The eighth edition of Art Central is certainly an artistic experience that art aficionados can hold close to their heart. From touching on ancient styles to pushing contemporary artwork that focus on topics such as modernisation, consumerism, globalisation, nature, and more, Art Central 2023 had more than 300 artists displaying their work.
Among all the works on display, below are a few of the iconic ones that you should see when you are at Art Central. Do be reminded that all the artwork are aesthetically appealing and unique in its own way, so you will probably end up spending hours exploring every single one of them.
An Aggregation-Space by Seon-Ghi BHAK
Korean artist Seo-Ghi Bhak made his interactive 3D art installation titled An Aggregation-Space, particularly for Art Central 2023. Leaning back to his acclaimed artistic tendencies to use charcoal in his work, the entire installation is made of a metal frame that has pieces of charcoals hanging on nylon strings.
Bhak’s choice of material reflects his love for charcoal and his intentions to spark a connection between humans and nature. As a result, he created the piece to mimic a maze that people can walk through experiencing each chunk of charcoal slowly moving as they pass, thus also provoking the ideology that art is a journey of transformations.
Prelude in A minor Trauma by Clara Wong
Clara Wong is best known for having a satirical tone in her artwork, and this one which she calls the Prelude in A minor Trauma also perfectly knocks on dark humour as she replicates a typical artist studio in Hong Kong through this work.
The young Hong Kong artist has voluntarily cramped the space with so many objects scattered all over the place to create a sense of claustrophobic emotion, and also reflect on the reality of living an oppressed life in Hong Kong. Some notable elements of Wong’s installation include a laptop with water dripping on it from a broken pipe, a birthday cake that has been cut, and a mannequin leg on a piano.
Also Read: Vibrant City: Hong Kong’s growing art scene
Blue Throat: Start the Churning (group exhibition)
Blue Throat: Start the Churning is a group exhibition bringing together the works of nearly 20 local artists whose artistic themes focus on the Hindu mythology Samudra Manthana. In this ancient legend, people churned the ocean with the belief that it will produce an elixir which will grant them the gift of immortality.
This group exhibition is a juxtaposition of the way even people living today are continuing to mess with nature through globalisation and modernisation. To further connect to the ancient story, the curators – Chris Wan and Jeremy Ip – have used a turquoise blue flooring that makes it look like the visitors are viewing the art pieces with the ocean surrounding them.
Glows in the Night by Yang Yongliang
Glow in the Night shows the intoxicatingly beautiful nights of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau. At the first glance, it looks like large-scale photography capturing a city’s landscape during the night. However, a closer look shows that it is a video with minute details that can be only noticed when you concentrate on each section of the canvas separately.
More like an art that comes to life under the magnifying lens, Yang Yongliang wants to divert people’s attention to the light pollution that is caused because of urbanisation and other modern developments.
reflective connections by Bev Butkow
Bev Butkow’s reflective connections is a touch-and-feel-the-art kind of installation that is made of materials that were collected locally. This includes “thread, wool, dressmaking scraps” and more that are connected together to form a floating sculptor that is hanging down from the ceiling. The soft sculptor supposedly mimics a fishing net that was just pulled out from the sea.
Moreover, the South African artist uses mirrors to elevate her art by playing with lights and reflections. Butkow encourages the viewers to have a tactile connection with her piece in order to experience the work as she intends it to be.