Photographer’s subtle look at how we customise living spaces
Francesco Jodice – What We Want, Hong Kong, T47, 2006
Ever been to a place and felt that it is not quite satisfactory in terms of how it looks? Well, Francesco Jodice is recreating spaces into what they should be if we had control of them. For a long time, people’s lives were influenced by the buildings that existed but the trend is taking a turn. Not even urban planners, engineers or architects can dictate life upon humanity anymore, this is the message that is being communicated by the ‘What We Want’ series. The project is centered around photography and modification of imagery.
Artist creates tiny house & paddles away in the ocean
Kacey Wong – Paddling Home, 2009, wood, ceramic tiles, aluminum windows, stainless steel gate, pipes, plastic barrels, 278 x 220 x 290cm, Hong Kong
Kacey Wong has a knack for creating art which investigates the space between people and their surrounding environment. Paddling Home, which was performed on the Hong Kong Victoria Harbor, was a star feature in the Hong Kong contemporary art scene. The project features deep architectural elements, which clearly show in the design. The project also features various functional and commercial aspects. The result of the Paddling Home house was the creation of artwork unbounded by business values or functionality, which allowed it to represent the philosophies of Kacey Wong.
Humans reduced to a blob of color
Andreas Gursky – Kuwait Stock Exchange II, 2007
Photo: Andreas Gursky/VG Bild-Kunst, Courtesy Sprüth Magers, Berlin London
Andreas Gursky is a German photographer and professor. He is most well known for large format architecture and landscape color photos, and following the 1990’s; Gursky has been using technology and computers for editing and enhancing his photos.
Gursky is known for using an elevated vantage point as his main perspective. This allows the audience to view the scenes from a place that is both peripheral and central. Using each subject to create an unconventional geometry, he organizes the world fitting in with his personal visual logic. He began his portrayals of stock exchanges in 1990 and has continued this project throughout his career.
Iconic video games on 490 meter high Hong Kong building
Cao Fei – Same Old, Brand New (rendering), 2015, sound and large-scale led screens, 5min, size variable, Sound by Artist Dickson Dee, International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong, China
Same Old, Brand New is the labor of love of Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei. It was a massive video installation that featured a multitude of different symbols, moving pictures and images as well as logos from well-liked video games such as Pac-Man and Tetris. At the time of the show, the images and symbols that were displayed had become integral elements of culture among the youth not only in Hong Kong but in other parts of the world as well.
The Obscenity and Heartache in Tracy Emin’s Neon Signs
Tracey Emin – Trust Yourself, Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Miami, USA, 2014
Neon lights are commonly used to make attractive business signs and are mostly preferred for outdoor use especially at night. The colorful array of neon light options makes it a creative marketing tool since lights are used to illuminate an underlying text message or image. There is no limit to what medium an artist can use to express themselves and for Tracey Emin (b.1963), it has been over 26 years of using neon consistently as a creative medium. The process of creating an art piece for her often begins with coming up with a message, usually a thought or a feeling. This is then followed by bending light tubes to assume the curves and profile of what has been written. Many artists have used neon lights as a medium since the 1960s but while many preferred to use molded letters and neutral writing, Tracey Emin stands out because she has chosen to use her own handwriting. Art critics will admit that using one’s own handwriting is rather daring but also a way to stamp personality and individuality in all pieces created.
This is how Hong Kong looked like 60 years ago
Fan Ho – Inferno, 1962
Photographer Fan Ho was born in Shanghai, China in 1931 and immigrated to Hong Kong in his teens where he then began to photograph the drama of city life, ranging from the teeming markets to desolate alleyways. A Hong Kong Memoir completes Ho’s trilogy that he began with Hong Kong Yesterday and The Living Theatre, in which he introduced viewers to Hong Kong during the 1950s and 1960s, using his exceptional eye for light, structure, and his patience, waiting for the right moment to take the photo.
Would you consider these gigantic blow-up sculptures art?
FriendsWithYou – Happy Rainbow, Tuen Mun Town Plaza, Hong Kong, 2012
Highly interactive visual art has forged its way into the hearts and minds of the public. This new caliber of art is quirky, but it manages to so effortlessly fuse art, technology, and fashion in a trendy way that has us all captured.
One such collective is run by Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, who were born in Florida and Havana respectively. The Los Angeles based duo is more commonly referred to by their moniker, FriendsWithYou. The pair has collaborated since 2002 to produce joyful pieces of work intended to “spread Magic, Luck, and Friendship.”
FriendsWithYou brings a flair of kid-friendly fun to any proceeding with its bouncy castles, smiling and at times, glowing celestial bodies, brightly colored balloons and blow up structures. The pair uses a broad range of pop-infused media including extensive experiential installations, sculptures, paintings, playgrounds, published artwork, as well as live performances to exhibit their installations.
The two collaborative artists embrace play while subtly highlighting themes of technological innovation, iconography and religion. Their works challenge the progression of mechanical innovation while effectively juxtaposing human feelings such as delight and gratification. This art is effectively bringing change to how people socially experience places, spaces and other people around them, therefore supplying individuals with an enriching experience every time.
Often, Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval have been aptly described as progenies of Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama. Since their work is so calculatingly playful, it might be difficult for some people to classify it as fine art. Instead, the artists represent their art disguised as bouncy castles or as anthropomorphized items. Recently, the crew introduced the first wave of a virtual reality experience aimed at giving people the opportunity to explore their emotions. For instance, their virtual reality ‘Light Spirit’ piece occurs in a metaphysical plane designed to affect people’s sentiments.
When asked why the size of their installations matter, the pair feels that size is essential as it dwarfs the audience, which helps in cultivating a sense of serenity and peace. At the end of it all, their pieces are intended to inspire emotions such as love, magic, and peace into the hearts of the audience. The pair continues to produce art that creates a blur between reality and imagination. Their focus remains to supply people with an active experience that is also interactive at the same time. So if you feel the need to undergo a calming and delightful experience that makes you yearn for light and love, watch out for the duo’s next installation.
FriendsWithYou – at This is not a toy exhibition, Design Exchange, Toronto, Canada, 2014
FriendsWithYou – Super Moon, 2016, Seokchon Lake, Seoul, South Korea
FriendsWithYou – Super Moon, 2016, Seokchon Lake, Seoul, South Korea
FriendsWithYou – Super Moon, 2016, Seokchon Lake, Seoul, South Korea
FriendsWithYou – Starry Eyes, 2006, inflatable, 15 feet H x 10 feet W
FriendsWithYou – Mafli heads, 2006, inflatable, 8 feet x 8 feet
FriendsWithYou – Starburst, 2011, inflatable sculpture, ripstop nylon, 300 inch diameter, Brookfield Place Toronto, Canada, 2013
Photo: Ernesto DiStefano
FriendsWithYou – Starburst, 2011, inflatable sculpture, ripstop nylon, 300 inch diameter, Brookfield Place Toronto, Canada, 2013
Photo: Ernesto DiStefano
FriendsWithYou – Starburst, 2011, inflatable sculpture, ripstop nylon, 300 inch diameter, Art Basel Miami Beach, 2010
FriendsWithYou – Starburst, 2011
FriendsWithYou – Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Art Basel Miami Beach, USA, 2013
FriendsWithYou – Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Art Basel Miami Beach, USA, 2013
FriendsWithYou – Light Spirit
FriendsWithYou – Rainbow city, Art Basel Miami Beach, USA
FriendsWithYou – Rainbow city, Art Basel Miami Beach, USA
FriendsWithYou – Rainbow city, Highline, NYC, USA
FriendsWithYou – Rainbow city, Highline, NYC, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft, The Standard High Line Plaza, NYC, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft, The Standard High Line Plaza, NYC, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft, The Standard High Line Plaza, NYC, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft, The Standard High Line Plaza, NYC, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft, The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft, The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, USA
FriendsWithYou – Light Cave, 2014, inflatable, 55ft x 25ft x 14ft
Photo: Alyssa Ringler
FriendsWithYou – Inflatable by FriendsWithYou,
FriendsWithYou – 2006, inflatable, 10 feet x 8 feet
FriendsWithYou at This is not a toy exhibition, Design Exchange, Toronto, Canada, 2014
FriendsWithYou – at Wish Come True Festival, Luminato 2010, Toronto, Canada
FriendsWithYou – at Wish Come True Festival, Luminato 2010, Toronto, Canada
FriendsWithYou – at Wish Come True Festival, Luminato 2010, Toronto, Canada
