Pak Sheung Chuen visited Brisbane in June 2010 for a Light from Light residency, supported by MAAP – Multimedia Art Asia Pacific, the State Library of Queensland and the Griffith University Queensland College of Art.
During his stay, he developed a site-specific artwork for the exhibition: Making Thousands of Suns, which is created with the help of libraries across Queensland.
Pak spoke about this new work, his experiences in Brisbane, and his practice more broadly in an artist talk presented at the State Library of Queensland on the 29th of June 2010.
This Chinese conceptual artist has been recognised through significant exhibitions in China, Italy, New York and London. In the past, many of Pak’s works have documented performances dictated by the artist’s own simple instructions. His 2006 work, Breathing in a House saw the artist fill a rented apartment with his own breath (collected in plastic bags over ten days), until he could no longer fit in the space. For Alternative Tokyo Travel Project 2: Valley’s Trip (2007), the artist travelled from southern to northern Tokyo, but walking only in the areas corresponding to the middle folds of his map. His permanent solo exhibition at New York’s 58th Street Branch Library, Page 22 (Half Folded Library) was created by the folding of the 22nd page of every second book in the library’s collection.
“Influenced by the politics and identity of post-1997 Hong Kong as well as the tradition of Performance Art, Pak’s distinctive methodology towards ‘adaptation’ consists of inserting himself as the subject into the equation, adopting this position to question and explore the notion of individual identities against the new globalised societies and realities that are of extreme relevance to the ongoing modernisation of Asia’s mega cities”. (Press release, Hong Kong Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2009)
Lives & works in Hong Kong.
Solo Exhibitions
2009
- Venice Biennale, Hong Kong Pavilion
- All Day(s) All Night(s), Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou
2008
- From Everyday Objects to Eternity, Diogene Bivaco Urbano, Turin
- Page 22, 58th Street Branch Library, New York, U.S.A.
2006
- Artysta z Hong Kongu, WAA Art Space, Warsaw
2004
- Overlapping, A’ha Bar.Gallery, Central, Hong Kong
Group Exhibitions
2009
- The First Stop on the Super Highway, The Nam June Paik Art Center, Seoul
- Charming Experience, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
2008
- Departure, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen
- Yokohama Triennale 2008, Shinko Pier, Yokohama
- The Third Guangzhou Triennial, Guangzhou Museum of Art, Guangzhou
- Connection, Hanart Gallery, Beijing
- Map Games, Today Art Gallery, Beijing
- Du Dialogue Social, Motorenhalle, Dresden (Germany)
- Ethnographies of the Future, Rotunda Gallery, New York
- China China China!!! Chinese Contemporary Art Beyond the Global Market, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
- Everyday Anomalies, Phoenix Art, Brighton (England)
- Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win, Deutsche Bank Gallery, New York
2007
- China Power Station: Part II, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo
- Time After Time, Hollywood Centre, Hong Kong
- Reversing Horizons, Artist Reflections of the Hong Kong Handover 10th Anniversary, MOCA, Shanghai
- I Love Mongkok, Langham Place, Hong Kong
- Among others…, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong
- Out Look Shenzhen, Coco Park, Shenzhen
- AIRPORT: Flying thought, Space E6, Shenzhen
- China’s Performance Art Photography, 798 Inter Art Center, Beijing
- The Reading Records of Cities, 798 M Art Space, Beijing
- Inside Looking Out, Osage Art Gallery, Hong Kong
- Stranger, Contemporary Art Factory, Tokyo.
2006
- Arrivals and Departures: New Art Perspectives of Hong Kong, Urbis, Manchester.
- hk.cityu.hk: An art exhibition by Luke Ching and Tozer Pak, CityU Gallery, Hong Kong.
- Busan Biennale 2006, Busan Contemporary Museum, Korea.
- Yellow Box Art Project, Shanghai.
- Art in Progress (Performance festival in Paris), France.
- Realm with No Coordinates, NTUE Nan Hai Gallery, Taipei.
- Away, 1a Space, Hong Kong.
- Fotanian 2006, Fotan Industrial Centre, Hong Kong.
2005
- Inward Gazes – Documentaries of Chinese Performance Arts, Macao Museum of Art, Macao.
- In Between Meals, Program of Business of Design Week 2005, Art Tube, Central MTR Station, Hong Kong.
- Power Plays (Artists Challenge Authorities), Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong.
2004
- Fotanian 2004, Fotan Industrial Centre, Hong Kong.
- melbourneconnectionasia 2004, Urbanart group inc, Melbourne, Australia.
- Toys’bout, Habitus Design Space, Hong Kong.
- Man Made – A Project about Masculinity and Art, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong.
2003
- A time like this … Zeiten wie diese…, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong.
- Fotanian 2003, Fotan Industrial Centre, Hong Kong.
2002
- Invitational Exhibition by Department of Architecture, Department of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- Graduation Exhibition of Fine Arts, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- Small, Hands, Made Sculpture Exhibition, Hui’s Gallery, New Asia College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
2001
- Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition 2001, Hong Kong Museum of Art.
- Mission / Vision: an artistic dialogue with religion, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong.
- 2000 Gordon Lo and Tozer Pak Joint Exhibition, Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Awards
- 2008 Outstanding Work, “Inward Gazes – Documentaries of Chinese Performance Arts”(2008), Macao Museum of Art.
- 2006 Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship (12 months in USA), Asian Cultural Council (Hong Kong/2006)
- 2005 Oversea Exchange Prize, “Inward Gazes – Documentaries of Chinese Performance Arts”(2005), Macao Museum of Art.
- 2001 Hui’s Academy Fine Arts Award (2D / Mixed Media), “Annual Art Exhibition of The Department of Fine Arts 2001”, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- 2000 The Culture Corner Art Academy Fine Arts Award, “Annual Art Exhibition of The Department of Fine Arts 2000”, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.