“Sparkle! Show Art’s Hand: An Investigation on Art Labour” exhibition explores meaning of artistic work

     The "Sparkle! Show Art's Hand: An Investigation on Art Labour" exhibition organised by Oi! was unveiled today (October 12) at Oi! in North Point. In an attempt to reconcile the dichotomies between practice and theory, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on the meaning of artistic labour.
 
     Is art a labour of love or a game of chance? The exhibition opens the debate with an illustration by Justin Wong, Wilson Shieh’s "2014 Calendar" and Jaye Rhee's video creation "The Perfect Moment". During the first phase of the exhibition, four new fine art graduates, namely Lawrence Cheng, Joanne Law, Livy Leung and Chivas Leung, are invited to present proposals for their solo exhibitions under the guidance of independent curators Ying Kwok and Suzanna Chung. They will then play mahjong to determine who will get to execute his/her exhibition proposal in the second phase of the exhibition. The project curator, Anthony Leung, sees this exhibition as both action-research and an experiment with resource distribution, reflecting the overall process of artistic labour.
 
     To coincide with the exhibition, Oi!, in partnership with orleanlaiproject, invited Vee Leong and four performers to present their durational work "On A New Day", which explores the contemporary notion of fatigue in relation to labour.
 
     "Show Art's Hand: An Investigation on Art Labour" is the final exhibition of the "Sparkle!" series. The first phase of the exhibition runs until October 28, while the second phase will run from November 3 to January 6. The special programme “Mahjong for Art” will be held on October 27 (Saturday) from 3pm to 5pm. For details of the exhibition, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/APO/en_US/web/apo/sparkle_show_arts_hand.html or call 2512 3000.
 
     For the "Sparkle!" exhibition series, eight local artists, namely Movana Chen, Enoch Cheng, Tang Siu-wa, Jeff Leung, Solomon Yu, Yentl Tong, Sara Wong and Anthony Leung, were invited to use Oi! as a platform to plan and stage exhibitions and other events that showcase the artistic qualities of the younger generation. Focusing on the relationship between art and contemporary living, the artists reflect on pressing issues in life and society using various means of artistic expression.
 
     Oi! is located at 12 Oil Street, North Point.