Hou Chung-Ming
August 9th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Gallery Ver in Bangkok has just closed its exhibition of Taiwanese artist Hou Chung-Ming’s third installment of his “Asian Fathers Interview Project.” In each of these happenings, the artist will interview locals about their fathers. He will present them with a series of questions about their relationship with their father, memories of and experiences with the father. He will sketch ideas and make notes while each interview occurs. Afterwards a portrait of the father figure will be created, and the artist will then interview the person about their reaction to the depiction.
This sort of location-centered and evidence finding sort of relational aesthetics has become quiet popular. The theme of the interviews seems a little thin: was your father important to you? One would have to argue that a father figure is important and leaves an impact, whether it is for good or ill. Even the total absence of a father figure leaves a significant impact on a person. The visual creations that stem from the interview are a little more interesting, in that they are more symbolic than documentary. The overall effect is stronger than if this was just a video project, for example.
The drawing portraits above seem to have been made on children’s flash cards, or pages from an early language book. These add color and context to the drawings, but one has to wonder about the effect of children’s books on a symbol of the father. One continues to have experiences, both good and bad, with one’s father well into adulthood.
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All images are copyright Hou Chung-Ming, and were borrowed from the Gallery VER website.
