“misty clouds scattered colours II” at Spazio Ridotto, Venice

Taking as a point of departure the seminal Ming dynasty text “A Journey to the West” and its seeking of clarity and understanding, “misty clouds scattered colours II” is the second reincarnation of a moving image project focusing on films by artists based in Asia and its diaspora. Initially presented as a collaborative three-day screening and panel project in the site of a small cinema in a converted magistrates court in the heart of Liverpool, this variation in collaboration with Spazio Ridotto and Zuecca Projects is a multi-channel exhibition in San Marco, Venice presenting a selection of the originally-programmed films, which sequentially focus on self/space/nation, the aim being to systematically dispel notions of “otherness” and the clichéd “East to West” rhetoric.

Wong Ping, “Jungle of desire”, 2015. Courtesy of the artist and Edouard Malingue Gallery

“misty clouds scattered colours” is a phrase from the first chapter of “A Journey to the West” and describes the presence of the initial cave, which chief protagonist Sun Wukong steps into as he embarks on his pilgrimage of consciousness. Recognising that a sense of breaking down otherness begins by looking at the self, the primary stage of the exhibition features Wong Ping (b. 1984, Hong Kong), who creates vivid animations that combine the crass and the colourful to mount a discourse around repressed sexuality, personal sentiments and political limitations. Zheng Bo (1974, China) specialises in socially and ecologically engaged art, investigating the past and imagining the future from the perspectives of marginalised communities and marginalised plants.

Extending to an investigation of our surroundings, the second part of the exhibition considers space and brings together works by Tromarama (est. 1991, Indonesia), João Vasco Paiva (b. 1979, Portugal/Hong Kong) and Suki Chan (b. 1977, Hong Kong/United Kingdom). Through humour, deconstruction, psychology and politics, the works collectively address our environment, what makes up our surroundings. Taking a pluralistic standpoint, the works dip between the objects we use daily, the places we assign value to, physical experiences of space, and varying perspectives of the frameworks that govern us, ultimately encouraging a multiplicity of viewpoints, and a heightened attunement to place.

Sun Xun, ”Time Spy” (2016). Commissioned and Produced by Audemars Piguet Art Commission Program 2016. . Courtesy of the artist and Edouard Malingue Gallery

Concluding the project is a wider focus on nation, how we perceive this concept in the context of time and space, amidst shifting political climates, in an age of displacement, in light of a constructed cumulative historical canon. Bringing together films by Sun Xun (b. 1980, China), Samson Young (b. 1979, Hong Kong) and Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976, Singapore), the programme fleshes out a set of global concerns that impact lives regardless of “continents” or “countries”. Delving into who or what defines us and how, a sense of empathy is encouraged and points of connection are made between one context, citizen, and another.

“misty clouds scattered colours” was originally presented by Edouard Malingue Gallery at Liverpool Community Cinema, Liverpool in collaboration with institutions across the North West: CFCCA (Manchester), Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool), FACT (Liverpool), Liverpool John Moores University (Liverpool), ART LABS (Liverpool) and Double Negative.

Zheng Bo, Pteridophilia, 2016. . Courtesy of the artist and Edouard Malingue Gallery

misty clouds scattered colours II
Realized by Spazio Ridotto and Zuecca Projects
in collaboration with Edouard Malingue Gallery

November 10 – December 8, 2017

Spazio Ridotto
Calle del Ridotto 1388
San Marco, Venice

Artists:
Suki Chan, Ho Tzu Nyen, João Vasco Paiva, Sun Xun, Tromarama, Wong Ping, Samson Young, Zheng Bo

Discover: zueccaprojects.org | edouardmalingue.com