REVIEW: A Room of One's Own | Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
What Do We Think?
By Martina M E Manalo
20 July 2022
Tang Contemporary Hong Kong’s current group show “A Room of One’s Own” features the works of five young female artists, Li Muhua, Wang Su, Liu Youran, Zhou Xinyu and Ding Hongdan. The exhibition showcases childhood memories and feminism from the perspective of the artists allowing them to move away from gender stereotypes, therefore, “reconstruct a room of one’s own”.
Stepping into the gallery on a weekday morning, there was a noticeable dullness in the space. Browsing the room, there seemed to be a lack of ‘spark’ in the atmosphere—a flickering light in the corner, another one focused elsewhere. I had a mix of emotions and thoughts toward the selected pieces in the collection displayed, it was as I have entered ‘just another art fair’.
Zhou Xinyu’s work was the most striking, and perhaps most exquisite looking among the whole exhibition. A smooth technique of pieces that seem to arouse curiosity, and conversation toward the audience. The details in fact, were great accompanied with a wise choice of colours that create just the right softness, somber, and stillness to her work making every bit of it interesting. I could stare at it for longer than I should.
Speaking of colours, Wang Su has gone for a brave and vibrant colour palette in her collection. It reminds me of warm days in a tropical island, but not the calming one, the loud, explosive and extroverted version of it. Paying attention to the smallest details, the artist’s execution of technique was slightly untidy including the way it has been placed on the wall where some threads from the canvas stuck out which was clearly not part of the work.
Liu Youran attempts to unearth feminine ways of looking and the predicaments in real life. In her ‘‘Display and Room’’ series, she artist creates a soft metaphoric reality which at first glance looks very much in the ‘now’ of the digital era—a kind of ‘social media attention seeking’ issue as the women in her paintings appear contented and comfortable, but are searching for an internally consistent compromise in a submissive world.
In the dark corner of the gallery, an object transformed to a painting of an object that mimics reality—children’s books, bars of chocolate, letters, and doors, all are products of Li Muhua’s memory. A touch of nostalgia in her work “An Envelope” and “A Frog with a Fox” brings nostalgia that you could almost somehow feel, smell, and ever so tempting you want to touch to know if it is real. The artist’s aim to bring out a surreal relationship between the viewer and the object seemed to have succeeded and indeed created a connection. The fine texture and precise lines definitely helped in the accuracy of Li Muhua’s intention to resemble reality.
Coping with the pandemic like most artists, Ding Hongdan, creates. Her current work focus on the fluidity of the connection between reality and her own identity and gender, while reshaping the balance of power in gender. A thorough execution in her work “Desire No.2” brings out a soft, yet subtly striking pastel creating a ludicrous, and anxious feeling.
“A Room of One’s Own” is curated by Fiona Lu, and will be running through 30 July 2022.
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