YY9 Gallery
YY9 Gallery celebrates its 10th anniversary this year—no small feat for any art institution, much less one in our space-starved city. Evelyn Lok chats with gallery founder Barry Lam and manager-curator Movana Chen ahead of their latest exhibition, which brings together a staggering 100 Hong Kong artists for a celebratory show.
HK Magazine: What’s the most important thing that has kept the gallery thriving for the past decade?
Barry Lam: It’s being able to change together with the artist: We’ve expanded from representing just a few artists to now over 100. We’ve learned a lot. I guess when it comes down to it, it’s perseverance. Ten years really isn’t short!
HK: You’ve invited 100 artists to create pieces in a fixed size: 25x25cm. What’s the concept behind it?
Movana Chen: Our exhibition, titled “In Conversations,” is about how to create a dialogue between the artists. The idea behind the show is that there are so many artists in Hong Kong. Some may be very established, some are very new: they might not know of each other’s works. This is a chance for them to sit down and get to know each other, be more aware of each other and maybe even help each other.
Danny Fang recently got married, and he’s been in a party mood ever since. His piece, “Surprising Party” uses the exhibition’s theme to say that every day is a celebration. If you pull on the ribbons, you’ll find five-meter-long streamers popping out.
HK: How do you feel the local artists are faring in Hong Kong today compared with years ago?
MC: Hong Kong has created a lot of opportunities recently for artists, and the art scene might even seem like it’s booming. A lot of galleries nowadays might be selecting young artists fresh from their grad shows. But some artists who have been working for longer might not be receiving those same opportunities—they’ve been silenced.
BL: It might look like it’s expanded, but in reality, it’s gotten narrower.
Vaan Ip’s piece speaks about the rapid rate of urban development in the SAR. There’s a sensor inside that responds to movement: the whole thing lights up with a blinking pulse, mimicking a human heartbeat.