Curated by/策展: C&G Artpartment

Exhibition Period展期: 2-11/11/2013, 10am-6pm

Venue/展場:

Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery,

Communication and Visual Arts Building,

Hong Kong Baptist University,

5 Hereford Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon

九龍塘禧福道五號

香港浸會大學傳理視藝大樓

顧明均展覽廳

Opening Reception/開幕式:

1/11/2013 (Fri) 6:30pm

(dress code: school uniform/歡迎穿上校服到賀)

Press Release:請往下閱讀中文版本

"Exam-taking is an art."

Artist, wen yau, has pushed this idea to an extreme with a playful manner in her recent artwork.

Being a visual artist for more than a decade, wen yau has been invited to numerous local and overseas international art exhibitions. As a current PhD student at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, her failure in the two decaying public exams: Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) reveals the absurdness and malfunction of such exam system, especially in the Visual Arts subject. Working mainly with conceptual art and performance art, wen yau sat the very last Visual Arts exam of HKCEE with her limited painting technique in 2011, and obtained a Grade D. After striving to learn painting for 2 years, wen yau sat the very last HKALE in 2013 and obtained a Grade D in Visual Arts again.

Making the decision to sit the exams was the starting point of wen yau's project. The whole process from the preparation for the exams, exam-taking at the exam centre, receiving the exam results, to the appeal for remarking... are all part of her art-making process. All the way through, the artist attempts to make an institutional critique by putting her artistic reputation at stake. To earn a good grade is one of the concerns in this art project, while the exam results certainly proves the (in-)efficiency of the exam-taking strategy adopted by the artist. Carefully studying the transcripts of wen yau's exam results, one can see that her art portfolio scored fairly well and even got almost full mark in HKALE¡¦s Visual Arts exam. Her live performance at the exam center for the painting section did not earn her a good grade though. After receiving Grade D in HKCEE's Visual Arts exam, wen yau started to study with an art teacher graduated from the renowned Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing, for the fundamental painting techniques in an academic and realistic style, in preparation for the last HKALE Art exam left behind from the British colonial era. Ironically, wen yau scored the same after her two years of hard work: Grade D.

These two examinations are gone and replaced by a new system; the grading of the artist will remain on her resume despite the effort and achievement she has made. What kind of exam system or art system does wen yau¡¦s exam results reveal? Painting, no doubt, is one of the art media with the longest history and tradition. However, the exam system mistaken only certain dimensions of this medium to be the foremost important standards for the assessment, while ignoring the diversityof art creativity. In such a system, an artist may have her artworks praised on one hand, while being negatively assessed, on the other hand, by the outdated standards.

This exhibition is curated by C&G Artpartment, and will showcase a series of paintings by wen yau in the past two years, the transcripts of her Visual Art exam results in HKCEE & HKALE, along with related documents of the assessments and her portfolios. The audience is welcome to this graduation exhibition of the last HKALE Visual Art exam candidate and helps reassess this Grade D artist.

"I am a Grade D Artist" exhibition is free for public, will have its opening ceremony on 1st November, 2013, and runs until 11th November, 2013. Enquiry: rsvp@wenyau.net

新聞稿:

有云：考試是一門藝術。

藝術家魂游， 將這概念把玩得淋漓盡致。

魂游從事視覺藝術創作十年，多年來獲邀參與本地及海外多個國際性展覽活動無數，現正於香港 浸會大學視覺藝術院攻讀博士課程，卻敗於兩個已式微的公開試──香港中學會考（HKCEE）及香港 高級程度會考（HKALE），只能於視覺藝術科考取丁級成績，揭示了考試制度荒謬、失效的一面。 2011 年，不諳畫藝、以觀念藝術及行為藝術作主要創作媒介的魂游，應考了最後一屆香港中學會 考視覺藝術科，以零畫技考取了丁級成績。2013 年，經過兩年的繪畫訓練，魂游再接再厲應考了最後 一屆香港高級程度會考視覺藝術科，不料還是考取了丁級（D）成績。

決定應考是這藝術創作的開始，由準備應考到踏入試場，到獲知成績、上訴再評分……身體力 行，把個人成就做押注，走進一個根深柢固的考評制度。爭取成績固然是考試的其中一個要點，而當 中獲得的評分，也在一定程度上反映了參考者應試策略之成效。細看成績單，不難發現魂游的「作品 集」在會考及高考中成績接近滿分，但臨場繪畫的成績卻未如理想。會考視藝科取得丁級（D）成績 後，魂游向一位畢業於著名學府──北京中央美術學院畢業的繪畫老師求教，從基本功開始學習學院派 繪畫技巧，以應付一個英殖時代遺留下來的考試。但更諷刺的是，經過兩年的繪畫訓練，到了最後一 屆高考，在視覺藝術科仍是獲得丁級（D）成績。

求學不是求分數，但兩個考試制度的終結，斷定了一個藝術家無可駁回的等級，而這個等級又代 表了怎樣的（藝術）制度？繪畫作為最傳統的藝術媒介之一，卻在考試制度裡變成僵化的標準，無視 了多元的藝術創造力。一個藝術家走進這種制度裡，縱使一方面作品大獲好評，另一方面還是會在守 舊古板的標準上碰壁，甚至負上本事不濟之名。

是次展覽由C&G 藝術單位策劃，將展示魂游過去兩年的繪畫習作、會考及高考視藝科成績單，以 及相關的考評文件，同時亦會展出應試的個人作品集，讓大家在這末代高考畢業展，為這位丁級藝術 家再評分。

「我是丁級藝術家」展覽於2013 年11 月1 日開幕，展期至11 月11 日，免費入場，歡迎參觀。 查詢：rsvp@wenyau.net

2011年起，魂游花了兩年時間隨畢業於北京中央美術學院的老師從基本功做起

學習繪畫，以應付一個英殖時代遺留下來的考試－－末代高考。

To prepare for the very last HKAL examination, wen yau starts from zero and has spent 2 years to study drawing

and painting with an art teacher who graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing since 2011.

魂游與畢業於北京中央美術學院的王老師。

wen yau and her art teacher from Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing.

魂游於會考及高考中「作品集」部份幾近滿分，但結果仍只能獲得丁級成績。

Although wen yau has got almost full marks with her portfolios in the HKCEE and HKALE,

she still obtains a Grade D for Visual Arts in both examinations.

考評局重新評分後，維持給予魂游末代高考丁級成績，斷定了一個藝術家無可駁回的等級。

wen yau is assessed to be Grade D after remarking, and she will remain a Grade D artist

as the HKALE has come to an end in 2013.