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• NonStopArtProduction....

  Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 1:46PM / Standard Entry

  This has been a long couple of months.
  I got 2 exhibitions opening this week so here's a little blog about it all.
  
  First up is a show at the Louis Vuitton on Canton Road. They have a gallery inside and they asked if I'd like to do an exhibition there. The only catch being I'd have to come up with something within a month. I have no spare paintings to show and a month is not enough time to produce new stuff, especially as I'd already committed to show new paintings at other projects.
  
  So, instead I decided to show the photos I've been taking this year for a book I've written.
  I had a bit of a life changing experience this year. I nearly died. So I wrote about it. I was also, through the ordeal, followed around by a couple of HK photographers. One is Wing Shya and the other is Stanley Wong (Anothermountainman). After they finished taking photos of me, I went off and took photos of many people that I knew. Finally we ended up with hundreds of photos which form a documentary of my life over the last 6 months.
  
  Stanley Wong (anothermountainman) did all the production side, he did an awesome job.
  
  the whole LV shop to myself
  
  
  
  
  installing
  
  
  During the original photography, 6 months ago, Stanley asked me to produce a spontaneous piece of art within a couple of hours. I threw up a big messy drawing. You can see it here in the background.
  
  LV asked me to repeat the experiment so there are now 2 sets of messy, spontaneous works on paper that also show at the exhibition. The new set was also done in just 1 day.
  
  Here's the old set installed at LV
  
  
  and here are the new set of drawings.
  
  before installation
  
  
  and all ready to go
  
  
  Some of the photos, these b&w are Stanley's
  
  
  these colour ones are mine
  
  one of me by stanley wong
  
  the LV consultant Jonathan with the layout
  
  Opening was crazy busy, A.N.D. Josie, Dan Wu and Lisa S all showed up to support.
  
  
  So that show opens Wednesday 19th November and is on until January.
  
  The next show is at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. This is in the Cultural Centre in TST. That ugly pink building next to Star Ferry. This show is a group exhibition by 8 artists and is a response to an artist called Antonio Mak. This is a young HK artist who sadly died of cancer just as he seemed set for a wonderful art career. A very talented sculptor, he was only 43 when he died.
  
  Here's one of his sculptures. Like me he has used tigers and horses in his work.
  
  
  For my part of the show I came up with 4 connected pieces of art:
  
  1:
  'Soghomon Tehlirian'
  4 films of a real live tiger projected on 4 screens in a large black room. 10 minutes long each.
  
  2:
  A set of 5 paintings (which have individual titles). there is another set of 4 blank canvases with no titles. sizes for all range from 3ftx3ft to 7ftx7ft
  the paintings are called collectively 'Argonautica (All That Is)'
  the blank canvases are called collectively 'Hamartia (All That Will Never Be)'
  
  3:
  'Huntingdon'
  300 HK$100 notes folded (origami) into the shape of a tiger, signed and numbered. These are handed out to the audience by the artist at the opening
  
  4:
  'Hartford Toll'
  An empty space in the centre of the video room where a real tiger should have stood.
  
  (explanations of the titles at the end of the blog)
  
  Still from the film.
  
  
  The film is of a tiger running around on a black background. It plays on 4 screens in a black room so it kind feels like a tiger is walking around you when you stand in the middle of the room.
  
  The idea of the film is about freedom and restraint. The tiger is an endangered Bengal tiger and was filmed in a prepared studio, in UK, with the camera crew inside cages for their protection. It took a day to shoot with 2 tigers. the tiger looks beautiful and provokes an instant reaction, especially with the sad music in the background by the Polish composer Gorecki.
  
  The film was supposed to also be projected on the outside of the cultural centre (it's a large blank wall with no windows) but again, the museum would not allow this.
  
  Originally there would have been a real tiger in the middle of the room too but the museum would not allow it so instead i'll be sitting in the middle of the room handing out 'paper tigers'. These are origami, real, $100 notes folded to look like tigers. I'll be giving out 300 of them, the entire $30,000 budget that the museum gave me for my work, at the opening. My work cost way more than this to produce but the museum wouldn't give me any more money.
  
  It will be interesting to see if people come to the show just to get the money (maybe the only way to get people to come to the museum of art). Also interesting if people keep the paper tigers as a piece of art or spend it. Anyway, it's a statement about how shit our art museum is and how worthless their money is. It's also a statement about the current financial crisis and how worthless money is becoming.
  
  Here's the cash on the night
  
  
  
  folded into origami tigers
  
  Here's me at the opening giving away the $30,000 in cash, signed, numbered and folded into little tigers.
  
  
  The artworks also represent past, present and future in relation to antonio mak. The paintings are the past, the blank paintings are the future and the film is the present. the paintings are of women in movement, some blurred, some clear.
  
  This is me on my last day in the studio. Somehow managed to paint 12 works and make 4 films in around 2 months. I had only 1 day off and was working 12-14 hours a day.
  
  
  The museum exterior
  
  
  Here's the work stacked up for installation at the museum.
  
  
  And again all set up.
  
  
  Installing Antonio's work
  
  
  Antonio's work all done.
  
  
  One of the other artists work.
  
  
  The opening was a great success, people seemed very moved by the film of the tiger. A.N.D. Shan came down to represent too. Good girl! Ryan and Candice were there too and 24 Herbs Eddie.
  
  
  As for the titles:
  1. Is an Armenian guy that killed a war criminal and was then aquited of the crime
  2. Is an Greek adventure story, the other title is a word invented by Aristotle to describe a flaw or error.
  3. Is  a reference to Robin Hood who robbed the rich an gave to the poor.
  4. Is a reference to the worst disaster at a circus where 139 died in a fire.
  
  The whole installation is for Antonio Mak, he used tigers in his work, but is consistent with my continuing overall concept that relates to the idea of spectacle. There is also a few themes running beneath this that relate to science fiction, science fact, fun fairs and circus.
  
  See you at the shows....
  
  
  

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• continued

  Sunday, Oct 26, 2008 1:11PM / Standard Entry

  just some more shots from the book project i'm working on and a few, black and white shots, by Stanley Wong (Anothermountainman). Stanley is one of Hong Kong's leading artists and a very cool guy all around.
  
  James Lavelle (UNKLE)
  
  Tony Magnetic (The Year Of...)
  
  Wing Shya
  
  
  Andy Lee
  
  
  Eddie Chung (24 Herbs)
  
  Katie De Tilly (10 Chancery Lane Gallery)
  
  Chris and Lisa
  
  
  Stanley Wong's photos of me:
  
  

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• definitely alive, almost dead for a while

  Friday, Sep 5, 2008 11:39AM / Standard Entry

  Well, I've been out of action for a while but was at Wing Shya's opening last night and bumped into Patrick and the AND crew who reminded me of my responsibilities as an artist on this site! So, here's the first blog in many months.
  I've just been around the world part vacation but part research for upcoming exhibitions. While away I set myself a little project, to cross paths with various people important in my life and shoot them. Here are a few of the results so far. It's an ongoing project that will eventually lead to a book. I'm now shooting people in Hong Kong so I'll add those when I've done them.
  The people won't mean much to you, dear reader, but they mean a lot to me.
  
  Be good.
  
  SB
  x
  
  
  First stop was Sydney, Australia
  
  
  My surf buddy, Chris Jones at a very cold and sharkey NSW northern beach.
  
  
  NSW pebbles.
  
  
  Kharis
  
  
  Crabs at thee fish market, cheap and yummy.
  
  
  Honolulu airport
  
  
  retro lounge Hawaii
  
  
  volcanic rock on the big island
  
  
  my Hawaii surf brother, Punchy. This is actually a 30ft drop though it looks like he's walking on water.
  
  
  Post office boxes
  
  
  Hawaii is kinda redneck.
  
  
  Hawaii
  
  
  Lots of big tricks in Hawaii, most for sale because of the oil prices.
  
  
  Airport on the way to LA
  
  
  Quiet corner of Honolulu airport.
  
  
  Corey outside the Gehry designed Disney concert hall.
  
  
  Conan Hayes, superstar surfer and boss of RVCA clothing.
  
  
  Sunny England
  
  
  
  Darryl Griggs, DJ from Sugar and Volar now living in London.
  
  
  My momma!
  
  
  Brighton rocks!
  
  
  Ex Hong Kong and now superstar DJ Lee Burridge.
  
  
  Brighton pier again, interesting to me because a lot of my installation works relate to carnival and fun fair.
  
  
  My '68 Pontiac Firebird, rusting away in my brothers back yard. Beats renting when I'm back home though...
  
  
  Nina
  
  
  Emma at the polo field.
  
  
  Happy times!
  
  
  My bro at his offices.
  
  
  That's it for now!
  Peace.
  Birch.
  
  
  
  

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• Hong Kong Art Fair

  Saturday, May 17, 2008 10:33AM / Standard Entry

  If you haven't already been, there's still time, the HK Art fair opened this week and the last day is Sunday. I've been to many art fairs around the world and I can honestly say the HK one i really not bad at all. A very mature show of international standard. Really helps to put HK on the art world map.
  I strongly recommend you go take a look around, it's not often we get such an amazing bunch of art to look at from over 100 galleries around the world. It's at the new Convention centre in Wanchai, get over there while you still have a chance.
  
  Here's a few shots to give you and idea.
  
  lots of Warhol around...
  
  
  
  sculpture made from TV's
  
  
  
  the star of the show, a Francis Bacon worth millions
  
  
  
  Thomas Ruff and a Damien Hirst in the background
  
  
  this sculpture was made from car tires
  
  
  lots of mainland Chinese art at the fair
  
  
  
  this is Mel Ramos
  
  
  
  
  Gold!!
  
  
  
  
  giants!
  
  
  
  nice traditional meets futuristic Japanese prints
  
  
  
  constantly changing plasma screens
  
  
  
  chairman mao was everywhere, am so bored of his image!
  
  
  
  this is a sculpture of Li Wei who actually  came to the opening looking like this, covered in mirrors. He then ripped it all off as a performance.
  
  
  a little known artist called Simon Birch! sold very well!
  
  
  this was a stunning constantly changing sunset on a weird LCD screen set up.
  
  
  nice big messy painting
  
  
  
  porcelain doggy, cute and expensive.
  
  
  
  says it all
  
  
  
  Terence Koh
  
  
  
  big head!
  
  
  
  
  fabric and mirrors
  
  
  
  
  would have loved to buy this Basquiat, super expensive of course.
  
  
  
  sequined lady, mmm, nice.
  
  
  
  
  toys are now art....
  
  
  
  This is Cang Xin, really amazing artist. He has a show  on at my gallery, 10 Chancery Lane, Central.
  
  
  
  This is one of his photos. I got one for myself! Swapped him for one of my paintings.
  
  
  This is the after fair dinner which was hosted by Louis Vuitton at my exhibition space in Chai  Wan. Was a lovely dinner and people really seemed to like the paintings.  Sold all the work!
  
  

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• one week to go, new show april 18th

  Friday, Apr 11, 2008 8:44AM / Standard Entry

  So I've been away from AND for a little while as I've been working 7 days to finish my new exhibition.
  It opens next Friday and you're all invited to the opening. It starts at 6.30 and will go on until late, then there's a big after party next door at another new space called 'The Embassy'.
  The show is in 3 parts. First in Central, then 2 parts in a big industrial space in ChaiWan. The space is brand new, a big investment by my gallery. Another sign the HK art scene is moving in the right direction.
  So you go to Central first, 10ChanceryLaneGallery, then they take you to Chaiwan on a free bus service. (more info on htto://www.10chancerylanegallery.com)
  The show is on for 2 months.
  In Central gallery there is a group of paintings which are similar to work I've done before, here's a preview (250x250cm, oil on canvas, 2008):
  
  
  
  Then in Chaiwan there's another set of work like this one (120x120cm, oil on canvas, 2008):
  
  
  
  But also there is a whole bunch of people in a  performance piece of art and on top of that some other odd things going on but the major new thing i've done is in film. There are12 films showing, including one I made for a museum last year that got me into loads of trouble because some of the scenes were very controversial. It's never been shown in HK before so will be interesting if it gets the same reaction here.
  
  Movie stills, Azhanti High Lightning, HDV 2007
  
  
  
  
  Wing Shya is also involved in the project, a great privilege as he is the most talented photographer i've ever met and a lovely person too.
  
  I'm not going to give too much away as it will be easier to write about the whole thing after the work is up and we can show photos of the finished thing.
  
  Hope to see you there some time!
  
  sb
  
  
  
  

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