The Art Museum of Nanjing University of Arts was the stage for a group exhibition where two Macau-based artists, Peng Yun and José Drummond, showcased their latest video works
The works of local artists Peng Yun and José Drummond met again recently, establishing a subjective and peculiar dialogue between them in the group show Polyphony III, on display at the Art Museum of Nanjing.
It is not by accident that the artists chose to have their films being shown in boxes side by side. Each ones’ work is strong enough to stand by itself of course, but it is in the attitude of the display that the viewer is more challenged. Taking the risk of creating a myriad of perceptions, the artists assumed that there may be a possible dialogue between their neighboring boxes.
The two boxes in black and white clearly stand out from the general display of the exhibition. They appear to the viewer as private rooms. The first impression is that the strategy of these boxes is to show films in a space not prepared for this type of show.
This might be one reason, but there’s something else that seems to be evident with this action: there’s a clear statement from the two artists with these enclosed galaxies. A statement that is evident. The boxes are symbols reflecting the need for places of intimacy, separated from the external chaotic world.
This intimacy is further explored with an invitation to the viewer to sit and pause, forget about the outside world and let time flow by, while watching the films. The viewer is then immersed in the contemplation of the images and its own definite slow paced expression. The music from each work adds intensity to the overall experience.
But what is the message that awaits to be revealed on the inside of these boxes?
Peng Yun’s Mukeh, In the end all will fade away calls the attention of the viewer to possibilities of sensory forms related to the body, carrying over the artist’s recurring theme of a woman’s sensibility of the world.
José Drummond’s But the suffering wasn’t over reveals a transient moment of loss and explores further the artist’s anxiety with loneliness. Each work finds in the other, the perfect counterpart for an emotional state of self-questioning and soul searching, crucial to our existence as human beings.
They both point to the epiphany of solitude as a moment more intense than others. A moment where revelations are made and questions are raised. The biggest confrontation lies in the idea that that moment of being alone ultimately means isolation and that we should follow it and accept the consequences.
But it does not need to be negative. Maybe we can find comfort in that moment even when we are living in a world without answers. Maybe that moment is a miracle and a symbol of passion. Maybe it cannot be imagined. Maybe it can only be felt.
Polyphony III is an exhibition at AMNUA (Art Museum of Nanjing University of Arts) that showcases artists from the region of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Curated by Lin Shuchuan, it also includes the work of Carefree, Guo Mengyao, HB Station, He Lixiao, Ho Sin Tung, Huang Ying, Work Hard Workshop, Wu Tianran, Xie Lisi, Yuan Zeqiang, Zhang Guangxian, Zhou Qinshan, 01 Team, Chow Chun Fai and Ng Fong Chao.
