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George Tjungurrayi, ‘untitled’, 2014, Acrylic on linen, 91 x 91 cm
Image courtesy: Utopia Art Sydney
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Leading Hong Kong cultural and social destination Duddell's has announced a collaborative exhibition presented together with the 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018): Duddell’s x Biennale of Sydney. Abstraction of the World. Curated by Mami Kataoka, the Artistic Director of the Biennale’s 21st edition, the exhibition will open on 20 March at Duddell’s, and will run until 10 July, 2017.
Since ancient times, human beings have been fascinated by the structure of cosmic space and the natural phenomena of the world. Fundamental elements such as light and darkness, wind and rain, water and fire do not have fixed structures or form; therefore, they have often been depicted by different cultures and civilisations as abstract forms. Such examples can be found in East Asian belief systems and folklore, such as Taijitu, Wuxing and I Ching trigrams, as well as in various Indigenous cultures around the world. This exhibition features work by three prominent artists from the Asia Pacific region: Mit Jai Inn, George Tjungurrayi, and Haegue Yang, who through their research and repertoires, reference and explore such concepts in abstraction.
A pioneer of Thai contemporary art, Mit Jai Inn’s (b. 1960) idea of painting defies conventional boundaries, both physically and conceptually. His abstract paintings bring to mind reflections of light, the colour spectrum and the molecular structure of the universe.
George Tjungurrayi (c. 1943) creates abstract canvases derived from the distinctive painting style of the Papunya Tula Artists of the Australian Western Desert, which are often interpreted as reflections of the desert landscape. The characteristic patterns also refer to the invisible energy fields of the artist’s ancestral country and to traditional stories deeply rooted in sacred law.
Internationally renowned for her assemblages and spatial installations, Haegue Yang (b. 1971) often uses industrially manufactured materials that reference the history of modern art and allude to social, political, and personal histories. Yang’s work challenges conventional ideas of abstraction and movements within diverse art forms.
On announcing the exhibition Mami Kataoka says: “Abstraction of the World explores some of the diverse philosophies surrounding the essential elements of the universe, investigating a pursuit of meaning in abstraction that goes beyond modernist perspectives of abstract expressionism and minimal, conceptual art. It is a reflection of some of my early thinking about the 21st Biennale exhibition opening in March, 2018.”
Contributing to Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s leading arts hubs, Duddell’s is dedicated to giving local and international contemporary artists a platform to express their creativity and practise freedom of speech through art.
“We are honoured to partner with the 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018) on this project, and excited that Mami Kataoka, a globally renowned figure in the art world, will be curating our next exhibition Duddell’s x Biennale of Sydney. Abstraction of the World. Duddell’s prides itself on presenting a programme of quality art events in collaboration with leading cultural institutions since its establishment in 2013, and this March, we are delighted to present a showcase of these artists from the Asia Pacific region,” says Alan Lo, Co-Founder, Duddell’s.
The exhibition is part of the Duddell’s Art Programme which includes a calendar of shows curated by respected forces in the international and regional art community, film screenings and discussions.
Source: Press release.
