EXHIBITION
Intersections
Kaleidoscope Gallery
The Light Within
RISE Gallery
The ArtSpace Cass Art
Same Difference
In the Shadows of a Subterranean River
Crypt Gallery
The Crypt Gallery’s spaces seem to resonate still with the accumulated imprint of its past - as a coffin burial site, the bed of the Fleet River (now buried underground), an air raid shelter during both World Wars and still now the final resting place of 557 souls.
—Introduction
First time I came to Crypt Gallery was a year before this exhibition. I often thought of this wonderful space and wanted to do some artwork based on its environment. It was the first time to consider the displayed space before doing works and fortunately this experience inspired me a lot.
I have visited there three times to find that the centre corridor which is stacked with headstones is the most narrative and attractive space for me. Headstones look like a moment which freezes one person’s whole life, and the moment could interpret as the last minutes on one’s deathbed. Therefore the artwork The Last 5’18” stated with thinking the relationship between humans and those headstones. Linked with my project Time Walking, this piece of work is a conjecture about a different speed and frequency of time in one’s last moment.
What’s more, the biggest challenge in this exhibition was not only to make the artwork completely match and interact with the surroundings but also itself. The Last 5’18” is constituted by three parts(a hologram video, an audio composition and a metal sculpture with the fibre optics) and they complement each other. These three parts of work are all interlocked and complicated so it should be considered every tiny detail both during the making process and setting up the exhibition.
SUARTS Exhibition Space
1'
1’ was an exhibition of new work by MFA year one students. As the space was very small, the curators gave the concept of “one foot”. It not only represents every artwork’s size 30X30cm but also a meaning of our first off-site show during our course.
My work The Third Eye consists of six stories and each of them has three pictures. An audience could observe a fantastic world through a “third eye” magnifying glass. How to design the work, how to bridge the artwork and an audience is the critical explorations for me in this exhibition. I feel the show was succesful, and we all experienced a marvellous private view.
Emerging Asian Artists
RISE Gallery
Asian Artists Showcase was organised by artist Charlie Henson, exhibiting the emerging Asian artists's artwork. It also bridged the Asian culture and an audience who are interested in . It opening days was also the Chinese new year - it was the best gift.
My artwork Journey to the East depicts the past and present world of human beings in the form of a traditional Chinese book. Other artists in this show all expressed current ideas in their art practice and displayed distinctive artistic styles.
Intersections was a group show at Kent curated by Andrea Coltman and Antony Dixon. It was a complete professional experience not only collaboration, exhibition but also the communication with the other artists. In addition, it was the first time I did an artist's talk without any preparing in the front of the visitors at the private view in London. The talk proceeded very well, there was a beneficial interaction between artist and visitor, the artist from the college and the local.
I had two pieces of work showed in this exhibition, one was the drawing The Length of One-Year Living in London and another was the video Time Walking in the Past Year. They are both white and about time, they make a good communication with other artworks and space.
I have showed a drawing in RISE Gallery before, it is a very nice gallery in the centre of Croydon. The Light Within is a theme exhibition which shows the artwork mainly made by light. I am not the specific artist who focus on the material of light, but I am always interested in the narratives among light, dark, and shadow. My work The Last 5’18” is an installation work using the fibre optic of blue colour to reinforce the still sense of time.
I have visited some light festivals before - they was always outside and connected with the environment very closely. The Light Within was a gallery space, however, the most of light work also had a relationship among light, text and printing. There was also a communication with my installation work, they used different materials and forms but linked with light.
Same Difference was a drawing exhibition with the MA Drawing students who are also from Wimbledon College of Arts. This show tends to analyse the language of drawing today. The artists showcased multiple bodies of work, exploring the possibilities of drawing.
I was very enjoyable sharing the ideas with the artists who are focusing the practice of drawing. There are variety ways of expression, for example, drawing on different materials, video drawing, three-dimension drawing.