tue, Wed and Public Holiday)

Address:3/F, 222 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Prince Edward, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Exit B2, Prince Edward MTR Station, Behind Pioneer Centre)

  

2003年沙士疫症襲港，它的傳播力之強，影響力之大，前所未有。當時，沙士疫症讓我們聯想到與視覺藝術界的「雙年展」在全球大規模發展的關係，促使我們於同年到威尼斯雙年展主場館外，創作了一個關於「雙年展傳染性綜合症保健檢查」(“A Survey on the Contagious Biennales”)的行為藝術作品。

十年後，2013年，沙士十周年，並出現H7N9禽流感恐慌，意味另一種致命傳染病漫延 及 肆虐，如我們再嘗試以此與視覺藝術界進行聯想，這另一種漫延將會是「藝術博覽會之病態變種」(Mutated Art Fair Virus)的漫延。

近十年，全球各地均趨向舉辦藝術博覽會，形形色色，單是香港，一年起碼有六個以上的藝術博覽會發生。藝術博覽會的普及出現，促使藝術創作更趨商業化。理論上，這同時促使藝術家有更大可能 及 更多機會透過創作獲得回報；但實際上，這個藝術博覽會的發展趨勢促使本地藝術創作走到更兩極化，即為獲得回報，藝術創作得更精緻、更商業化，更傾向市場主導；另一極端是，不少藝術家因唾棄創作商業化，及 現時香港政治社會的氣氛影響，促使其藝術創作得更直接迅速回應當今社會及政治，更直接及自我的思想表達，更不需要在博覽會這類場合展示，促使這類藝術創作與商業化背道而馳。

其實這兩極化的傾向，對正在猶疑於進入藝術創作狀態的人士而言，帶來更大疑惑，疑惑過後往往出現卻步，而不是深思。因此，在猶疑 及 正處於藝術創作過程裡，往往因卻步而生產很大量的藝術創作剩餘物(文化餘)，包括概念、計劃、物料、心力、半製成品、參考資料等等。亦正因這是「文化餘」，往往很難打入藝術博覽會市場。但其實，如果能好好整理這些「文化餘」，已足夠構成一個一個的藝術博覽會。

C & G藝術單位嘗試整理近五年來，「猶疑於進入藝術創作狀態的人士」於本單位進行創作後沒有取回的繪畫作品，把累積達數百幅的文化餘向公眾展示。

展覽於2013年4月26日開幕，展期至5月27日，費用全免，歡迎各界人士參觀。如有任何疑問，歡迎致電23909332查詢。

另非常十分之歡迎展出作品之作者於是次展覽後取回 閣下之作品

主辦及策劃：C & G藝術單位

參與者： 作品來自2007年以來，存放在C & G藝術單位一年以上沒人領回的繪畫、素描 及 混合媒介作品。

(註：C & G藝術單位表示，有關作者之作品如「純粹存放(於C & G藝術單位)多於3個月，(C & G藝術單位)將自行處理該作品而不作事先通知」)

開幕式時間：2013年4月26日(星期五)，晚上6至7:30

展覽日期：2013年4月27日(星期六) 至 5月27日(星期一) [5月13至17日除外]

展覽時間：下午2:00-7:30，逢星期四、五、六、日、一，(星期二、三及公眾假期休息)

展覽地點：­香港 九龍 太子 西洋菜南街222號 三字樓 (港鐵太子站B2出口，始創中心後)