Asian Cultural Council at Art HK 11
May 25, 2011
Asian Cultural Council at ART HK 11 presents 'Chance Machine', an Artist-in-Residence work by 2010 ACC Fellow Amy Cheung.
"Can You Put a Price Tag on Value?": Win an invaluable artwork by top-selling Beijing artist Yue Minjun at Chance Machine
“In today’s consumer society, art risks losing its fundamental value and has increasingly been reduced to a simple commodity with a price that can only be paid by the affluent.” said Hong Kong artist Amy Cheung at a press conference held today at Asian Cultural Council office.
Through her site specific installation Chance Machine at ART HK 11: Hong Kong International Art Fair, Cheung questions what we can do to separate the financial value and fundamental value in art. She opens a discussion that encourages the public to rediscover the idealistic, humble and care free origin of art. She also provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to try their luck in winning the “jackpot”, an art work donated by internationally renowned Beijing artist Yue Minjun entitled Tu Nian Ji Xiang (Good Luck in the Year of the Rabbit) which he created especially for this project. Chances can be purchased for HK$20 at ACC booth at ART HK 11 from 26-29 May 2011.
Yue Minjun, one of the top-selling contemporary artists in the art market, whose signature images of laughing men, have sold for as much as USD 6.9 million has said in the past “Laughter is a moment
when our mind refuses to reason. When we are puzzled by certain things, our mind simply doesn’t want to struggle, or perhaps we don’t know how to think, therefore we just want to forget it. Artists are the
kind of people who always like to reveal to the simple, innocent and humble souls the never-ending illusion of our lives.”
The purpose of Cheung’s educational game is to encourage the public to reflect on the difference between value and price. “I wanted to align a financially valuable superstar, to testify art has an idealistic, humble and care free origin that is affordable for all." said Amy Cheung. "Yue Minjun was very gracious to agree to participate. Why can't we just step back and laugh at the speculative art market. I think there are other valuable things in art that the market cannot force a price upon."
Apart from the jackpot, participants may also win smaller art pieces created by Cheung in collaboration with other artists in Hong Kong and mainland China who have received fellowships from Asian Cultural Council for educational programs in the U.S. - lightboxes with a photograph of an object commemorating the ‘‘value’’ of these programs.
“Every action, object and thought, however small can be artistic, priceless and of great value, in the eyes of the beholder, creator and audience. However limited our economic means may be, we find the priceless enjoyment of living with art.” said Cheung. The collaborating artists will also be present on site at the ACC booth to share their creative experience with the public.
Proceeds from the ticket sales of the game will be used to set up a special fund to support a Hong Kong artist for an educational study trip to the United States on a custom-tailored program arranged by the Asian Cultural Council. ACC has its headquarters in New York where it was established by John D. Rockefeller 3rd in 1963. Over the past five decades the ACC has funded more than 6000 individuals and institutions across Asia and the U.S. for programs of cultural exchange in the arts.
“This is the first time that the ACC has sponsored a residency program for an artist or even been part of an art fair," said Michelle Vosper who has directed the ACC program in Hong Kong for 25 years and was an ACC fellow back in 1984.. "We are grateful to the ART HK 11 for nviting us and encouraging more involvement by local artists. Amy Cheung is a very talented artist and Yue Minjun's participation shows how magnanimous artists can be. Artists have their fingers on the pulse of society."
ACC Hong Kong's Director of External Relations Marissa Fung Shaw, who studied visual arts and design, is very excited about the project,, “Artists help us to see things from another perspective and create works for discussion and reflection. The arts are an expression of our innate need to question and explore. This leads to creative breakthrough and artistic works."
This artistic project is led by 2010 ACC Fellow Amy Cheung in collaboration with ACC alumni. While the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) supports and encourages artistic expression, the views and opinions expressed in the works included in this project are those of the individual artists, and not of ACC.
Donors and supporters who have made this project possible include: Yue Minjun, ART HK 11: Hong Kong International Art Fair, Cypress Group of Companies, Handkerchief Production Limited, Asian Cultural Council Hong Kong Friends’ Committee, Night-freeze designer furniture supplier, yU & Co. [lab]
ACC alumni who have participated in the project include:
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Gary Chang |
Architecture |
About the artist Amy Cheung
Amy Cheung is a conceptual artist who represented Hong Kong in the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007, and has received the "Outstanding Young Artist Award" from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Her work is a compassionate response to the human condition and has the power to reach and connect with the general public. Ms. Cheung completed her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and History of Art at Goldsmiths College in London and her Master of Fine Arts from the Slade School of Fine Arts at the University of London. She has been awarded a grant from the Asian Cultural Council to participate in an international residency program in New York and to meet artists and curators around the United States beginning in September 2011.
About the artist Yue Minjun
Yue Minjun (b. 1962, Heilongjiang, China) has been quoted as saying he "always found laughter irresistible." Best known for his oil paintings depicting himself with his trademark smile, Yue is a leading figure in the Chinese contemporary art scene. He has exhibited widely and is recognized as one of the breakout stars of his generation. The artist currently lives and works in Beijing. He has shown internationally including solo museum exhibition Yue Minjun: SMILE-ISMS, Arario Gallery, New York; Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile (2007-2008) at Queens Museum of Art, Queens, New York; Reproduction Icons: Yue Minjun Works, 2004-2006 (2006) at the He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China. He has also been included in the 2008 and 2004 Shanghai Biennales, and the 48th Venice Biennale, Open Boundary, Venice (1999).
About Asian Cultural Council
The Asian Cultural Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting cultural exchange in the visual and performing arts between countries of Asia and the United States and among the countries of Asia. Established in 1963 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the ACC has awarded almost 6,000 grants to arts professionals, many of whom are now leaders and pioneers in their field and who received support in the early stages of their career. ACC Hong Kong was established in 1987 with support from local funding partners and has played a key role in the development of the arts and cultural leadership in the region. ACC is headquartered in New York City and maintains offices in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila and Taipei.
Media enquiry:
Janice Poon: 68943962 / acc@acc.org.hk