4-9 July, 2022
I learnt a lot about the techniques and curatorial approach to the exhibition. We had to prepare well before the show, including publicity and other matters. We started the exhibition by mending the walls and painting them. Getting the walls smooth was an essential part of the exhibition. This time I also painted the walls grey. The grey colour shows the depression of the city and allows the viewer to enter the depression more. How to exhibit, how to display, and the form of the exhibition became a topic of discussion. The context of the show is as important as the work itself. The viewer's sensory experience also plays a vital role in the art pieces.
Before the Exhibition,
The preparation of each exhibition is particularly important, and each step can be helpful for my exhibition or curation. We also need to consider the risk that artworks may happen to audiences, how to make links with other artists' work in a group show and try to make the paintings fit in the gallery environment.
When setting up an exhibition, it is more important to focus on the overall coherence and dialogue between the works. I was in the same room for this exhibition as Yong-Woon Park (Green) and Liam McDonald. The show focused on thematic coherence, so we were assigned together. The arrangement of the artworks also focused more on the connections between the works.
My two large portrait paintings- "Mr. & Mrs. R" and a small portrait painting, are placed at a 90° angle as if the role in the works are talking to each other. At the same time, the small portrait painting- 'The Uniqueness of Mankind' and the cityscape painting- 'The Expansion' are placed face to face. A dialogue between humans and the city is expressed.
I painted the wall behind my work "Mr. & Mrs. R" in a slightly warm dark grey tone. The grey-brown shade is undeniably sultry and gives weight to the wall. It evokes the gloomy modern city and human psychological activity, effectively responding to the source of the depression intended in the work. The choice of paint colour gives the piece another life. It shapes the narrative integrity of the work and the space. By using paint colour, I change how the visitor sees, feels, and interacts with my work. Again, the colour of the paint is not a default choice but instead reinforces the connection between the artwork and the exhibition space. The painted walls also become part of the backdrop to the work. At the same time, there is a break and a respite in the room throughout the exhibition. The viewers prevented from getting lost in the endless white background. In addition, it is common to see the wall backgrounds of ancient portraits in museums, often accompanied by solemn reds, greens or blues, which add depth and dimension to the portrait paintings.
After the Exhibition，
Additionally, it is important to promote the exhibition in this information age, as it will significantly increase our exposure. Through the UAL Camberwell graduate website, I was invited to participate in China's first Best emerging Talent Festival 2022. During the exhibition, I was also invited by Donald Guy to take part in a Carton Gallery and Café exhibition.
