Ocula Report Havana Biennial 2019: Constructing the Possible 17 Apr 2019 : Federica Bueti for Ocula I first visited Havana in November 2016, a few days after Fidel Castro died, and just under a year before Hurricane Irma hit Cuba in September 2017. Since then, much has changed, including the hand-painted signs that punctuate the journey from the airport to the city centre, which today do not celebrate the revolution so much as the 'Unidad y...
Ocula Conversation Andrew Stahl and Guo Xiaohui The exhibition Beyond Boundaries at Somerset House in London (12 March–2 April 2019) marked the historic contributions of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (CAFA) and the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, on the occasion of their 100th and 150th anniversaries, respectively. Spread across several rooms of Somerset House's...
Ocula Report The National 2019: New Australian Art 13 Apr 2019 : Elyse Goldfinch for Ocula The National 2019: New Australian Art features work by 70 contemporary Australia-based artists split across three venues: the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Carriageworks, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) (29 March–21 July 2019), as curated by Isobel Parker Philip, curator of photographs at AGNSW; Daniel Mudie Cunningham,...
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 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 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...
