Distances in Three – Group Exhibition by Jason Lam, John Chan and Dave Ho

Far, near, unrealistic and intimate are adjectives that express the physical and emotional closeness between each other.  We can quickly judge the distance between certain things based on our intuition.  But what is the basis for judging distance?  Do various judgments imply certain values?

 

The “Distances in Three” exhibition shows the “distances” between the three artists and their respective concerns and issues.  Jason Lam explores the unclear line between digital technology and traditional art,  John Chan’s photos reveal his feelings about the living environment of the grassroots community, and Dave Ho uses sculpted materials to ponder how he constantly gets through in this small land of Hong Kong, and the question of  “Where is home?”.

 

The artists discussed their philosophies and feelings in different “distances” based on their own agendas.  Through each stroke, each quick move, each construct and link, the clues connecting each distance, and the value of metaphors, the distance is no longer a issue of simple closeness.  These adjectives are just representations.  Trying to judge the distance in the work might not have much meaning, because the existence of the work is already a distance, representing the relationship and value between the artist (even the audience) and the content of the work.

 

You can choose to be an onlooker, watching the relationship between the work and the artist, just like standing on an observation deck and looking at the Tsing Ma Bridge that connects Ma Wan and Tsing Yi.  Or you can stand on the side of the bridge and try to look at the other side of the artist from your own point of view, even though you and the artist might each have a different background.