Stars and Monsters 恆星與怪獸
Opening: Saturday 14 May, 3.30 pm Unit 153 G/F Koway Court, 111 Chai Wan Road, Chai Wan Entrance from Tai Man Street. Map: www.neptunehk.rocks/contact Until: Sunday 26 June
Neptune proudly presents 'Stars and Monsters' featuring works by Oscar Yik Long Chan, Yin-Ju Chen and Chulayarnnon Siriphol. The show gathers practices in which representations of the universe, celestial observations and approaches to astrology are implemented to unravel the monstrosity found in human behaviour and social violence in given contexts. Yin-Ju Chen’s meticulous hand-drawn black and white charts are astrological depictions from her research on the alignment of planets that mark the exact start dates of political genocides and massacres. Her occult reading of the cosmos questions the inevitability of history and its astrological predictions. In the case of Chulayarnnon Siriphol, his film departs from religious iconography of the Tribhumi, the three levels of living statues representing the universe in Theravada Buddhism. The work cleverly exposes how this image, of the earthly and the celestial, mirrors the instrumentalization of myth in Thailand’s current delusional nationalism. On the other hand, instead of addressing a narrative on a given social body,Oscar Yik Long Chan’s ink drawings associates societal monstrosity with the seven chakras, the energy points inside one’s internal cosmology. Curated by Inti Guerrero 惑星海王榮幸推出《恆星與怪獸》，集合陳翊朗、陳瀅如及Chulayarnnon Siriphol的創作，透過對宇宙、天文探測以及神秘學的表現，探討隱藏於人類行為中的殘暴獸性以及延伸而出的社會暴力。 陳瀅如一系列的黑白手繪乃透過神秘學的角度，結合占星與天文科學的方法，利用歷史事件發生當下的星空排列組合繪製出占星星盤，重新檢視政治清算與屠殺事件，並藉此提問人類對其行為之可與不可為，在宇宙上下一致法則下，是否形成不可抗力。Chulayarnnon Siriphol的影片從佛教的三界論出發，透過天與地的影像隱喻泰國當前對國族主義妄想的迷思。陳翊朗以七大脈輪，分佈在人體內部的能量中樞，來詮釋社會中的怪獸性。 Inti Guerrero / 士日（策展人） ----------- Neptune is a year-long curated program located in a small commercial unit in a Chai Wan neighborhood mini-mall at the ground floor of a 1970s social housing building (屋邨商場), typical for Hong Kong's residential areas. It organizes group exhibitions interrelating the work of local and international artists whose practices are relevant to both Hong Kong's art community and to the context of Neptune's surrounding social fabric. Neptune's daily audiences are the regular users of this site, people who often encounter contemporary art for the very first time - Neptune's glass walls ensure that the exhibitions are fully accessible around the clock. Therefore the projects are thought to be aesthetically and thematically accessible, yet keeping the uncanniness of art and avoiding populisms. Neptune proposes a coherent curatorial platform, firmly rooted in a Hong Kong neighbourhood. For the young professionals in the city, Neptune's goal is to be an inspiring low-cost model for an art space/project with international ambitions, showing that non-profit initiatives can thrive even in a challenging context like Hong Kong. Moreover, artists who are commissioned new work have the opportunity to develop site-specific projects in an unconventional venue, genuinely connected to Hong Kong's society, whereas art audiences have the chance to encounter art in direct relation to daily life. Neptune is supported by a Project Grant from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Friends of Neptune. 惑星海王 Neptune 是一個為期一年的策展計劃，本計劃位於柴灣一個街坊小商場，位處一個七十年代屋邨的地下，曾經是香港典型的民居區域。本計劃將組織多個三位相互關聯的本地及國際藝術家聯展，參展藝術家的作品除了與對香港的藝術社區有關，同時亦呼應 惑星海王 Neptune 的周邊社會結構。 惑星海王 Neptune 的主要觀眾是該商場的日常訪客，亦是第一次接觸當代藝術的人－空間的玻璃幕牆確保觀眾隨時都可參觀展覽，因此展覽均會設想成不論美學上或議題上都能夠輕易地接觸觀眾，同時避免民粹主義式的表述，又保持藝術的神秘感。 惑星海王 Neptune 提出了一個與香港藝壇緊扣的策展的平台，牢牢紮根於香港的鄰里之中。對於在城內的年輕專業人士，惑星海王 Neptune 的目標是帶來是成為一個具啓發性、具國際的野心而又低成本的藝術空間／項目模式，以示非牟利的藝術活動亦能在如香港這個充滿挑戰的環境茁壯成長。此外，被委託製作新作品的藝術家也有機會在一個非傳統的空間發展場域特定作品，真正與香港社會有所連結，而觀眾亦可以直接在日常生活當中接觸到當代藝術。 惑星海王 Neptune 獲香港藝術發展局資助及朋友們的慷概捐助。
