Simon, I hope you will have more work to show us soon. I am so impressed with everything you have shared here on AnD and I can't wait to see more. If you don't have any new things to put up yet, maybe you have images of some older things or some sketch books or something else you could show us?
To see the process an artist goes through via studies, sketches, mock-ups, etc. is fascinating. When I saw the Santiago Calatrava show in New York a few years back, three things impressed me the most. Calatrava is known as an architect, but his sketch books were fascinating. There were figure studies (a lot of figure studies), which you just wouldn't expect to see from an architect who is building bridges and tall public buildings, and they showed me a side of Calabrava that was clearly also at work in those large public commissions, but it wasn't apparent without access to the sketchbooks. There were also some sculptures he had made over the years. The one that I couldn't get away from was a kinetic sculpture that had the effect on me of being in a Japanese zen garden, it was so centering. The third piece was the mock-up for the World Trade Center subway center as he originally planned it. The vision of what that sad, commemorative space could be as both a transit hub and a memorial space was breathtaking. (Too bad budget cuts and political ignorance in NY have seriously compromised this original plan.)
So, I have come to see that there is a lot more to most artists than simply their public work. Some of the stuff that you think may not be of interest to your public may be just what we need to see to appreciate your work on a deeper level.
Thanks for the comment. My friend invited me to go to your show at Chai Wan a few weeks back. I was shocked that those bettas were not eating each other up in the tank. I almost thought "May be this whole fighting fish thing is a marketing scheme came by some business man to fool the world! Ha!" Great show.
I love, love, love the picture of you Wing just posted on his blog. The way you are laughing at something that was just said you are so natural, so totally present. Wing captured the essence of you in that unguarded moment.
gabbard
posted on Monday, May 12, 2008 10:25PM
Hey Simon,
just wanted to say that i read the article in SCMP post about your health, and i support your efforts to succeed and fight this issue.
Im being vague because of the forum were on but i have several causes im fighting myself and if you'd like to chat about your fund raiser for cancer im most interested in helping with some work.
I will email you a series of images that ive shot in HK pertaining to the causes of curb side idling and the pollution of air management we as citizens are exposed to every day.
Cancer is a mysterious element that needs to be exposed in it's many forms. Art can get the attention of the publics best interest, and the government will have to make a change.
Please email me with a private address so we can discuss this matter further.
A full time artist, Simon Birch is a young Hong Kong artist who's made a huge impact with his energy and vision in the last few years. Apart from his critically acclaimed, dramatic paintings, he's man...
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