4/F, Union Hing Yip Factory Building, 20 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 03.08.2015 – 05.03.2015. Curated by Patrick Flores and Anca Verona Mihulet
This exhibition came as a pleasant surprise: Osage invited two guest curators to put together a complex show comparing, contrasting and connecting the “Southeast” of Asia and the “Southeast” of Europe.
Dan Perjovschi at Osage Gallery Hong Kong
The usually big and airy space has been separated into smaller booths, many showing video works, while the corridors between the booths were used for photographic works, sculptures, etc. This meant that the exhibition needed time, which I hardly could invest during the opening party… But still, the first impression of the show was very good. After their move to the new space and a few shows there, I started to think Osage is slowly settling down, relying on an stable roster of Chinese and Southeast Asian artists they support, making well-designed shows, which however start to look similar to each other, and repetitive. This show, however, was something different. There was still Osage’s Southeast Asia focus, but names and work were different this time, and there seemed to be more experimentation and political questioning in the artworks than before. And then there was the comparative aspect, bringing in Southeast Europe, which was something very new and fresh for Osage’s program.
Now there would be some flaws to point out in the installation of works (little photos pasted on the wall like in some student exhibition or Dan Perjovschi relegated to a toilet corridor), but I think that would be missing the point. Maybe that even somehow relates to the DIY atmosphere of contemporary art in Eastern Europe. I appreciated that this exhibition was real. It was honest. There is always space for improvement, but this time, the credit should go to Osage for going beyond Southeast Asia and to the curators for bringing over a new viewpoint.
Visitors should plan for enough time to see the show, but it is definitely worthy to see, bringing a fresh breeze into Hong Kong and Osage gallery.