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 that (re)configure the space. Taking inspiration from the seminal gallery and art salon Signals London (1964–1966), Para Site presents a dynamic range of artworks that echo one another, 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 ambivalent temporalities, emphasising notions of the intermediate and the ambivalent. Refusing a linear conception of space and time, the show used movable wooden boards designed by Joel Austin whose rearrangement 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 strive 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 and political narratives with a selection of objects that could be defined as biographical or 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’. Evoking feelings of loneliness resulting from migration, this object is moved around 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. It is an artwork that demands more than itself however, essentially existing only in relation to others. It is a piece that actively looks for safety in the ‘other’. Lam invites the audience in, encouraging us to follow the connections between different pieces.  

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 as the device 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: between each work, between the individual and the collective, between different temporalities. We are asked to observe the signals emanating from, to and through each piece.