MOCA Shanghai
The art field on the mainland seldom regards Hong Kong as a significant component for the art and cultural development of the continent. Neither traditional nor contemporary fields. It's of course not difficult to postulate why Hong Kong is like of a different root in terms of culture, or of another category in terms of artistic pursuit... especially in the years when "Chineseness" simply added artistic values to artworks. Although more friends made their names audible in important events in the country recently, the appointment of Oscar Ho as the Director of the new MOCA Shanghai still revealed itself as a very interesting notion. There was a mixed reaction of pride and lost when the news was announced in June. My drafted blog entry which I never finished is brought about again when the invitation card to the opening of the privately funded set-up arrived today. Pierre and Gilles. Hmm.
Oscar has been an influential artist-curator in Hong Kong after he became more and more active being the head of the exhibition department of Hong Kong Arts Centre. Extending the notion of curatorship in Hong Kong since late 80's, his several crucial exhibitions opened up many provocative discussions in and beyond the field, especially those remarked the complex of identity around the time of the handover. When HKAC changed its policy, he disappeared into the "backstage" for a while, which created an impression that curatorship had come to a different phase in the local scene, with his re...viewing (not "retrospective" - he regarded as too early to use that word) exhibition being held last year at Para-site.
Two years ago when I was visiting some friends who moved their studios or had their works being exhibited in Shanghai, it's not difficult to feel the apparent convergence of the two hybrid cities in terms of contemporary art development, and at the same time the possible migration of local creative taskforce northward. Yet, the exchange seemed not so much bilateral since then, which seems somehow unfulfilled.
With Oscar becoming a leading figure in one of the very few contemporary art entities in the country, would it mark a change for the pending dialogue between here here there there? The coming exhibitions listed on the website at the moment do not reveal such direction, yet. Instead, they remind me of our Museum which aroused some noise when it was officiated with the exhibition "Too French!".
2 Comments:
wei wei, have u visited the MOCA then? i am longing to do so.
i did an interview with Oscar earlier this year, before Canance did. I have a feeling that he is in exile~ while who can tell it is not another opputunity for us- honkies to experience more what it means to be a country. I wish he does well in SH.
When Oscar presents any of your works or events I will have a better reason to set off! Time for Man-made II? :-)
Post a Comment
<< Home