Art Next Expo 2021

This show was a pleasant surprise for me. I was on my way to work and as I was passing through the underground passageways, whilst squeezing through the crowded commuters I passed by a poster advertising an art event. I wasn't expecting much out of it, and plus there was a pretty rough typhoon on this very day. The signal was T8, which is a signal that usually closes most public establishments. Luckily this event was not closed, and I was just done with visiting the Fine Art Asia expo, so I was on a roll when it came to gallery hopping. 

Personally I thought the opening reception area was my favorite part of this show. It had been presented in a way as a café, or some kind of shopping mall, and the general presence of the artworks felt really vibrant and young. Please don't get me wrong when I say this, because I like sophisticated and mature works or art, but there was a refreshing energy when I was slithering my way through this area.

I really liked these illustrated wooden panels down below. I wished I could have bought one, because the prices were pretty affordable, but I really didn't have the courage to spend especially with my current budget, and also there is absolutely no space in my room to display any of this stuff. 

I really liked the naïve quality that these pieces portrayed. It felt like I was looking at brace faced primary students who were represented as some what lack luster, senseless beings, but they still had they micky mouse hats on, signifying their childhood.

I was also a fan of the collection of paintings below. There was a expressive quality to it and at the same time there were some elements of realism, especially with the pieces with the drawing elements to them. If I can remember correctly the drawing parts were cutouts. Maybe the artist drew the features and then cut them out, and then pasted them onto the paintings?

Starting from here was where the artworks really started to vary. The location of this entire show was placed at a hotel, so the reception area was for the new emerging artists, and the upper floors, which consisted of three floors, were reserved for more established artists. I remembered seeing advertisement for these kinds of hotel art shows when I was back in Korea, but I had never visited one before. I must honestly say that it was an interesting experience, but the spaces were very cramped, and it was difficult navigating through the spaces even though the capacity of visitors were not so large. I struggled to maneuver through four to five people in one room, and of course it was tough because these rooms were technically designed for two to three people maximum. However, this lack of spacing did not sour the experience, and I quite liked it. It made the spaces more personal, and I felt like I was entering the artists personal private space. This allowed for the visitor and the artist to converse and build relationships that went beyond just the artworks.

I was a big fan of the collection of sculptural pieces below. They were very small; about the size of the tip of my fingers. They were very petite, but yet their forms were very visible and accurate. The technological and retrospective aspect of these pieces really intrigued me, and it made me think about my childhood, and the technological advancements that had passed and moved on.