Pak Sheung Chuen
Breathing in a House 2006
Still from video documentation
Courtesy of Vitamin Creative Spaces, Beijing
Hong Kong artist about to arrive in Wellington for Dowse exhibition in July
We are excited to let you know that Hong Kong artist Pak Sheung Chuen arrives In Wellington next Friday 24th of June for
a month, in part to develop a new work for the exhibition Crystal City at the Dowse Art Museum, 16 July - 16 October.
His trip has been supported by the Asia NZ Foundation and Wellington City Council, through the Ware Residency, and he
will be staying in cottage at the edge of the Bolton Cemetery (www.boltoncemetery.org.nz/history.htm). During his time in Wellington, Pak will engage with the public through an artist's talk at The Dowse on the 16th
July, and will be creating new work especially for Crystal City. This is Pak's first visit to New Zealand. You can read
more about Crystal City here www.dowse.org.nz/News/Latest-News/Crystal-City
Pak was born 1977 in Fujian (China) and immigrated to Hong Kong in 1984, where he currently lives and works. Awarded the
Overseas Exchange Prize (Chinese Performance Art) by the Macao Museum of Art and the Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship by
the Asian Cultural Council in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Pak has participated in numerous international exhibitions,
including The First Stop on the Super Highway at the Nam June Paik Art Center in Korea (2009), The 53rd Venice Biennale
(2009), The 3rd Yokohama Triennial (2008), The 3rd Guangzhou Triennial (2008), Power Station: Part 2 at Astrup Fearrnley
Museum in Oslo (2007) and The 6th Busan Biennale (2006). His solo exhibition Page 22 is permanently installed in New
York's 58th Street Branch Library.
Pak's work records his own experiences, discovering and uncovering the poetic absurdity of ordinary activities.
Sometimes it represents the potential of a possible connection, such as 'Waiting for Everyone to Fall Asleep'-in which
the artist stood all night in front of a thirteen story apartment building waiting for the lights in the building to all
be turned off-or 'Waiting for a Friend (Without an Appointment)'-where he stood in a public place waiting for an arrival
that never came. At other times, his work explores his own explorations in unknown places-undertaking a five day trip to
Malaysia blindfold or following the edge of a map of Toyko on a walking journey.
"Travelling could be about 'being present'; at times, it could have nothing to do with 'being present'-it could be an
imaginary act for a beautiful, unseen place. On an ordinary day it could also become a wonderful part of our memory,
taking us to somewhere faraway... an afternoon... a section of the road... or a strip of cloud."
Pak Sheung-Chuen
The attached image is from a video Pak made in Korea that will also be part of Crystal City - "I rented an apartment in
Busan (measuring 6.7M x 2.7M x 2.2M). Although I lived my daily life as usual there, I collected all my breaths in
transparent plastic bags until they filled up the entire apartment. The process took ten days to complete and I felt as
if part of my life was absorbed by this apartment".
ENDS