Heague Yang, Installation view: Triple Vita Nestings, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane. Drunken Speech, 2007, Audio player, approx. 16 mins., voice-over: Helen Cho, CD player, TV set, cable box, TV broadcast/signal, headphones, sleeping bag, Dimensions variable, Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Carl Warner.
Haegue YangTriple | Vita Nestings
This exhibition brings together selected works from more than a decade of Yang’s practice. Craft, art, and conceptual themes merge in this eclectic exhibition.
Entering the first exhibition space of which there are three, the austere minimalistic venetian blinds and light works which Haegue Yang (8th Asia Pacific Triennial 2015-2016) is renowned for held me in a sombre state. In Lethal Love stylised black blinds hung in a kind of maze with a combination of soft light and flood lighting penetrated through. Creating an ambience of mystery holding a peaceable yet impending acquiescence. I loved how this invited my intelligence to question the deeper meaning of the installation. A huge woven piece presented as a kind of waterfall or entity, deftly made with precision and craft, once again in black. During the artist talk Yang revealed the poignant inspirations behind her artworks. Yang explained sourcing from the historical narratives – one of which is the study of German Green Party members – Petra Kelly and Gert Bastian. There life and deaths as a focus.
Heague Yang, Installation view: Triple Vita Nestings, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane. In view (l-r): The Intermediate—Tinted UHHHHH Creature Inverted V, 2017, Powder-coated stainless steel frame, steel wire rope, plastic twine, 360 x 400 x 180 cm; Lethal Love, 2008/2018, Aluminum venetian blinds, powder-coated aluminum hanging structure, steel wire rope, free-standing mirror wall, moving spotlights, scent emitters (wildflower, gunpowder), Dimensions variable, Courtesy the artist. Photo by Carl Warner.
The multiplicity of the range of works in the three spaces which is must see, is an engaging journey through which one can reflect on place, space, relationships and beings of mythical, fantastical proportions as well as futuristic almost esoteric themes. The incredible artworks demonstrate advanced techniques of weaving and making in their intensity. Yang’s work comes across sensitive, egoless, powerful and observant in this complex and altitudinal exhibition.
Rating: 4 ½ stars ★★★★☆
Haegue Yang
Triple Vita Nestings
Curated by Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh
Triple Vita Nestings is presented in partnership with the 21st Biennale of Sydney, and is made possible with generous support from the Australia Council for the Arts, the Korea Foundation and assistance from Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen.
30th June – 30th August, 2018
Institute Of Modern Art, IMA, Brisbane
Karrabing Film Collective, The Mermaids: Mirror Worlds, IMA, Brisbane. In view: Campfire, 2018, Spray paint, scaffolding scrap metal.; Night-time Go, 2017, Single-channel video, 000:31:10. Photo by Carl Warner.
Karrabing Film Collective | The Mermaids: Mirror Worlds
This important exhibition form Karrabing Film Collective (Institut fur Auslandsbeziehungen, Berlin 2018, Melbourne International Film Festival) houses films and installations providing a window into the contemporary life and history of Indigenous peoples in Northern Australia.
Seenandunseen a three channel video, vitrine with maps and magnifying glasses brings awareness to the toxic aftermath of mining and government infrastructure. Making aware the government policy and the involuntary displacement during early 20th Century, text depicted through black and white statements on screen augments the attitudes, history as well as current footage of the site.
Karrabing Film Collective, Campfire, 2018, Spray paint, scaffolding scrap metal. Photo by Carl Warner.
Overall this exhibition is a moving, historical and present time informative overview of life of the peoples both past and present from Anson Bay Region. Ancestral stories, current and historic events, challenges, and an interplay of the social strength and ingenuity are highlighted throughout the presentations. Installations such as the camp fire bring warmth and a sense of togetherness to enter this field of telling. I encourage a long visit to take in the captivating works that create empathy and inspiration for the artists experiences presented here. The insight and factual knowledge of the peoples and places and circumstances as well as the sharing of the spiritual aspects of storytelling that bridge the gap of understanding is powerful and clever.
Rating: 4 ½ stars ★★★★☆
The Mermaids: Mirror Worlds
Karrabing Film Collective
Curated by Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh
Co-commissioned by the IMA, Frontier Imaginaries, PUBLICS, and the Van Abbemuseum with generous support from the Australian Government through Indigenous Languages and Arts
Institute Of Modern Art, IMA, Brisbane
