The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

HONG KONG CHOI VAN-CHI Drowned II (from 'Drowned' series) 1992 This installation comprised pedestals supporting tanks of bubbling water with others containing piles of books. Photo images were mounted in frames jutting out from the wall Collection: Hong Kong Museum of Art Choi Yan-Chi was born in Hong Kong and initially she trained there as an art teacher. Her own work reflected an urge to reconcile elements of Eastern and Western art. Further study abroad at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1974 to 1978 provided the impetus she had been seeking to move beyond a direct reference to her cultural heritage. In the United States non-objective and concep- tual art was the norm, with performance artists such as Laurie Anderson gaining attention. Returning to Hong Kong at the end of the 1970s Choi Yan-Chi resumed teaching, at the Hong Kong Polytechnic. She was determined to prove that one could be a professional and innovative Chinese artist without using ink and brush. At the time, she was painting large minimalist colour field paintings in monochromes of black, white, green and sienna. Mirrors and empty picture frames were attached to the sides of these canvases which visualised a continuation of the picture plane beyond the normal limitations of a painting. When these works were shown at the artist's solo exhibition at the Hong Kong 68 Arts Centre in 1981, they attracted an uneasy response. For a subsequent show at the Arts Centre in 1985 Choi Yan-Chi, besides other materials, again employed mirrors as the prime me- dium, demanding active viewer participation. She was totally involved with the environ- mental aspects of her art; in how space is perceived and organised. This event led to her 'Drowned' series of installations with ac- companying performances, the first being in July 1989, not long after the June 4 tragedy in Beijing . The artist explains the stages in developing her theme : 19 July 1989- Five weeks after the massacre in Beijing , I did a performance Object-ivi-ties. A strong feeling of helplessness struck every heart. I felt as if I was drowned. A big, empty fish tank was used in the performance. Performers dropped pieces of cut-up poetry into the tank. This image aroused an unspeakable feeling deep in my heart. December 1989 - Five months after, I com- posed Drowned I, an installation of five fish tanks for a group show 'Turn of a Decade' at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. March 1992- When the Chinese Government announced some absurd explanation on laws of human rights, I composed Drowned II for a group show 'City Vibrance' at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Choi Yan-Chi has developed her work in the context of Hong Kong and through regular residencies elsewhere. In 1990 she was Artist- in-Residence at Yellow Spring Arts Institute, Pennsylvania, United States and during 1992 she was a participating artist at the Global Forum of Human Survival and the Arts, Shimane, Japan. Her performance projects began at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1980 and have continued to the present. Aside from solo exhibitions, Choi Yan-Chi has been involved with major group shows and allied projects in Hong Kong, Chicago, Beijing , Hamburg and New York. Anne Kirker