Mischmasch Gallery

This is the reason why I haven't blogged for 2 months....

Innocence and Experience

Exhibition Period: October 22 — November 30

Artists: Nan Cui, Ge Hua, and Qian Li

Curator: Alice Zhang

Cocktail reception: October 22, from 6:30 — 9:00pm

Address: Unit B, 22/F Tern Center Tower 1, 237 Queen’s Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Mischmasch, an innovative online community for artists, launches Mischmasch Gallery — a new gallery space in Sheung Wan. The inaugural show, Innocence and Experience, curated by its founder, features three popular artists from the Mischmasch community: Cui Nan, Hua Ge, and Li Qian — all living and working in Song Zhuang, Beijing.

“Only after you have investigated yourself can you investigate the world. It’s that combination which makes your art interesting", explains Cui Nan.

English poet and artist, William Blake, believed that true innocence was impossible without experience. Cui Nan, Hua Ge and Li Qian are not “young and emerging” artists — their experiences have been weighed. Their art is direct — they nudge you into agreement. They do not paint to fit under the strains of cultural consumption — their paintings are not of “big heads”. What these artists have in common is a sense of aching urgency about what it means to be an artist. Their paintings are a series of tests to detect, experience, and to struggle with the fragility and volatility of human existence. They try to drop all pretensions in the hopes of eventually attaining innocence. From ritualistic figures to mutated traditions to claustrophobic dreams, they articulate what many people live through subconsciously, inviting identification and discussion toward remedying our problems.

Is Hong Kong ready for such art?

Mischmasch, launched in December 2008, is an online artist community that features contemporary art submitted by its members. Its mission is to encourage cultural exchange between creatives around the world, and to promote artists who would not otherwise have the opportunity and resources to exhibit their work. Popularity is based on the number of points for each work shown, judged by an international panel of fellow creatives. Mischmasch Gallery is a new space for it’s community members to exhibit their work, gather, and learn from each other, while also allowing buyers to purchase.

Mischmasch Gallery: www.mischmaschgallery.com

Mischmasch, online artist community: www.mischmaschonline.com

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天真与经验

展日期： 10月22日 — 11月30日

畫家： 崔男，花歌，李芊

策展人：Alice Zhang

开幕酒会: 10月22日，6:30 — 9:00pm

地点：香港皇后大道中237号太兴中心第一座22楼B座

Mischmasch是当代艺术家原创作品的在线交流社区。Mischmasch新画廊将在上环开业。

Mischmasch创办人主办的处女展——“天真与经验”展示的是Mischmasch社区广受欢迎的三位艺术家崔男、 花歌、 李芊的作品。他们三位都居住和创作于北京的宋庄。画家崔男说过：“只有探求和了解过自己之後才能去思考社會，接合起來你的作品才會有意思。”

英国诗人兼艺术家威廉·布莱克相信，没有经验就没有真正的天真。崔男、 花歌、 李芊并不是“年轻、刚出道”的艺术创作者，他们的专业经验和技法已经得到广泛的称道。他们的艺术特点是直白，仿佛是催促着你与他们达成思想的一致。他们并非在文化消费的压力之下创作，他们的作品也不是四处弥漫的低俗的“大头娃娃画”。这些艺术家们共同的一点是：他们都受到一种意识的强烈压迫，这种意识就是“作为一名艺术家究竟意味着什么？”。 他们在画作中做了大量的尝试去探求、去体验、去抗争人性存在的脆弱和善变。他们试图抛弃所有的矫揉造作而去呈现一种天真的状态。从仪式般的造型到突变的传 统再到万花筒般变幻的梦境，他们所表达的是许许多多人在潜意识里经历过的，触发着对社会问题的认知和解决问题的论辩。香港准备好了接受这样的艺术吗？

Mischmasch是2008年十二月发布的当代艺术家网络社区和创作展示平台。 它的使命是鼓励全球艺术创作者的文化交流，帮助那些没有其他机会和资源渠道展示自己原创作品的艺术创作者们宣传和推介他们自己。Mischmasch社区知名度是根据每一件展示作品的评分高低决定的，而作品的评分来自于全球范围内的艺术创作者们。Mischmasch画廊将是艺术创作者们展示作品、聚会、相互学习的新场所， 也欢迎买家加入Mischmasch艺术社区，欣赏和收藏Mischmasch社区的艺术创作作品。

Mischmasch, 画廊：www.mischmaschgallery.com

Mischmasch， 艺术社区:www.mischmaschonline.com