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Norman Ford

Stable -  The Balance of Power

Para/Site, Embassy Projects

Fotanian 2007 Open Studios

Reviewed: January 13

It's rare to see a raw, inspired moment in Hong Kong art.  It's even more unusual to see  an exhibition that combines  fun, intelligence and a consistent but broad spectrum of artists' positions (including the likes  of Joseph Beuys  and Marina Abramovic).   Yet, somehow  Stable, a group show at this  year's Fotanian,  manages to  do all this within a socially engaged, thematic structure.

There are no full-scale installations or live performances. But what we do get are vinyl banners - Hong Kong's  favourite form of  impromptu advertising - and  videos  claustrophobically  arranged in a Fotan studio.

A banner by Erkka Nissinen,  a  Finnish artist who works in Hong Kong, shows  colourful, cartoon-like figures in a woodland setting,  dismembered after  a massacre.   It's good fun  and a biting critique of the cult of cuteness. Also on display is Beuys'  1974 performance I Like America and America Likes Me  - an extraordinary chance to see art history in the form of a man playing with a coyote.

Hiram To's  logo-like banner critiques nationalism, 'art for the people' and representational strategies -  all revolving around  a bright red bunny.

Map Office  presents a word search puzzle set on a sexually explicit photograph, playing with desire through image-texts.

Messy?  Yes, but to great effect. And, since it's  not  at  Para/Site's Sheung Wan gallery but in a Fotan studio (lent by Adrian Piper  and Samantha Culp),  the show has  an outsider feel - as if you're entering a pirated, illegal space.

In an age of massive  exhibitions and multimillion-dollar budgets, praise should go to Tobias  Berger and Christina Li for  coming up with an idea that's economical and strategic but, more importantly, fun, challenging and effective.



Stable -  The Balance of Power