Round table discussion at the Chinese Arts Centre
I attended the round table discussion at the Chinese Arts Centre, which involved some of the current exhibiting artists in the Negotiable Values exhibition Rachel Goodyear and one half of Conroy/Sanderson, Yan Yan the Director of the 501 Artspace and Ying Kwok curator of the Chinese Arts Centre (www.chinese-arts-centre.org) were also present. The starting point for the show was for the artists ‘”to create works in response to the idea of ethics and moral choices.” Yan Yan goes onto say that “the exhibition brings together artists’ works which explore the notion of advancement and raises the question about the price of progress.” I don’t want to give too much away about the exhibition as you should really try and see it however the inclusion of Rachel’s work really added something else to her pieces and the exhibition, how power struggles are not only a local concern but an international issue. This show emphasizes the importance of context and how this can add to the reading of an artwork. For example the background information behind the show, how the work is hung and the place were it is shown.
I got to meet some of the other artists who are due to go to Chongqing and Phil Davenport who has just recently come back. He had an exhibition of his work in a local teahouse, which I was really pleased to hear that someone was showing work outside of the gallery (http://tony-trehy.blogspot.com/2009/12/speak-is-co…). We went for a coffee, as I was eager to ask lots of questions about his experience. I had underestimated how important it is to have these conversations as it really helped me feel less anxious about going. To be able to let someone know how I was feeling and be told that this is natural was what I needed to hear from someone who has been through the same experience. I asked Phil about simple things such as money to take, how he travelled around he even drew me a small map. It was a chance to ask him about how he felt when he first got there and the development of his work during the residency.
Only one week to go before I depart. I am starting to gather my things together and still adding to the never-ending list of stuff to take.
