signals…storms and patterns / IV Chan: Poop Me to the Moon

Para Site is delighted to present the group exhibition signals…storms and patterns (March 18–28 May, 2023) curated by Billy Tang and Celia Ho. The exhibition marks the first chapter of the new direction for Para Site and will feature a series of commissions and existing works in dialogue with an experimental display structure that will transform throughout the exhibition.

“Signals” in the context of the exhibition are modes of kinetic art, communication, actions, and interventions to create a chain of reactions. As such, the participating artists will make use of cues including sound, smell, movement, and smoke to interrogate complex issues related to dispersed communities, migratory flows, and the intersection of technology, science, and architecture. The exhibition will be the first of three parts unfolding over six months: signals…storms and patterns (opening March 17) will focus on self-organisation and the politics of space in contemporary artmaking; signals…folds and splits (opening June 2) will in turn reflect on the temporality of artworks and alternative economies of time; and finally, signals…here and there (opening August 4) will explore dispersal as a strategy to think about contemporary global issues through the lens of Hong Kong.

Taking inspiration from the seminal gallery and art salon Signals London (1964–1966), the exhibition represents strategies to reconnect with the global community from the pivot point of Hong Kong in a post-pandemic world, and is conceived as an exhibition that is allowed to evolve and remain dynamic beyond its opening. The reconfigurable display system of the exhibition serves as an ongoing spatial investigation as artworks/happenings rotate, unfold, fragment, or dissolve throughout the exhibition period.

Participating artists of signals…storms and patterns are Christine Sun Kim, Linda Chiu-han Lai, Candice Lin & P. Staff, Pratchaya Phinthong, Printhow, James Richards, So Wing Po, Mika Tajima, Tang Kwok Hin, Truong Cong Tung, with atmospheric interventions including a publishing project by Wing Chan featuring photography by South Ho, and a broadcasting project by Wan Ing Que, Elaine W. Ho, and KUNCI Study Forum & Collective with the School of Improper Education in collaboration with Hong Kong Community Radio.

The exhibition spatial design is by Joel Austin.

The exhibition is supported by M Art Foundation.

Exhibition schedule
signals…storms and patterns
Opening March 17, March 18–May 28

signals…folds and splits
Opening June 2, June 3–July 30

signals…here and there
Opening 4 August, 5 August–29 September

Para Site is proud to present Poop Me to the Moon, a newly commissioned project by IV Chan at Art Basel Hong Kong (March 21–25, 2023) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The presentation marks Para Site’s long-standing commitment at the fair to support and promote new directions pursued by emerging or underrepresented artists based in Hong Kong.

Through a theatrical presentation curated by Kobe Ko and Cusson Cheng, the artist employs the psychoanalytic concept of “abjection” to revisit childhood memories, exploring the boundaries between enjoyment and anxiety through a child’s worldview. In the newly commissioned work, Chan has created an immersive environment inspired by the childhood bunk bed she shared with her younger sister. Playing with the theme of a child’s longing for the mother’s attention and grief in her absence, soft sculptures resembling human waste ooze from the display structure and spill over the booth floor, producing an intimate yet uncanny installation.

Chan’s playful interpretation of desire and abjection runs throughout her anthropomorphic sculptures, installations, poetry, and performances. The artist creates interventions and evokes unexpected bodily experiences inspired by her own personal experiences and memories, while addressing themes connected to body politics, psychoanalysis, folklore, and mythology. By inserting the concept of a “problematic body” into the public sphere, the presentation looks to create discussion and experiences connected to the artist’s long-term interest in alternative understandings and imaginations of the physical body.

During Art Basel Hong Kong, the artist will stage two performances at the Para Site booth at the following times:

Tuesday, 21 March 2023, 3–4pm
Thursday, 23 March 2023, 3–4pm

Since Art Basel Hong Kong’s inaugural edition in 2013, Para Site has maintained the tradition of highlighting the work of emerging Hong Kong artists at the annual fair. Alumni of the Para Site booth at Art Basel Hong Kong include To Kai On Benny (2022), Chan Ka Kiu (2019), Law Yuk Mui (2018), Lau Wai and Wong Wing Sang (2017), Andio Lai (2016), Sarah Lai Cheuk Wah (2015), Lee Kai Chung (2014), and Ho Sin Tung (2013).

Para Site Art Space is financially supported by the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the exhibition only, but does not otherwise take part in it. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the materials/activities (or by members of the Para Site’s team) are those of the organisers of the exhibition only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.