Chris Chong Chan Fui
dal 18/4/2010 al 31/7/2010
Segnalato da
18/4/2010
Chris Chong Chan Fui
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
Black Box. In Block B (2008), a motionless camera watches night and day as dramas unfold on the various floors of a massive apartment complex in Malaysia. Chong captures this home to Indian expatriates working on temporary contracts, as if it is a documentary, with no special effects or lighting. He directs the viewers' focus to realistic details within this fictionalized microcosm of urban humanity via imaginary voice-overs.
Chris Chong Chan Fui (b. 1982, Borneo, Malaysia) lives and works in Kuala Lumpur, and is the first Malaysian artist to present work at the Hirshhorn. In "BLOCK B," (2008), a motionless camera watches night and day as dramas unfold on the various floors of a massive apartment complex in Malaysia. Chong captures this home to Indian expatriates working on temporary contracts, as if it is a documentary, with no special effects or lighting. He directs the viewers’ focus to realistic details within this fictionalized microcosm of urban humanity via imaginary voice-overs.
Ultimately, however, it remains unclear whether the narration is an authentic aspect of the fabric of daily life or derived solely from the artist’s imagination, raising questions about surveillance, voyeurism and authenticity.
Chong, who is the first Malaysian artist to exhibit at the Hirshhorn, also creates feature films. His most recent audio-visual installation, "HEAVENHELL" (2009), based on Akira Kurosawa’s film "High and Low" (1963), premiered at the International Festival of Arts and Media in Yokohama, Japan.
The architecture of the site and Chong’s static, formal cinematography offer a striking counterpoint to the vivid, unpredictable narratives. "BLOCK B" suggests issues related to surveillance and voyeurism, but also compellingly evokes the context, texture and dramatic elements that comprise the fabric of daily life.
Produced as a short film, "BLOCK B" has won awards at international film festivals. Chong also makes feature films and created "HEAVENHELL," (2009), a major audio visual installation which premiered at the International Festival of Arts and Media in Yokohama, Japan, and is based on influential Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s film "High and Low," (1963).
This exhibition is organized by associate curator Kelly Gordon.
Support for the Black Box program is provided, in part, by Lawrence A. Cohen/Ringler Associates.
Press contact: Gabriel Riera, Director of Communications and Marketing
rierag@si.edu
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
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