Ocula Conversation Hito Steyerl: How To Build a Sustainable Art World 'A Picture of War is Not War', we read in Hito Steyerl's iconic film November (2004), an essayistic Super 8 film tackling the definition of terrorism constructed around the figure of the artist's best friend Andrea Wolf, who was killed as a terrorist in 1998 in Eastern Anatolia after she joined the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party). Mixing documentary...
Ocula Report Aichi to Okayama: Art in Japan Looks to the Future 11 Oct 2019 : Stephanie Bailey for Ocula There has been a flurry of triennial and biennial art activity in Japan this year. The Aichi Triennale opened in Nagoya this August, sparking a national debate about the shutting down of a display of formerly censored works—the result of public backlash against a burnt image of Emperor Hirohito and a statue commemorating the women forced into...
Ocula Insight | Video Hans Hartung and Art Informel at Mazzoleni London (1 October 2019-18 January 2020) presents key works by the French-German painter while highlighting his connection with artists active in Paris during the 50s and 60s. In this video, writer and historian Alan Montgomery discusses Hartung's practice and its legacy.Born in Leipzig in 1904, Hans...
Located in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, A2Z Art Gallery, founded in 2009 and specialising in contemporary art, presents a selection of international artists. Ziwei and Anthony Phuong, the gallery’s founders, have invented a place where artists have carte blanche to express their world. "I want to support artists who have digested the technological revolutions and social mutations all over the world," said Anthony Phuong. Through his first job as framer in a family business (Phuong Workshop), the young gallery owner has mixed with artists that shape the world of art in France and analysed the market for many years before deciding to take the plunge. Ziwei, for her part, by her studies in art and many years of experience in a famous Parisian gallery, has developed an increased knowledge in the field of contemporary art.
The artists from the A2Z Art Gallery stable each develop a characteristic writing, revealing the diversity, specificity and richness of a globalised society. Whether photographer, sculptor, video artist or performer, they use, according to their creations, all the mediums of the contemporary art to share their feelings about the world that surrounds them.
Via a space of 300 sqm spread over 5 floors, A2Z Art Gallery supports these international artists in their creations. Indeed, collaborating with many international galleries and cultural institutions, and developing exchanges between China and France, A2Z Art Gallery has become and continues to affirm itself as one of the most prominent partners to make people discover the international and notably Chinese potential still unknown.
Ocula Report Sydney Lowdown: Exhibitions to See 6 Sep 2019 : Elyse Goldfinch for Ocula The fifth edition of Sydney Contemporary will take place once again at Carriageworks between 12 and 15 September 2019, with Spring 1883 bringing together a cohort of 27 galleries from across Australia and the region to inhabit rooms at the Establishment Hotel from 11 to 14 September 2019, uniquely presenting contemporary works propped up on...
Ocula Report Art Basel in Hong Kong: Exhibitions to See 23 Mar 2019 : Tessa Moldan for Ocula For those visiting during Art Basel in Hong Kong (29–31 March 2019), the smell of fresh paint may still be in the air at the latest heritage conservation project, The Mills, which opened on 16 March to encompass the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textiles (CHAT), joining the ranks with ex-prison complex Tai Kwun, along with Eaton HK—a retro...
Ocula Photolog Asia Now 2018 19 October 2018 'Founded by Claude Fain and Alexandra Fain, ASIA NOW aims to present the new perspectives and issues for contemporary Asian art and its market: the value of its artists, its potential for development and its rising stars.'–Asia Now Paris (17–21 October 2018).
Ocula Conversation Dr Uli Sigg Collector When Sydney art dealer Ray Hughes visited Swiss collector Uli Sigg at his Mauensee residence near Lucerne some years ago, a mutual friend asked the dealer how the visit went. ‘Did you feel comfortable and find a place to kick your feet up and read?’ ‘No, to both,’ answered Hughes, ‘it seems there was only art...
Related Press Stars Art Group, China's artistic freedom fighters, celebrate 40th anniversary The Art Newspaper : 29 March 2019 On the eve of Art Basel in Hong Kong's private view on Wednesday, the Beijing-based artist Huang Rui took to the streets of Central for a paint-splashed performance about the cyclical nature of history. The piece was a tribute to Lee Wen, the pioneering Asian performance artist who died early this month.
Related Press Malaysian artist offers a cutting commentary on religion and society South China Morning Post : 25 September 2018 She smokes, she swears and she has written her own six pillars representing her artistic practice: religion, culture, society, roles, gender and humanity.
Related Press Contemporary Chinese Art In Manchester Art Radar / 10 October 2014 : 14 October 2014 Harmonious Society was launched on 27 September and runs until 23 November 2014. Organised by the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), it is spread across six venues in Manchester. Lead curator Jiang Jiehong’s ambitious project is laid out much in the same guise as a biennial or triennial exhibition and responds to the overall theme...
Related Press Li Wei In Beijing Liang Shuhan for Randian Online / 23 January 2014 : 28 January 2014 Stepping into the pitch-black gallery, the darkness wraps up one’s fingers and sends a shiver down the spine. After adjusting to the depth of darkness, the scene laid out gives yet another jolt: flickering candlelight, a cross on an altar, relief carvings on columns and criss-crossing vaulting arches—the exhibit even comes equipped with...
