PARA SITE : SIGNALS…瞬息:

Available in French on ACA (Asian Contemporary Art) Project’s website here

Written in August 2023, by Amandine Vabre Chau

Curated by Celia Ho and Para Site’s new director Billy Tang, ‘signals…瞬息’ is a six months long exhibition unfolding in three parts: starting with ‘storms and patterns‘, followed by ‘folds and splits‘, and ending with ‘here and there‘.  
Opened in March, this exhibition embraces a fluid curation with a careful selection of artists and an ambitious (re)configuration of the space. Taking inspiration from the seminal gallery and art salon Signals London (1964–1966), Para Site presents a dynamic range of artworks that bounce off each other, putting seemingly isolated stories in conversation. The second part came to an end on July 30th allowing for the third and final chapter to begin on the 12th of this month. ‘‘signals…瞬息’ will be on view until September 29th.   

Installation view of ‘signals…folds and splits’, Para Site, Hong Kong, 2023. Photo: South Ho.
「瞬息⋯⋯展與接」展覽現場，香港Para Site藝術空間，2023年。攝影：何兆南。

‘signals…瞬息’ focuses on kinetic art and puts emphasis on related notions such as communication, action, and intervention. ‘Folds and Splits’ is the second iteration of the eponymous exhibtion, which I had the pleasure of seeing. It delved into transitional, intermediate and ambivalent temporalities. Refusing a linear conception of space and time, the show instead explored passageways and crossroads. Indeed, movable wooden boards were designed by Joel Austin to echo the exhibition’s ever-changing nature, at the heart of its curatorial concept. The rearrangement of which could create closed-off, opened, or tunnelling areas. Upholding these were large blocks inspired by Hong Kong’s iconic bricks found in public housing estates. Using little material to produce, the design also addressed the rising need to maintain for sustainability in exhibition-making. This was touched upon during a talk on eco-friendly processes in the art world.  

When entering the gallery, we are first greeted by Linda Chiu-Han Lai’s multimedia sculpture ‘Tree of Life’ composed of various items including bamboo, electronic gadgets, paper foldings, fabrics and more. This piece combines both personal narratives and political ones with its selection of objects ranging from biographical to anti-consumerist. Linda Chiu-Han Lai’s work grows progressively as the exhibition continues, new components being added in each phase with new “fruits” awaiting our discovery.

Next to it was Jaffa Lam’s newly commissioned work ‘The past from the ruins’. Particularly interested in this piece, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the curator explain the artist’s intentions behind this seemingly ordinary football. Evoking the feelings of loneliness resulting from migration, this object is moved around the space throughout the show and placed next to another existing work, as if seeking refuge. It marks its every stop through a polaroid photo, making us able to trace its every steps. While it weights 15kg, a heaviness that mirrors the sense of being stuck and frozen in time, Lam recalls the adolescent joys found in an elementary sport that is accessible to all walks of life. What especially marked me however, was that this work essentially exists only in relation to others. It is an artwork that demands more than itself, that actively looks for safety in the ‘other’. Lam invites the audience in, encouraging us to follow the connections between different pieces, and carefully observe this crossroad of narratives.  

Mika Tajima - Negative Entropy (Bioweaving Mill, Brain Stent Production, Magenta, Double) - 2018 - Cotton, polyester, rayon, wool acoustic baffling felt, and white oak - 139.6 x 110.3 x 5.7 cm (framed)

© Mika Tajima, Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Charles Benton

“Signals” is a perfect descriptive for Mika Tajima’s work. ‘Negative Entropy’ is an abstract Jacquard woven portrait. The artist records sound patterns in specific locations then transcribes them into lyrical abstract images, revealing an invisible sonic landscape. Her work is simultaneously a recording, a translation and an interpretation. This piece takes inspiration from the binary code we use for data, which is believed to borrow from the Jacquard loom machine. Indeed, the latter uses a series of punched cards to automate the weaving process. Similar to a bridge between two worlds, this painting allows us to connect supposedly separate environments while exploring human agency in relation to technological progress and data.  

‘signals…瞬息: folds and splits’ invites us to look for connections beyond the surface. Connections between each artwork, between time and transformation, between the individual and the collective. We are asked to observe the signals emanating from, to and through each piece.