No, Humans. You're not Free. (Fine Art Asia & Ink Asia 2018 Review)

05 Oct 2018 | Ashley

As Asia's leading international fine art fair, FINE ART ASIA 2018 took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 29 Sept to 2 Oct 2018. INK ASIA 2018 was also held at the same place alongside the fair. This year, I was lucky enough to be a visitor of this wondrous art convention.

I have to say, I am not used to expensive art, or art as a luxurious product so to speak. Being in these fairs, I can brutally conclude that art is indeed a luxurious business. Art is no less a business than any other industry in the world. Walking through FINE ART ASIA, I was intimidated by the absolutely beautiful ceramic vases, gold plates, bronze buddhas, crystal decorations etc. It is undeniable that my being intimidated was because of how meticulously done each of those works was and how I, as someone who is not rich, was amazed by the kind of "art" that I am not used to seeing.

What hit more close to home, however, was the a dark room at INK ASIA. I knew it was the kind of place that would make me stay. It was a booth called ink + (水墨＋), which is in fact the name of a project which invited 11 artists from Hong Kong and China to exhibit their alternative "ink" works through videos, new media and installations, etc. I am a fan of media art, and therefore, this project immediately grabbed my attention, more so than other booths which showcased mostly 2-dimensional and traditional ink works.

Ever heard of Jean Paul Sartre? He is a French philosopher who suggested the idea of Le Regard (The Look), which represents expectations of others. What he wanted to say was, while having to live in a society to fulfill certain expected responsibilities and duties, we experience loneliness and a loss of self in the process. An installation in this booth, named Hell Is Other People (他人即地獄), borrowed its name from Sartre's play entitled "No Exit". I was easily mesmerised by the series of disc-shaped plastic objects suspending from the ceiling. At first I thought they were a series of records, but when I looked closer, the discs were almost transparent and had thin long lines carved outwards from the dark centre.To me, they looked like eyeballs, which corresponds exactly to Sartre's idea of the look, or multiple looks. With the light projected from a hole in the wall, the eyeballs reflected themselves against one another, and then onto a black wall where magically, a large reflection of multiple circles appeared, like an inflated eyeball.

This is, in my opinion, an intriguing way of representing the idea of multiple regards. While one person expects one person to perform certain duties, this person expects another to do the same. The chain goes on, and is an inescapable cycle which the multiple circles of the reflection on the wall represent. Round and round we go. While the idea of the piece could destroy our fantasy of living a free life, it was a fascinating installation to interact with as you walk under and around the discs, wondering what life has done to you from the day you were born.

Image: Chong Suet-chi, Shirley. Hell Is Other People, Dimensions Variable,
Site-specific Installation at Fine Art Asia, Hong Kong, 2018.  

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