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Fragmentation

Lam Tung-pang

BEIJING

2017年06月24日—2017年8月20日

Lam Tung-pang: Fragmentation ​Installation view
Lam Tung-pang: Fragmentation 
Lam Tung-pang: Fragmentation ​Installation view
Lam Tung-pang: Fragmentation ​Installation view
Diary 20150629 日記 20150629
When the time comes - A group of landscape works from The Curiosity Box 當時刻來臨 - 好奇盒裡一些關於風景的創作
R1 - A set of ceramics from The Curiosity Box R1 好奇盒裡一些陶瓷紀念品
Being disappeared -Disappeared Hong Kong Art (3) 被消失-消失的香港藝術 (三)

Chambers Fine Art is pleased to announce the opening on June 24, 2017 of Lam Tung-pang: Fragmentation. Born in Hong Kong in 1978, Lam studied fine art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and later received his MFA from Central Saint Martins in London, England in 2004. This will be the leading Hong Kong artist Lam Tung-pang’s inaugural solo exhibition in Beijing.

Curated by Abby Chen, Fragmentation brings together a group of objects, sketches, paintings and installation works that give viewers a glimpse of Lam’s process-driven artwork––one that has become increasingly intertwined with his everyday life. An ongoing theme behind the artist’s work has been an exploration of what he calls the ‘fragmented self’ – the separate identities that co-exist within each person, at times in harmony with one another, and at others in seemingly complete opposition. Lam views this inner fragmentation as a metaphor for contemporary society, which is especially potent when applied to Hong Kong, where anxiety over the city’s relationship with mainland China has created a politically fragmented population.

Anchoring the exhibition is Disappeared HK Art 3, a set of large fiberglass Chinese bowls that have been sawed apart, the pieces scattered throughout the gallery courtyard. The bowls were originally part of a public installation in Hong Kong featuring a group of local artists. Due to a disagreement on the opening day between the venue and organizers of the project, the exhibition lasted a mere 24 hours, after which it was quickly dismantled. The abrupt and sudden breakdown in communication had a profound impact on Lam. As he witnessed firsthand the dramatic unfolding of events, he was struck by the uncompromising stances of the two sides; and yet, being able to empathize with the opposing viewpoints of each side, he became immediately aware of the conflicting views that existed within himself.

In his subsequent work, Lam has sought to explore the separate roles that he inhabits within his own life: artist, researcher, father, etc… During a 2013 artist residency in New York, he turned his apartment into a shared space of living, artmaking, archiving and socializing. This experiment continued as Lam traveled to San Francisco for “The Curiosity Box” exhibition, mutating a public space back into a semi-private studio. In 2015 Lam expanded the series in Hong Kong with The Hometown Tourist. Appropriating the role of a “tourist” within his own city, Lam checked into a local hotel for six weeks, transforming an entire hotel wing into an open, working studio, each room becoming a constantly evolving mini-exhibition.

Fragmentation brings together a compelling new body of work distilled from Lam Tung-pang’s residencies in New York and Hong Kong. Diary 20150605 is a note from his travel journal that has been enlarged onto canvas; The Outlook Is Still Positive consists of two Chinese postage stamps bearing the images of palm trees, in front of which a diminutive scale model figurine is seated upon a popular real estate market slogan: ‘the outlook is still positive’. The configuration resembles a miniature billboard advertisement; it is left to the viewer to decide what its cryptic sales pitch refers to. Lam's inquisitive, ironic and playful nature is apparent in his work, and a certain charm arises from each of his objects, large or small. There is a vulnerability to them, as the artist invites the audience to explore his inner, fragmented thoughts. Yet, taken together, the artworks gathered among the gallery and courtyard begin to coalesce, forming the vibrant stream of consciousness that encompasses Lam’s creative process.

前波画廊北京诚挚地宣布林东鹏的个展《碎片时代》将于2017年6月24日开幕。林东鹏1978年出生于香港,在香港中文大学主修艺术,之后于2004年在伦敦中央圣马丁艺术学院获得硕士学位。此次展览由陈畅策划,也是这位香港的杰出艺术家在北京的首次个展。

《碎片时代》包括了一系列的物品、手稿、绘画和装置作品,此次展览上观众得以一窥艺术家别有深意的作品,这些作品也越来越与林东鹏的日常生活紧密地联系在一起。“分裂的自我”是林东鹏一直以来在持续探究的主题,他认为每个人同时都拥有着不同的身份,有时它们和谐共存,而有时却似乎显得格格不入。这种内在的分裂其实也隐喻着当代的社会状态,用来描述香港尤为显得妥帖,这座城市和大陆之间的焦虑关系造就了一个政治分裂的群体。

此次展览中最重要的作品《消失的香港艺术(三)》是一组被锯碎的玻璃钢材质的大碗,这些碎片散落在画廊的院子里。这些碗原本是香港当地艺术家公共艺术展中的一件作品。但是开幕当天由于项目负责人与场馆方面产生的分歧,这个展览仅仅持续了24小时,之后被迅速撤展。这次出人意料的沟通崩溃对林东鹏产生了很大的影响。他亲眼目睹了整个事件戏剧化的经过,一方面对双方各不相让的态度感到惊讶,但另一方面又体会到他们各自双方的苦衷,这令他直接感受到了自己内心世界中存在的各种矛盾。

展览的其它作品中,林东鹏试图探索自己生活中的多重身份:艺术家、研究者、父亲等。2013年在纽约参加一个艺术家驻地项目时,林东鹏把自己的公寓变成了一个生活、艺术创作、档案收集以及社交的共享空间。随后他在美国旧金山的展览《好奇匣》中继续这种尝试,他把一个公共空间变成了一个半私人的工作室。在2015年,林东鹏在香港延续了这个系列,创作了《好奇匣香港——做客家乡》。他在自己的城市中扮成了一个游客的身份,在一家酒店住了六周,把整个酒店的一边变成了一个开放的工作室,其中每个房间都变成了一个不断演变的小型展览。

《碎片时代》展示了林东鹏的一系列值得关注的新作,都是根据他在纽约和香港生活的体验而进行的艺术创作。《日记 20150605》是将其旅行日记的一篇放大到画布上;《景仍看俏》里有两张印着棕榈树的中国邮票,邮票前有一个迷你人偶坐在常见的地产标语“景仍看俏”上。这个组合类似一个迷你的广告牌宣传,留给观众一个遐想的空间来猜测这个广告到底在推销什么。从林东鹏的作品中可以明显体会到其刨根问底、极具讽刺和幽默的个性,无论作品尺寸大小都展示了一种魅力。由于艺术家邀请观者来探索他内心如碎片般的想法,因而我们也能感受到作品中柔软脆弱的一面。然而,纵观展览,展厅和院子里的所有作品渐渐合而为一,四处萦绕着其创作过程所围绕的鲜明意识。

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