Artist: Patty Chang

Contortion
2000

Biography
1972 - Born in San Francisco, CA
1994 - BA from UC San Diego, CA
Lives and works in New York, NY

Fountain
1999
Video

Melons (At a Loss)
1998
Video

According to The New York Times, "Patty Chang's early filmed and photographed performances were hair-raisingly narcissistic. As in a mirror, she was always the subject. In one piece, she exchanged a passionate kiss with her own face reflected in water. In another, she seemed to engage in intimate lip-to-lip contact with her mother and father. In a third, she ate a melon inserted in one side of her bra, as if she were devouring her own breast."

Check out this short documentary on her work!

Shangri-la
2005
Video

"Having won out in an insane marketing battle among a dozen rural towns claiming to be the same, nonexistent earthly paradise, the lucky town of Zhongdian was finally christened by the Chinese government as the "genuine" Shangri-la in 1997," Papermag.com writes. In her 2005 video Shangri-la, Chang documents her journey to Zhongdian. "As part of her visually spectacular but completely ridiculous project, Chang also created a number of objects to help her tell the story of this strange, fake place -- like a model of an oxygen chamber used to treat altitude sickness."

Today in The New York Times: Paul Chan

Paul Chan's "Waiting for Godot" makes it onto the cover of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section of The New York Times today. What's awesome about Chan's production is that it takes place outdoors. It set in a New Orleans street lined with desolate houses and debris, the still-unresolved aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Front Page: Yes, it is he!

The New York Times ran a cute article today on Chinese Contemporary artist Yue Minjun.

Your first reaction upon meeting Yue Minjun might be, yes, it is indeed he! The face with the enigmatic, jaw-breaking grin, perhaps the most recognizable image in contemporary Chinese painting, is a self-portrait.
"Yes, it's me," Mr. Yue said.

The article questions the mysteries of Yue Minjun's smiles as well as reviews his current show at the Queens Museum of Art.

Abandon Stereotypes Before Going to Print

"It's Asian Work, but Abandon the Stereotypes Before Entering the Booths," The New York Times reminds readers, in the headline of its review of New York's Asian Contemporary Art Fair. Maybe they should follow their own advice. After its advisory title, the review proceeds to inform readers that "contemporary Asian art is ruled by three gods: Buddha, Mao and Warhol," which, umm, isn't that a stereotype? Another one, that Asian art borrows "a lot" from Western art but still "evokes geographically specific tensions and anxieties," is a preconceived statement that even a person who has never seen Asian artwork before will feel comfortable sharing, mouth full of hors d'oeuvre and cocktail in hand.

The New York Times review fails to mention either works that are extremely Asian (not influenced by the West) or works that do not even hint at their Asian roots (they look like they could have been created by the West).

The cutesy, toy aesthetic is not indebted to Western art traditions.












Zhang Hui
various incarnations of Beijing Wawa









Asa Go
neutral-stage-self and neutral-stage-someone
Oil on Canvas
2007











There are also works that do not reference its Asian creators.


Choi Won Jung
Various
Acrylic on Plexiglas
2007


Seon-Ghi Bahk
Point of view 07-071
Coloring on Mixed Media
2007
An aggregate-Relationship
Charcoal, Nylon Threads
2007


Drop the generalization: "Because it is an all-Asian fair, it has its own distinctive flavor."

Asian Contemporary Art Fair NY 2007

With 80 booths showing over 350 international artists and a special exhibition, there was a lot to see. Here are some new artists I learned about today!

From Gallery Touch Art, Paju, Korea


Youjin Lee
The Flesh Denaturing
2007
Painted Resin, Brass



Sungdo Hong
Tourist
2007
Plexiglas, Aluminum, Photograph



This artist creates photo collages by cutting sections of his photograph and then reattaching them bent or crumpled. The protruding elements add a sculptural feel. The image makes sense, but the slight distortions made my brain do a couple somersaults.

From Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin, Beijing
Yang Shaobin

Number 3
2000-2006
Fiberglass
No 2002 - 4
2002
Oil on Canvas

These works' exploration of sexuality and the painting's technique remind me of Francis Bacon's Two Figures.








From Taipei Cultural Center, New York











Shih Chieh Huang
RT1-DELAY-#9
2003
Household Products and Mix Electronics

There were three of these crazy, neon, electric sculptures. They roll around the floor, spin, light up, and play music (I could also hear bleeps and click-clacks). I wanted to take one home so it could be my special robotic friend.












Takashi Hinoda
When World Is Far Away and Maid of Consumption
2005
Ceramic

It was nice to see what are usually rubber or plastic or resin toys take on a crumblier, matte, terracotta feel.

The fair also included a special 27-artist group exhibition, "Simulasian."

"Refiguring Asia for the 21st century will make visitors question their own perceptions of what Asia is, and urge them to "de-Orientalize" the notion of Asia, viewing it not only as a place, but as a truly global philosophy that infects, informs and encourages artistic production around the world."

Asian Contemporary Art Fair - "a point of convergence where some of the most respected dealers of contemporary Asian art will engage collectors, curators, and the general public alike."

The New York Times said, "the general impression is one of sophisticatedly playful and wide-ranging ingenuity."