Featured artist in ‘Join TELEPHONE: a chain of artists more than 6 million kilometers long’

Established in 2015, Art Next Expo is set to provide a platform for emerging artists to get more exposure from collectors, galleries and arts institutions, as well as preparing themselves to be the next big names in the realm of arts.

Over 40 Hong Kong-based artists will showcase works created during the COVID-19 self-isolation period in an exhibition entitled “+VE/-VE”, organized by Art Next, to be held from 31 July to 31 August, 2020. Celebrated artists including Chung Tai-fu, Chui Pui Chee and Clement Chan Wai Bong will join hands with emerging artists such as Aries Wu Chun Yin, Angela Hui Hoi Kiu and Tamera Bedford at the exhibition, which also aims to reconnect artists with art collectors.

“+VE/-VE” features over 60 works that in different ways pay tribute to Hong Kong’s medical workers, capture scenes in an almost deserted city, comment on the political issues arising from the pandemic, and celebrate the resilience of Hong Kong people. Media include ink and oil paintings, installations, sculptures, and a virtual reality tour. Chung Tai-fu, renowned local artist and lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, celebrates the dedication and professionalism of medical workers with “A Salute to Medical Workers”. Local photographer Kasper Forest juxtaposes deserted streets in the city with an eerie paper doll couple in his latest series “TheGhostCity”, to accentuate the atmosphere of Hong Kong during the COVID-19 period. In her “Study of Spaces and System V”, local artist Abby Lee Yan Yee depicts a residential building in which dwellers are either deep in contemplation or pacing around, seemingly uneasy with their current situation. Cheung Chin-hang’s artwork “Virus ball project: Black & White experiment”, creates a stimulating black and white visual with overlaying round-shaped spheres, challenging viewers to confront this virus experiment. While American-born Tamera Bedford’s uses diverse materials to create “Once I Was You (Love in the Time of Covid-19)”, its title a wordplay on the famous novel by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.

香港的「疫作」｜Stories that eye witnessed in time of pandemic

July 24, 2020

在種種負面(-VE)影響和挑戰下，新的思維方式與機會也從中萌生，人類在獨處中從新思索人生的價值與方向，尋求新的工作與生活方式，在逆境中找到正面(+VE)的力量。

Under the influence and challenge (-VE), new ways of thinking and opportunities also emerged. We keep exploring values and directions of life, seek for a new job or a different lifestyle, so as to find the positive power (+VE) in adversity.

新藝潮將於2020年7月31日至8月31日期間，在觀塘SML大廈二樓舉辦為期一個月，名為「+ve/-ve」展覽，展出超過40位香港藝術家，因COVID-19新冠肺炎觸發而創作的作品。“+VE/-VE”展出了60多件作品，它們以不同的方式向香港的醫務工作者致敬，在寂靜的城市中捕捉鏡頭，評論疫情引发的政治問題，以及表揚香港人的堅強。所用媒體包括水墨和油畫、裝置、雕塑和虛擬現實之旅。

Over 40 Hong Kong-based artists will showcase works created during the COVID-19 self-isolation period in an exhibition entitled “+VE/-VE”, organized by Art Next, to be held from 31 July to 31 August, 2020. “+VE/-VE” features over 60 works that in different ways pay tribute to Hong Kong’s medical workers, capture scenes in an almost deserted city, comment on the political issues arising from the pandemic, and celebrate the resilience of Hong Kong people. Media include ink and oil paintings, installations, sculptures, and a virtual reality tour.

本地畫家及香港中文大學兼任講師鍾大富的「向醫護致敬」的岩彩畫。劉以鬯認為「香港人的快樂都是紙紮的，但是大家都願意將紙紮的愛情當作真實」，Kasper Forest以一對紙紮情侶，設背景於香港各大地標，系列名為《金童玉女》TheGhostCity，映照出疫情下的香港，街上無人，鬼魅出沒。李欣儀作品「Study of Spaces and System」，U型水管貫穿家家戶戶，被困的人物在家中來回踱步、或坐或立，一派不安。張展恒的水墨拼貼多媒體創作「病毒球計劃:黑白實驗」，一個個重叠的圓形球體，一圏又一圈擴張開來，或明或暗。胡浚諺近年以百合為題，2019新藝展出凋零凄美的百合，令人驚艷。「+VE/-VE」將展出其新作「杯中百合」，沒莖沒葉沒空間，是疫情中人們的境況﹖Tamera Bedford(泰梅蘭)油墨混合媒體作品「Once I Was You (Love in the Time of Covid-19)」，是當代傾城之戀﹖

Chung Tai-fu, renowned local artist and lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, celebrates the dedication and professionalism of medical workers with “A Salute to Medical Workers”. Local photographer Kasper Forest juxtaposes deserted streets in the city with an eerie paper doll couple in his latest series “TheGhostCity”, to accentuate the atmosphere of Hong Kong during the COVID-19 period. In her “Study of Spaces and System V”, local artist Abby Lee Yan Yee depicts a residential building in which dwellers are either deep in contemplation or pacing around, seemingly uneasy with their current situation. Cheung Chin-hang’s artwork “Virus ball project: Black & White experiment”, creates a stimulating black and white visual with overlaying round-shaped spheres, challenging viewers to confront this virus experiment.  While American-born Tamera Bedford’s uses diverse materials to create “Once I Was You (Love in the Time of Covid-19)”, its title a wordplay on the famous novel by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.

　　一场世纪疫症，个人生活以至全球经济饱受打击，然而我们也因此有机会沉淀下来，反思人生价值。艺术家在这段期间以独特、敏锐的触觉创作的作品，不仅是个人感情的抒发，更是所有香港人共同经历和感受的记录。
　　前天收到艺术家泰梅兰（Tamera Bedford）传过来一张摄于塔门海边的照片，蓝天白云，翠绿环抱，在自我隔离的日子，光是看到照片已经十分神往：「这段日子里，无论是关于香港还是美国的消息都令我很焦虑，对我来说，在工作室安静创作，不看新闻，可说是一种逃避。」泰梅兰原籍美国，居港多年，早已视这里为家。她擅长以混合媒体创作，对色彩和物料有深入研究，曾经参加多项大型展览，包括《新艺潮博览会》，原定今年5月参加《Affordable Art Fair》、6月前往希腊参加一个国际艺术家驻村计画，可惜都未能成行。不过泰梅兰对自己身在香港经历疫症，觉得非常感恩。
　　「中国政府并非完美，但是疫症爆发后内地反应迅速，在很短时间内决定封关、盖医院等等，有效控制了疫情扩散，看出政府关心人民健康。反观美国，不但没有完善对策，更爆发连串示威和冲突，身为美国人，我觉得非常不安。」也许正因如此，泰梅兰近期的创作除了抒发自己在疫情期间的情绪，例如借用马奎斯名著《爱在瘟疫蔓延时》书名、表现手法抽象的《Once I Was You（Love in The Time of COVID-19）》，更有一批含有强烈政治意识的作品，在她以往的作品中较少见。在《Spiralling out of Control》中，她以多种物料重叠，表达目前美国的混乱状况，例如她从杂志剪出不同的字凑成句子，模仿电影中经常出现的勒索信做法，暗讽美国人民被特朗普总统绑架了！美国「AMERICA」一字的拼法，她故意以「K」代替了「C」，令人联想起美国史上恶名昭彰的种族分子「三K党」，而作品中的特朗普头像模糊，有点像通过屏幕看的电子档案。泰梅兰解释：「特朗普比任何一任美国总统更常利用媒体宣传政治讯息，而且当选总统前早已在电视经常出现，对我来说，他不像一个实际存在的人，而更像一个电子图像。」
　　同样受到疫情影响不得不取消原定计画的，还有香港年轻摄影艺术家Kasper Forest。他是第三届《新艺潮博览会》国际艺术家大奖得主，参展作品系列以描绘香港城市中被忽略的一群的生活面貌，例如同性恋者、变性人、劳工阶层，捕捉香港城市的矛盾，获得专业评审赞许，得到今年7月在台北国际艺术家村进行三个月驻村计画的机会，可惜大概明年才可以成行。
　　在留港这段日子，Kasper表示没有展览机会，但却有更大的动力创作。他走遍了整个香港，以爱为主题，创作了一批作品，不过他选择「爱」的表现，却是一看令人怵目惊心的纸扎公仔！「我构思这个系列已经有一段时间了，纸扎公仔是中国传统文化的一种符号，代表死亡。自从『沙士』之后，香港从来没有如此接近死亡，特别在3月，香港很多地方几乎空无一人，整个城市彷佛死了！在这种无助和压抑的环境中，我觉得非常适合实现这个创作概念。《金童玉女》本来是美好的，就像东方之珠本来是充满魅力的国际都会，但在『疫』境中大家好像失去了动力。金童玉女眺望维港景色的无助情绪，我想很多香港人都会感同身受。」
　　拍摄期间带着两个纸扎公仔穿梭于大街小巷、商店、主题公园，当然令途人侧目，Kasper说曾经有人以粗口骂他，甚至有人报警：「当然我明白有些人会忌讳，感到不安，但我的原意并不是要吓人，而是反思生死、反思爱情，就如著名作家刘以鬯曾经说过：『香港人的快乐都是纸扎的，但是大家都愿意将纸扎的爱情当做真实。』」
　　泰梅兰和Kasper Forest的最新创作将于8月在一个名为《+VE/-VE》的展览展出。这个展览由《新艺潮博览会》主办，共有四十多位香港艺术家参加，展品全部是疫症期间的创作，记录了本港艺术家在「疫」境中抒发的个人感受，同时是全港市民的共同经历，希望借助艺术的正能量，在阳光灿烂的日子里，大家能从负面的情绪中解放出来，面对疫症蔓延，依然感受到爱和艺术的力量。

文：苏媛　图：《新艺潮博览会》、受访艺术家提供
苏媛，一位业馀艺术爱好者，早年留学英国伦敦，学习东方文化和中国艺术，曾参与艺术拍卖、展览和出版等工作，研究范围以玉器和近现代中国书画为主，经常出没香港和内地的拍卖会与画廊，游走于艺术和商业之间。

展出約60幅屬於香港的「疫作」
一批記載香港藝術界以至整個社會一段不平凡歷史的重要藝術作品

新藝潮將於2020年7月31日至8月31日期間，在觀塘SML大廈二樓舉辦為期一個月，名為「+ve/-ve」展覽，展出超過40位香港藝術家，因COVID-19新冠肺炎觸發而創作的作品。

COVID-19全球性的世紀疫情，人類面對前所未有的考驗，共同抗疫，亦是共同經驗，發展出一段共同的歷史。疫症造成生命和財產的損失，打亂了生活習慣，特別是社交隔離政策，然而在種種負面(-VE)影響和挑戰下，新的思維方式與機會也從中萌生，人類在獨處中從新思索人生的價值與方向，尋求新的工作與生活方式，在逆境中找到正面(+VE)的力量。

近半年疫情，藝術家對未來的領悟、啟發、反思，促成他們創作出各具特色及風格的作品。陳育強的作品《那一棵紅樹》，在仿如人體的棕色地塊上，心臟位置一棵火焔般的紅樹拔地而起，畫面充滿張力。本地畫家及香港中文大學兼任講師鍾大富的「向醫護致敬」的岩彩畫。劉以鬯認為「香港人的快樂都是紙紮的，但是大家都願意將紙紮的愛情當作真實」，Kasper Forest以一對紙紮情侶，設背景於香港各大地標，系列名為《金童玉女》The Ghost City，映照出疫情下的香港，街上無人，鬼魅出沒。李欣儀作品「Study of Spaces and System」，U型水管貫穿家家戶戶，被困的人物在家中來回踱步、或坐或立，一派不安。張展恒的水墨拼貼多媒體創作「病毒球計劃:黑白實驗」，一個個重叠的圓形球體，一圏又一圈擴張開來，或明或暗。胡浚諺近年以百合為題，2019新藝展出凋零凄美的百合，令人驚艷。「+VE/-VE」將展出其新作「杯中百合」，沒莖沒葉沒空間，是疫情中人們的境況﹖Tamera Bedford(泰梅蘭)油墨混合媒體作品「Once I Was You (Love in the Time of Covid-19)」，是當代傾城之戀﹖

新藝潮「+ve/-ve」同時舉辦網上展覽，展出更多參展藝術家的作品。

The Power of Positivity - Lisa Kao

Artists help us make sense of the world, so it is no surprise that many of them are tackling the ongoing pandemic in their works.

More than 60 of these works by over 40 Hong Kong-based artists will be exhibited in Art Next's upcoming +VE/-VE exhibition. . .

. . . Hong Kong-based Tamera Bedford is another artist featured in the exhibition.

Unlike Lam, who merges thoughts and feeling into his art, Bedford creates art to distract herself.

"With what's happening with the virus, I find myself paying more attention to the news than I used to," she said. "I am always a bit anxious about what's happening to Hong Kong and feel that I am a sponge absorbing too much water."

As an American living in Hong Kong, she was also heartbroken by the simmering Sino-US tensions, so she used art as a way to escape reality.

"When I am working on the pieces, I have to pay so much attention to the patterns and layers. It takes my mind to another place," said Bedford. "The amount of focus required is a mental relief to me."

For Once I Was You (Love in the Time of Covid-19), Bedford used two kinds of paper, three kinds of painting materials and a canvas to create the piece.

She first laid the natural-patterned handmade Nepali lokta paper and circled them with green and pink ink. Then she connected the circles with a golden pen and cut out the blank spaces in between.

Pink Bhutanese daphne paper is then cut and put underneath the golden lines. The whole piece is placed on a white canvas and the remaining spaces are filled with dark purple. To finish the piece, she used red acrylic paint to surround the lokta paper.

The piece is so complex that it took Bedford more than 40 hours over multiple weeks to finish.

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/12/221436/Power-of-positivity

Sai Kung Magazine - May 2017 - saikung.com/art-month-sai-kung

Art month in Sai Kung

As art month descends into Hong Kong, we speak to the local artists to see what they have in store for art lovers.

Tamera Bedford
 

I am a self-taught artist, I don’t have a formal background in art. I’ve lived in Sai Kung for five years but first became interested in creating art when I moved to Beijing eight years ago. In my first year of creating art, I was doing mainly pencil drawings which then progressed to traditional Chinese ink brush painting and oil painting. From there I’ve played with different kinds of media and techniques ranging from painting to printmaking.

The work I’ve been making for the last few years is a multi-staged process which begins with making an original painting on small pieces of watercolour paper using both watercolor paint and, usually, ink. I also sometimes employ other material to alter the images, such as rubbing salt or sand into the wet paint or using special pens from Japan. I like playing around with materials and seeing what comes of it. Once I’ve finished making the initial piece I then work with a fine art printer on Hong Kong island to enlarge it. 

I’m currently working on a set of watercolor paintings inspired from images taken from space, they are all of natural landscapes which span the globe. With them I hope to convey from a macro sense all of the beauty found around the world. The paintings are abstract in design, and span different landscapes from the Antarctica to the Sahara.

Everything I make is abstract and comes directly from my mind. The works are influenced by the time I have spent in the natural world, my interest in human consciousness and things I have been exposed to in my many travels. For me, the creation of my art is truly an exercise in meditation and I hope to allow others looking at it to get a sense of that for themselves.

My art is very personal to me but that is about to change as I have my first solo show this month in Sai Kung at H Studio. 

I think there are a lot of creative people living in the Sai Kung area, working in many different areas. I’d like to see artists in the area interacting and collaborating more. I think, together as a group, Sai Kung has a lot to offer the Hong Kong art community. I look at my work as ever-expanding and try not to place any limitations on myself. As a self-taught artist, I have a lot of freedom in what I make and how I make it, which makes what I’m doing unique and fresh. 

Tamera’s first solo exhibition will be held at H Studio Gallery from March 18-30. 

To see more of Tamera’s work, visit www.tamerabedford.com or email Tamera at tamera@tamerabedford.com