6 | Friday, May 3, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY CULTURE HK Festival A maverick’s monumental works The curtains go up on Le French May 2019 with a showing of Niki de Saint Phalle’s massive sculptures. A selection of avant-garde French designs also figures. Rebecca Lo reports.

The iconic red Ploum Sofa, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Ligne Roset, is a highlight of a show designed to promote cultural exchange between French and Hong Kong designers.

Curator Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand with De Saint Phalle’s granddaughter Bloum Cardenas.

The massive Nana series of sculptures created by De Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle with one portray women of her bull’s-eye sculptures. as free spirits. File picture of Niki de Saint Phalle at work on her trademark, gigantic sculptures.

n Hong Kong, the month of May has di erent generations and to present their daughter, believes her legacy will only grow says Mitterrand who feels as more people “I believe that French design is very pop- been linked to Gallic culture for the fi ght through di erent artistic methods.” A with time. become aware of De Saint Phalle’s art, her ular here as we have many French design- past 27 years. The theme of 2019 Le solo exhibition of de Saint Phalle’s works in “She was ahead of her time in so many name will be taken in the same breath as ers with their own studios or working on French May, the annual festival of Beijing’s Today Art Museum followed. fi elds,” comments Cardenas, in Hong Kong other great female artists of the 20th cen- projects in Hong Kong,” Bath says. “There IFrench culture in Hong Kong, is voyage. The Mitterrand says the relevance of de Saint for the o cial opening of the exhibition. tury, such as Louise Bourgeois and Yayoi are also many established French manufac- festival is expected to take its audiences on Phalle — who died in 2002 — stems from her “From the way that she used herself in her Kusama. turers here, such as Ligne Roset, Devialet a journey through time and space and from willingness to tap into a feminine approach work to creating a perfume in order to be and Roche Bobois.” east to west via its more than 120 programs to contemporary art. “On top of being part of fi nancially independent.” Art of living The pieces on show include the Ploum and activities. the New movement, along with Yves Cardenas feels many women of all ages Opening on the same day as De Saint sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Opening on May 5, the festival curtain- Klein, Jean Tinguely — her second husband relate to the figures in the Nana series. Phalle’s exhibition is a sister show featur- Ligne Roset and the Vertigo lamp by Con- raiser is an exhibition of works by Niki de — Arman and Raymond Hains, she knew “Niki shared very personal and intimate ing the best French designs created in the stance Guisset for Petite Friture. Saint Phalle, one of France’s most celebrated how to express the complex relationship moments (in her artworks). Many of her past decade. “Le French Design, so Starch, “While French designers were focused artists who had no formal training in art. between women and French society, par- prints read as letters where personal so Bouroullec…” aims to promote creativ- previously on the object, today they are Born in France and raised in the US, de Saint ticularly through the violence of her famous thoughts are shared openly. They make ity and innovation in French furniture thinking more about and working with Phalle was a multitalented personality — a shootings.” her very relatable.” and decoration and includes a discussion the space as an entire entity,” says Bath. fi lmmaker, sculptor and painter known for He is referring to de Saint Phalle’s early The Hong Kong exhibition aims to intro- with local designer Freeman Lau on June “French design has many aspects resulting her colorful and spectacular, outdoor instal- 1960s pop art series in which she would draw duce de Saint Phalle’s work to a Chinese 6 to encourage cultural exchange between from many historical infl uences, using a lations, often unusually large in size. bulls’ eyes on her sculptures and repeatedly audience who may be unfamiliar with the French and Hong Kong designers. wide variety of savoir-faire — from deco- The exhibition, “Niki de Saint Phalle: Leg- shoot at them with a gun, sometimes inviting artist. The show was put together by VIA, an rative art to industrial engineering, both endary Female Artist of the 20th Century her audience to mutilate her art. The series “Niki found creative ways to face her organization founded in 1979 with the sup- creative and rigorous, poetic and scientifi c, and Her Wonderland”, has been put together propelled her into the league of rebel artists struggles,” says Cardenas. port of the French Ministry for Industry balanced and audacious. (It’s) a melting pot for display in Sha Tin Town Hall and Plaza like Robert Rauschenberg and Frank Stella. Indeed in her youth De Saint Phalle had which aims to promote French artisans and that is constantly evolving.” under the guidance of Jean-Gabriel Mitter- In the next phase of her career, from to cope with a physically-abusive moth- designers locally and internationally. rand, executive director of Galerie Mitter- 1964 to 1973, she was making huge, volup- er. Her fi rst marriage to the writer Harry To celebrate VIA’s 40th anniversary, rand in Paris. Mitterrand has been exhibiting tuous women fi gures using fi berglass and Mathews was far from smooth. At one 40 international art and design leaders IF YOU GO de Saint Phalle’s works since the 1980s. reinforced plastic. Called the Nanas, these point she was treated at a mental clinic were asked to select their favorite pieces Niki de Saint Phalle: Legendary Female Artist of the 20th Century and Her The show was fi rst presented as a joint brightly-colored outdoor sculptures showed and being subjected to electric shocks. that best represent the essence of French Wonderland exhibition with the works of the Chinese women dancing or performing cartwheels “After a period of expressing anger, she design and lifestyle. Participating lumi- Dates: May 5 — June 2 artist Shen Yuan at Power Station of Art without a care in the world. deliberately tried to address her issues by naries include French interior designer Venue: Sha Tin Town Hall and Sha Tin museum in Shanghai in 2018. As Mitterrand says, “With the creation of trying to bring joy and curiosity. Her story Christian Liaigre and French intimates Town Hall Plaza, 1 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin, New Territories “The dialogue between the two artists her Nanas, De Saint Phalle asserted female is of healing,” Cardenas says. fashion designer Chantal Thomass. Jean- Le French Design, So Starck, So from two di erent generations and cultures empowerment with joy and humor.” “She teaches us that every single woman Paul Bath, VIA’s executive director, says a Bouroullec… was a huge success,” says Mitterrand. “It can stand for herself and be free with all bunch of distinguished people chose the Dates: May 5 – June 28 Venue: The Annex, 2/F Nan Fung Tower, enabled two female artists to express their Intimate and open the strength and creativity to a rm her exhibits, inspired by the idea of art de vivre 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Central awareness about female conditions from two Bloum Cardenas, De Saint Phalle’s grand- position in a world mostly led by men,” (art of living). www.frenchmay.com

Exhibition Taking a leaf out of ’s sketchbook By CHITRALEKHA BASU ly-eclipsed, merged, almost, with either the corpse on the dissection [email protected] the background — is replete with table or at the doctor conducting a unique set of emotions, drawing the procedure, or even at the artist Only a few paintings from the attention to a back story, as indeed painting the scene. Taking a cue classical European canon have been it is in Rembrandt’s The Night from the staged nature of the “anat- as frequently referenced in films Watch. omy lesson” — where the people and video art as The show’s curator, Eric Leung, present were in fact posing to be by the 17th-century Dutch master says the video was shot under part of an image by a well-known Rembrandt van Rijn. Jean Luc- street lights, on the Central-Mid- painter — in one of the videos the Goddard created a tableau vivant Levels escalator. The pace of the artist’s roving eye looks in all pos- based on the scene in his 1982 fi lm camera movement replicates that sible directions except at the face Passion. made of the escalator, which is one of of the man — a detail from Rem- two films — Nightwatching and the most prized generic features brandt’s painting — on a screen Rembrandt’s J’accuse — a mock- of Hong Kong, transporting tens Siu Wai-hang’s video installation, Tung Wing-hong’s Night Jump Jess Lau’s frame-by-frame placed directly in front of him. serious imaginary reconstruction of thousands of passengers to their Artificial Lighting, dwells on the (below) references Rembrandt’s animation, Handnote, is a The most low-key and probably of the story behind the commission- workplaces every day. This makes theme of being alone in a crowd. The Night Watch. comment on the futility of trying to most strikingly original piece in the ing of the iconic painting and how Artifi cial Lighting uniquely repre- hold on to memories. show is Jess Lau’s frame-by-frame Rembrandt, ostensibly, ignored the sentative of the city. animation, Handnote. Details brief, throwing light on the gray “Rembrandt’s creative spirit from Rembrandt’s paintings show- areas of the artist-patron dynamic. inspires artists of di erent periods,” tion. Footage showing parts of the ing hands, perfectly-formed and Unsurprisingly then, one of the says Leung. “The exhibition focuses artist’s body play simultaneously elegantly placed on voluminous three artists commissioned by the on video and kinetic installation on several rotating screens, prob- drapery, are dovetailed with shots Dutch Days in Hong Kong festival so as to demonstrate a dialogue ably to underscore current viewing of Lau’s own left hand where she to create new work in response to between latest art technology and habits. The tendency is to watch notes down names, messages and Rembrandt’s iconic paintings has ancient painting.” many things at the same time — phone numbers. Watching the art- chosen to reinterpret The Night Tung Wing-hong’s video installa- IF YOU GO sampling more stu in small pack- ist’s futile attempt to mark herself, Watch in terms of life in present- tion, The Anatomy Lesson of a Self, ages, rather than caring much for indelibly, with small records of Rembrandt by Hong Kong Artists day Hong Kong. In Siu Wai-hang’s a contemporary adaptation of Rem- Presented by Dutch Days in the whole. the memories she cares about and video installation, called Artifi cial brandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Hong Kong 2019 Then it may not have been all their inevitable erasing over time Lighting, the camera sluggishly Nicolaes Tulp, is a good example of Artists: Siu Wai-hang, Tung that different in the Amsterdam is a hugely moving experience. It pans across people’s faces, dwell- how the somewhat morbid depic- Wing-hong, Jess Lau reminds one of Rembrandt’s unfl at- Curated by Eric Leung of 1632. In Rembrandt’s original ing on each in isolation for a few tion of a doctor dissecting a corpse Dates: Until May 15 painting, most of the subjects (who tering self-portraits, informed by seconds. Seen in close-up, each surrounded by onlookers lends Venue: S512, Block A, PMQ, paid good money to be included in the ideas of impermanence and face — although some are partial- itself to a 3D kinetic video installa- 35 Aberdeen Street, Central the image) do not look directly at the mutability of human existence. www.dutchdaysinhongkong.com