A New Show in Hong Kong Explores the Many Ways Contemporary Chinese Artists Are Inspired by Magic—See It Here

As galleries around the world begin to slowly reopen, we are
focusing on exhibitions at spaces that are now open to public
visitors. Check out this show at a newly reopened gallery
below.

“Anonymous Society for Magick”
Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong

What the gallery says: “Artists take
viewers into a realm of fantasy that is both factual and
fictitious. Sometimes it even borders on the supernatural as it
stimulates sensations and affects that evade our normal perception
and awareness. As such, artists inspire us to reflect and think
beyond our current existence.

Historically, magic has been conceived as the desire to use
invisible forces to change the visible world. The link between art
and magic displays the hidden rules of nature, investigates the
visible world, and showcases the realm of dreams and desires.
Against the complexity of social reality, Anonymous Society for
Magick summons amazement whilst simultaneously revealing
the immanent truth within our surroundings.”

Why it’s worth a look: As many cultural critics have noted, when the systems
around us—social, political, economic—meant to provide stability
are thrown out of whack, it’s natural for people to be drawn to
fringe ideas to help make sense of the world. For the artists
included in this group show at Blindspot Gallery in Hong Kong, the
term “magic” is broadly applied to mean “make believe,” offering
imaginative answers to the question, “What if?” The show, which
features work by Chen Wei, Hao Jinban, Lam Tung Pang, Wang
Tuo, and Trevor Yeung, is curated by Ying Kwok, who took the
archaic spelling “magick” from occultist Aleister Crowley, a
revered scholar who influenced Hilma af Klint and Agnes Pelton, among others.

Highlights of the show include Lam Tung Pang’s new
video The Great Escape, which nods to Harry Houdini’s
escape acts while commenting on more complicated social issues at
play in Hong Kong. Trevor Yeung’s ethereal light bulbs and neon
sculptures conjure the shapes of magic mushrooms and gesture toward
the otherworldly experiences they offer. In a more practical
application of make believe, Hao Jingban’s video Opus
One follows an Asian couple on a quest to learn Swing dance,
and wonders if they go too far in desiring to experience another
culture as their own.

What it looks like:

The post A New Show in Hong Kong Explores the Many Ways
Contemporary Chinese Artists Are Inspired by Magic—See It Here
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