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Hope & Glory. A Conceptual Circus Conceived by Simon Birch
June 4, 2010
Hope & Glory is a multi-media art project by Hong Kong-based artist Simon Birch. Filling the 20,000sq ft ArtisTree exhibition space in TaiKoo Place, Island East, Hong Kong, the show comprises a series of interlinked multi-media installations.
For this project, Simon Birch has brought together artists, designers, musicians, filmmakers, photographers, actors, gaming wizards, and architects, from Hong Kong and abroad. Among Birch’s collaborators are artist Stanley Wong, photographer Wing Shya, British rock band UNKLE, filmmaker Eric Hu, designer Douglas Young, architect Paul Kember, actor Daniel Wu, and Beijing-based artist Cang Xin.
“Birch’s monumental show explores a number of major themes that recur in the artist’s work: the idea of art as a spectacle; the fascination with circuses and fairgrounds, science fiction and mythologies; as well as a preoccupation with the traditions of craftsmanship and labour in art production…
The title of the project, ‘Hope and Glory’, is an appropriation of the title of a British patriotic song from the close of the Victorian era, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, an anthem that hopes for a mightier and more powerful empire. The use of the title is both ironic and meaningful, referring to the hope and glory that is relative to individual human experience, as well as to the negatives which burden imperial dreams.” (Excerpt from the press release).
Simon Birch is a Hong Kong-based artist. Born in Brighton in 1969, Birch began painting at a very early age under the guidance of his parents. His mother is an accomplished painter and art teacher; his father, an award-winning graphic and interior designer. He has pursued a versatile career, which has included design, entertainment, music and sport, but he has continued to paint throughout his life. In 1996 he moved to Hong Kong.
Hope & Glory. A Conceptual Circus Conceived by Simon Birch. ArtisTree, TaiKoo Place, Island East, Hong Kong / China, May30, 2010.
Simon Birch Hope & Glory: Links | Videos | Images | More Images
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June 5th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
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