diacritic | art and culture

The days since my return from Hong Kong have been crazy. The following day we released the Summer 2006 fashion collection at NTU and I began teaching the day after at RMIT. So, to be completely honest, I haven't been able to update the blog in days despite so much activity all around. Here are a few quick images without the much needed commentary....

The first night I was able to attend a panel discussion at Para/Site's new basement space. Interesting exchanges all around, particularly regarding the criteria for experimentation in new media and Hong Kong specific space challenges.

One such area for experimental media art can be found at the Cattle Depot Artists Village. Once an area for incoming livestock the space has been repurposed for artists and currently has several collectives operating in different areas of the village, including Videotage and The Artists Commune.

Posted by at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The research component for my project, Mediating the Mekong, is drawing to an end. Last week I presented the Asia Art Archive with the materials collected over the past year from artists, curators and organizations throughout the sub-mekong region. There was over 20 GB of media (video, images, etc).

I also gave a presentation at the archive, which in retrospect might have focused more on Media Art in the Mekong (as opposed to Media) as there were several in attendance studying and teaching media art in some of several institutions in Hong Kong. Rather, I gave an overview of some of the activities and socioeconomic and political conditions and their relation to the developing contemporary art scene. I will make a particular effort to include more media art into the final report due in the end of July.

The Asia Art Archive is impressive and one of the spaces in Asia that I've been hoping to visit for years. It is an amazing an rigorous effort providing information about Asian Arts worldwide to scholars, researchers and artists. I hope that Vietnam, like Thailand, can one day begin it's own archive.

It was also by pure coincidence that Claire (Executive Director of AAA) and I were speaking about Ou Ning who runs the Alternative Archive in China one afternoon. That day, he happened to be in Hong Kong and we were able to meet. Small, small world

During my short stay in Hong Kong, I was able to see several of the arts spaces including the new Osage Gallery (above). The Gallery is amazing in its own right but the amazing thing is that the gallery is one of many projects of the Osage company which produces apparel for companies such as Anthropologie. In so many ways, this runs parallel with my own life: working during the day for NTU, a contemporary fashion design company in Ho Chi Minh City balanced with the arts activities during the other times. I handed to my design class at RMIT this evening an article called "Kissing Cousins" by designer Rick Poyner on the intersections between art and design. I always recall what Teiji Furuhashi (founder of the Kyoto-based performance art group Dumb Type) wrote in Memorandum before his early death about the struggle between a commercial day-life and an artistic night life. The sculptural installations above are from a Chinese artist and made from real animal bones. It took several cows to assemble the piece above.

Posted by at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently Vietnam Airlines, the nation's flagship carrier, has been under investigation for corruption and mismanagement - allegedly purchasing indadequate cheaper short distance engines instead of the more appropriate long distance Boeings. The corruption allegation asks, where did the savings go?

The national carrier is being inspected concerning dubious equipment purchases and leasing, refusal to execute a foreign court verdict, nepotism and extravagant spending during executive business trips abroad. 

 On my recent "short distance" travels from Saigon to Vientiane to Chiangmai (via Luang Prubang), I felt a certain uneasiness having just read of the breaking scandal. While boarding the plane, I overheard someone joke that the plane was called "fucker". After buckling into my assigned seat, I pulled out my emergency evacuation instruction card. I realized he was wrong. It was called "Fokker". Fokk.

More Info
+ Thanh Nien News
+ Fokker Services

Posted by at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Arrived late and missed my the opening act of Saigon-based Texan duo, Killywell, but was able to see most of the set from Miami (yeah, it even sounds Japanese). Looking for more events like this. The Vietnamese pop is killing me here. I rock to an analog synth. 

Posted by at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you are in Hong Kong at the time, would love to have you attend. -RST

Description:
Richard Streitmatter-Tran will discuss his research on information networks in contemporary Southeast Asian art in connection with the year-long project, Mediating the Mekong, made possible by the the Martell Contemporary Asian Art Research Grant and the Asia Art Archive.

The presentation will be followed by an informal Q & A.

Richard Streitmatter-Tran is an artist living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Event Details:
Talk: Mediating the Mekong
Date and Time: Wednesday 21st June 2006, 6:30 - 8:00pm
Venue: The Asia Art Archive, 208 2/F Wah Koon Building
181 - 191 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Information:
Registration required on susanna@aaa.org.hk
or call Susanna Chung on 2815 1112
Free admission. Conducted in English
Asia Art Archive. Newsletter

Posted by at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saigon Open City co-creative directors Jeab and Rirkrit explain the concept for the 2-year project that will unfold in chapters beginning late this year. Approximately 20 Saigon-based artists were in attendance along with Hanoi-based Tran Luong and Mai Chi who helped facilitate the event. Artists were asked to present short briefs of their work to assist the organizers with the terrain and people of the city. They will be departing for Hanoi in the next days to continue their research before returning to Bangkok.

Jeab went out of her way to bring along the recently published Public In(ter)vention and the catalog from Project 304's 4th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival two my video pieces, Missed Connections and Body Frame/Video Frame screened in the festival. Public In(ter)vention is perhaps the best book on contemporary art in Southeast Asia:

Fly with Me to Another World is an art project initiated by Navin Rawanchaikul, a Thai artists who was inspired by the journey of pioneer Thai artists Ingon Wongsam. The project launched in 1999 and travelled to several international art spaces. Mirroring Inson's return to Thailand after years of experience abroad, in 2004 Navin returned the Project to Lamphun, Inson's hometown, which prompted a year of collaborations between artists, grassroots groups and community members. Project activities ended in February 2005 with the international symposium Public Art In(ter)vention. Thai and international participants debated 'art' and the 'public' drawing of their experiences and examples from their specific contexts.

Continuing the momentum of the Symposium, Fly with Me to Another World Project initiated another intervention in the form of an edited volume of writings with contributions from artists, critics, curators, directors of art spaces and grassroots organizers.

I first laid eyes on this book last weekend in Chiangmai when Jay Santhipap brought home a copy upon his return from the exhibition in Bangkok. If you buy any book on art in Asian contemporary art, you must start with this one. Transcripts, interviews from artists and arts professionals from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, China, Amersterdam, Paris, Burma, Hong Kong, England, Iceland, Sweden, Singapore, United States, and Australia. That a DVD comes with the book is icing!

Information
+ Fly With Me To Another World Project
+ Project304
+ Saigon Open City

Posted by at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This could be interesting despite the generic English translation below. For me, the inclusion of mass media could be what sets this apart from the millions of contemporary art exhibitions that have occurred of the last few years. -RST

"China Contemporary Architecture, Art and Visual Culture is a collaboration between the Netherlands Architecture Institute, MuseumBoijmans Van Beuningen and the Nederlands fotomuseum. This first interdisciplinary overview of China's contemporary art, architecture and visual culture - including television, photography, newspapers, magazines and blogs - also provides a platform for a new critical voice from the People's Republic. China is undergoing a phenomenal transformation. In just a few years the country has developed into the mecca of the market economy, a place where existing and new cities are mushrooming into modern metropolises at breakneck speed.
But is this all just a glossy image? Three Rotterdam arts institutions have teamed up to show the work of contemporary artists, photographers, architects and designers from China to have them answer this question with provocative, critical, ironic and beautiful work."

Information
+ China Contemporary
+ Danwei. World Tour Stop 2

Posted by at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For a while, it seemed the days of exhibitions being shut down in Shanghai were long gone. Since Shanghaiist moved to the city four years ago, we had not witnessed any major crackdowns, although there have been a few minor incidents here and there. The cultural scene in the city took a step back, however, on Saturday when a massive exhibition at the new Creative Garden on Longhua Lu was shut down by the authorities. - Shanghaist 

'Pornographic' art exhibition closed.  By Bill Savadove.  May 25, 2006.

Shanghai officials have shut down an exhibition by nearly 40 Chinese artists for showing "pornographic" images and other works considered offensive, the second time an art show has fallen foul of city authorities in seven months.

Cultural authorities closed "Solo Exhibition" after just one hour on Saturday night by shutting off power at the venue, in part because of photographs of naked women displayed by artist Zhang Ding, organisers said yesterday.

"From the artists' point of view, these are good works, but cultural inspectors didn't like them," said an official from the privately run Zendai Museum, which served as curator of the exhibition.

Sources
ESWN. 'Pornographic' Art Exhibitions in China
Shanghaist. Art fought the law and the law won 

Posted by at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DREAM
Photojournalism and social photography
Nicolas Lainez

5pm : Presentation and slide show
7.30pm : Projection of the documentary film “War photographer”

“Documentary photography is an information and documentation tool that has been clearly affected by contemporary shifts in technology. Its testimony and communication fluctuate often between art and journalism. Some people say that photojournalism is having a crisis, other say that it must fight to rediscover a new identity.” (NL)

In his presentation, Nicolas Lainez’ aims to offer us some keys to better understand this medium of expression. The introduction of historical reference marks of photojournalism will provide the attendees with a basis of a definition of press photography and its required criteria, from both a formal and a content oriented point of view.

The projection of “The other side of the dream” is a slide show of photographs shot in Cambodia by Nicolas that will give us an example of work usually classified as “social photography” or “author photography”. In this particular form of documentary the photographer must engage in a long immersion process into the heart of the matter of his subject, while resisting against endangering the project with misinformation caused by his subjectivity.

Nicolas Lainez was born in 1975 in Barcelona. After graduating from Film School, he completed his photography studies with internships at Magnum Photo, Agence France Presse, Rapho and Vu a Paris. As a photographer, he has produced “The other side of the dream”, social photography project dealing with immigrants, human trafficking, and prostitution in Asia. This was done in collaboration with numerous NGOs. His work has been presented and exhibited in Europe and Asia. He has published a book with the NGO “Pharmaciens sans frontiers”. His pictures are distributed by On Asia Photos agency.

atelier wonderful - 80 Nguyen Trai -1st floor - Ben Thanh Ward - District 1 - HCM City - Vietnam http://www.wonderfuldistrict.org

Posted by at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And I'm juggling both. I swear this is the most frantic month I've ever had. Within 4 weeks I'll have been in 4 different countries for arts-related research while overseeing the showroom redesign at our fashion company, preparing to two courses RMIT on video and design, writing and translating articles for our September "big project" in Singapore and finishing a year-long research grant. I'm going nuts. I simply cannot take on any more projects for the next several months or I'm going to explode into particles. I read that Harvard University will begin stem cell research this month. Me first please.

The blog may be quiet for the next couple of weeks while I try to resume control over my life...

Posted by at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Wrapping up my research for the Martell grant, I will be departing for Vientiane today.Not sure what to expect or find in Laos, but I've meetings scheduled in Chiangmai and Bangkok before returning on the 6th. I'll be checking email now and then if you need to reach me. -RST

Posted by at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're in Hong Kong, please do attend these two talks by Shu Yang! -RST

TALK - Independent Curatorship of Chinese Performance Art

Speaker: SHU Yang, artist, independent curator and critic based in Beijing
Date and Time: Friday 2 June 2006, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Venue: Asia Art Archive
181-191 Hollywood Road, 208 Wah Koon Building, Hong Kong

Curator and artist SHU Yang from Beijing has been actively involved in the performance art scene in the last few years. In this talk, he will give a subjective analysis of his practice as an independent curator of contemporary Chinese art and performance art,  as well as his vision and strategies for an unconventional art form. He will also give an overview of the development of independent curatorship in China since the 80s with a focus on performance art, drawing examples from events that he and others have previously organised.

Registration required on info@aaa.org.hk or call Amy Chan on 2815 1112
Free admission. Conducted in English

TALK: The ‘Market Factor’ in Contemporary Chinese Art

Speaker: SHU Yang, artist, independent curator and critic based in Beijing
Date and Time: Saturday 3 June 2006, 3:00-5:00pm

Venue: Para/Site Art Space
No.4 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Curator and Artist Shuyang will give an in-depth analysis of how ‘the market’ play a part in the creative process of Contemporary Chinese Art and the development of ‘art hubs’ and gallery spaces such as the 798 Art District.

Free admission. Conducted in Mandarin (with simultaneous English translation)

SHU Yang is an artist, independent curator and critic who now lives in Beijing. He is the Founder and Director of DaDao Live Art Festival, China.  In 2001, he worked as the Executive Editor for Chinese contemporary art magazine Next Wave. In 2003, he was the Curator of China-UK Arts Management Placement Programme at Visiting Arts in London and Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff. He was also the Coordinator of 798 Biennale 1 in 2005.
________

The talks are part of the June Art Action - In Memory of June Fourth of the Hong Kong Performance Art On the Move project.  Performance will take place on 3th and 4th June in Para/Site Art Space and Causeway Bay Pedestrian Area (MTR Exit D) respectively.  For more details, please visit the project's website: http://www.hongkongperformanceart.org/

Enquiries
Ko Siu Lan (9278 4977) siulanko@yahoo.com.hk
Mok Chiu Yu (98007169) mokchiuyu@yahoo.com.hk
               
Presented by: Asian People’s Theatre Festival Society        
Supported by: Hong Kong Arts Development Council               
Special Thanks: Art and Culture Outreach, Para/Site Art Space, Asia Art Archive, Yank Wong

Posted by at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)