Hong Kong, agnès b. CINEMA, Hong Kong Arts Centre, March 23, 2016, 12:30pm
Adel Abidin | Michael | 2015, 16ʹ02ʺ; Lawrie Shabibi
An exclusive live TV interview with Michael Jackson who came back from heaven. Great production and an idea that is both funny and deep, uncovering the fears and desires of every one of us with Michael as a medium. Michael answers all questions using an adaptation of his song’s lyrics.
Ma Qiusha | Sleeping Beauty | 2015, 4ʹ; Beijing Commune
A macro lens gliding slowly over details of a frozen water surface with flowers inside and the female body of the sleeping beauty. A decorative video, the only discernible element being the fetishization of the extreme close up shot in high definition. After googling, I got why it’s so empty: This is actually a Dior ad.
Fang Lu | No World | 2014, 18ʹ; Boers-Li
A group of youngsters practicing for riot fighting in an empty gallery. Simple yet powerful. The performing of a set of naked gestures out of context. Violence as seen on TV, real but not. An expression of youth and power, as well as a disquieting expression of worries about the future.
Shi Jinsong | Gray 360 | 2015–2016, 2ʹ46ʺ; Chambers
WTF was this? A promotional video for a painting series or what?
John Akomfrah | Peripeteia | 2012, 18ʹ12ʺ; Courtesy of Smoking Dogs Films and Lisson
John Akomfrah style (pretty good), something about the identity of black people. Melodramatic, but not pathetic (because mysterious enough). The image was shot digitally at high shutter speed and over-sharpened, this was a slightly disturbing effect, probably part of the intention to make it feel a bit more strange, but bordering on postproduction effects overuse.
Stefanos Tsivopoulos | Geometry of Fear | 2012, 7ʹ57ʺ; Kalfayan
Shots of the empty Greek parliament during the fiscal crisis. Simple metaphoric concept, it could have worked, if the production was better. Here the colors were off, pixilated image of less than HD resolution, and the soundtrack was nothing more than technical noises from the space. And a good clickbait title.
Jawshing Arthur Liou | Kora | 2011 – 2012, 14ʹ; Chi-Wen
I hated this video already when I saw it the first time in the basement of Taipei Fine Arts Museum a few years, projected using six badly aligned projectors. A kitschy 4K postcard from Tibet with an equally kitschy soundtrack.
Wu Chi-Yu | Refraction | 2015, 9ʹ46ʺ; Liang
Some narrative about people on an island, shots of a dark long cave and some shots of goats and ethnographic museum displays. Probably something about a narrative of early Taiwanese identity, but now sure. Just left behind a slight confusion.
