Para Site | Sheela Gowda

Sheela Gowda

May 30 – July 19, 2015

2015年5月30日 – 7月19日

Untitled 1992-2012 | Cow dung

Cut Flowers 2011 | Metal

Para Site is proud to present Sheela Gowda’s first solo exhibition in East Asia, opening on May 29th, and on view through July 19th. The exhibition incorporates a selection of existing works from various moments of the artist’s practice, alongside four major new installation works. Some of these were inspired by her research trip to Hong Kong earlier this year. The exhibition of this powerful and highly original artist is an expression of Para Site’s longstanding exploration of art’s different languages in engaging with our world.

Sheela Gowda was trained as a painter, in the great tradition of Indian modernist artistic education (Ken School of Art, Bangalore; MS University, Baroda; Bangalore University; Vishwabharati University, Santiniketan) as well as at the Royal College of Art, London. Her artistic practice is founded on a departure from the pictorial codes of representation into the field of materiality and space, as more nuanced and vibrant means of understanding the world. Gowda is interested in the power that objects and forms carry in capturing aspects of reality, with its social and cultural narratives, that are otherwise unseen by and unspeakable through other languages of representation and analysis. Materials for Gowda can be at the same time complex metaphors and ends in themselves, forgetful of their many cultural and spiritual investments attributed by human practice, but charged with a potential spiritual tension of their own, serving as relics of worlds

unraveled and building blocks for other, new ones.

These worlds are complex, often conflicted and equivocal. Her vocabulary is constantly discovered and invented in the things that surround her and that she respells into her works.

While strongly routed in the realities surrounding her in contemporary India (religious politics and violence, social exclusion and rebellion, rapid industrialization and urbanization), Gowda’s work carries universal meanings and relevancy. It employs international codes of art history, forms produced and validated in a western cannon of modernism, the avant-garde, and later practices, as well as vernacular languages of the contemporary from places as conflicted and as hybrid as the Amazon’s rubber extraction areas, Karnataka’s dwindling handicraft tradition, and Hong Kong’s transforming manufacturing industries. Gowda does not illustrate these worlds, and she does not repeat or translate artistically their narratives. She however creates moments of encounter and tension where understanding and profound engagement are possible.

The exhibition is curated by Cosmin Costinas, Para Site’s Executive Director/Curator.

Heartland 2011 | Watercolour and print on archival paper

Sheela Gowda lives in Bangalore. She was a finalist for the 2014 Hugo Boss Prize. Her work has been exhibited at major museums and institutions around the world and at exhibitions such as documenta (2007), Venice Biennale (2009), Sharjah Biennial (2009), Busan Biennial (2012), and Gwangju Biennale (2014), a.o.

Para Site 藝 術 空 間 隆 重 呈 獻 Sheela Gowda 東 亞 首 次 個展，展 覽 將於 5 月 29 日舉 行開 幕，展 至 7月 19 日。 此 次 展 覽 將 展 出 Sheela Gowda 不 同 時 期 的 創 作，其 中 包 括 四 件 大 型 裝 置 新 作，靈 感 來自年 初 Gowda 於 香 港 所 進 行 的 研 究 與 調 查。 Para Site 長 期 致 力 探 索 藝 術 如 何 以 不 同 語 彙 來 和 我 們 所 處 的 世 界 交 涉，此 精 神 完 整 相 應 本次Sheela Gowda 極具爆發力及原創精神的展覽。

Fake 2008 | Watercolour on inkjet print on watercolour paper

Sheela Gowda 接 受 正 統 油 畫 訓 練，受 到 傳 統 印 度 現 代 藝 術 教 育 的 培 養，曾 於 班 加 羅 爾 的 肯 藝 術 學 院 ( K e n School of Art)、巴羅 達 MS 大學(MS University)、班加 羅爾 大 學(Bangalore University) 及位於 Santiniketan 的 Vishwabharati 大 學( Vishwabharati University)，以 及 倫 敦 皇 家 藝 術 學 院 (Royal College of Art) 等修 讀。 Gowda 的 創 作 以 圖 像 符 碼 為 元 素，對 物 質 及 空 間 提 出

另種再現，以一種更細緻、更具震撼力的方式來理解世界。 她長期關注物件和形式捕捉現實的能力，因物件和形式對

社會與文化的敘事是無法從其他語言的再現及分析中得以

言 說 及觀看而來。 物質對 Gowda 而言即是複雜的隱喻， 同 時 也 是 故 事 的 結 尾；在人 類 過 度消費的文化與精神投

資中被遺忘，卻也同時被視為自身賦予無窮的精神張力。 它們承載著世界遺 跡，並同時建立了新的世界，這些世界

十分複雜，互相矛盾。Gowda 的作品便在此脈絡下，不斷 持續地針對週遭的事物進行探索、創造，並賦予新的意義。

Gowda 的作品 環 繞 在當代 印度的現 實 世界(宗 教 政 治和

暴力、社 會 排斥 和反 抗，以 及 快 速 的工 業 化 和 城 市化)，

同 時 也流 露出普世意義 和相 關 性。 她 的作品 結合了藝 術 史中的國際符碼，西方現代化產出的形式，不論是前衛或

深 入在 地當代 語 彙 的表 現：包 括亞 馬遜 橡 膠 提 取區 域 等 充滿衝突和多元化的地區、卡納塔克邦的日益珍罕的傳統

Untitled 2009 | Pigment, needle and thread

Untitled 1992 | Cow dung, pastel, ink on paper/board

Best Cutting 2008 | Digital collage, glass marking pencil, inkjet print on paper

工藝品，以至正在轉型的香港製造業。 Gowda 並不圖像化 這些世界，也不 複製 或 再 譯 我 們 所見；然而，她 創造了張 力的 瞬 間，讓 理 解 與 更 具 意義 的 參 與 因 而 成 為可能。

是次 展 覽由 Para Site 藝 術空間執行總 監 兼 策展 人 康喆明

(Cosmin Costinas)策劃。

Sheela Gowda 定 居 班 加 羅爾，曾入 圍 2014 Hugo Boss 藝 術 獎。 她的作 品 展 於世界各地多 個重要博 物 館、藝 術

機構與 展 覽，包括 卡塞爾 文 獻 展 (2007)、威 尼斯雙年展 (2009)、沙 迦 雙 年 展 (2009)、釜 山 雙 年 展 (2012) 和 光州雙年展 (2014)。

Crime Fiction 2008 | Inkjet print on paper, glass beads

Did I 2009 | Watercolour, ash on paper

Line Up 2008 | Concrete, wood, inkjet prints on paper

Untitled 2009 | Fabric, thread

Para Site Team

Cosmin Costinas 康喆明

Executive Director / Curator

Frances Wu Giarratano 吴天如 Deputy Director

Founding Friends Mimi Brown and Alp Ercil Burger Collection, Hong Kong Mimi and Chris Gradel

Freya Chou 周安曼

Inna and Tucker Highfield

Qinyi Lim 林沁怡

Lavina and William Lim

Curator of Education and Public Programmes Curator

Lesley Ma 馬唯中 Managing Editor

Jims Lam Chi Hang 林志恒

K11 Art Foundation Edouard and Lorraine Malingue marc & chantal design Yana and Stephen Peel

Head of Production / Associate Curator

Benjamin Vuchot

Project Coordinator / Curatorial Assistant

Friends

Simmy Ling 凌思敏

Olivia Chow 周宛昀

Gallery Manager / Curatorial Assistant

Board Yana Peel Co-Chair

Alan Lau 劉家明 Co-Chair

Jehan Pei Chung Chu 朱沛宗 Vice Chairman

Chrissy Sharp Treasurer

Sara Wong Chi Hang 黃志恆 Secretary

Mimi Chun Mei-Lor 秦美娜 Tim Li Man-Wai 李民偉 Alexandra Seno

The artist would like to express her gratitude to the following individuals

Sheela Gowda 向是次展覽提供重要協 助的人士致以最深的謝意 Cosmin Costinas 康喆明 Meeta Jain

Jims Lam Chi Hang 林志恒

Tiffany Law How Tung 羅巧彤 Simmy Ling 凌思敏

Dawn Luk Ngo Yan 陸奡恩 BL Manjunath

JR Engineering Consulting Ltd 俊文工程顧問有限公司

Kartik Mohan

Karim Blasetti

Kavya MS

Jane DeBevoise

Nam Wah Neonlight & Electrical Mfy, Ltd. 南華霓虹燈電器廠

Doryun Chong Andrew L. Cohen Alan Lo Elaine W. Ng and Fabio Rossi Nadine Ouellet and David Legg Ocula Mina Park Su-Mei and Marcus Thompson Virginia Yee Design by Debbie Poon

The Para Site team Christoph Storz

William Tam 譚浩瀚 Padma

Wong Yuk Oi 黃玉愛 Para Site would like to express our gratitude to the following individuals Para Site 藝 術空間向以下人士致以 最深謝意

Sunita and Vijay Choraria Sheela Gowda Bhavani Harimohan Gayatri and Priyam Jhaveri (R&S Nanavati Charitable Trust No. 2) Smita Prabhakar Ashish Rajadhyaksha

Untitled 2009 | Printed fabric, thread

Ground Shift 2007 | Inkjet print on archival photo rag paper

Para Site is Hong Kong’s leading contemporary art centre and one of the oldest and most active independent art institutions in Asia. It produces exhibitions, publications and discursive projects aimed at forging a critical understanding of local and international phenomena in art and society.

Para Site fully supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Hong Kong.

Para Site Art Space is financially supported by the Springboard Grant under the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The content of this program does not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Para Site

藝 術空間為香港 首屈一 指的當代 藝 術中心，亦是

亞洲歷 史 最 悠 久、最活躍的獨立藝 術中心之一。成立宗旨在 透 過 展 覽、出版刊物等活動，開展並促 進在地與國際間的對話， 希冀 打造 一 個 對 當代 藝 術、社 會現 象 提出 批判 性 論 述 及 理 解 的平台。

Para Site 藝 術 空 間 大 力 支 持 香 港 人 的民 主 訴 求。

Para Site 藝 術空間 獲香港 特別 行政區 政 府「藝能 發展 資助 計劃」的躍進資助。

活動內容並不反映香港特別行政區政府的意見。