One show, two spaces: Song Dong at Duddell's and Pace Gallery
Hong Kong is fast becoming a year-round cultural hub with an increasing number of intriguing smaller exhibitions filling gaps between the city’s blockbuster art auctions and fairs. The latest is a remarkable show by the inventive conceptual artist Song Dong, simultaneously hosted by the Ilse Crawford-designed restaurant-bar-art institution Duddell’s and Pace Gallery.
Born in 1966 in Beijing, and raised during China’s tumultuous Cultural Revolution, Song is renowned for his exploration of the ephemeral nature of modern society, often using exhibition spaces as an integral part of the artwork he creates.
Notable earlier works include Waste Not, a poignant installation at the Museum of Modern Art of over 10,000 household items hoarded by his obsessively frugal mother, and Eating the City, where visitors in several international capitals consumed Song’s miniature edible city in an intriguing commentary on hedonistic consumption.
With 'Sketch', Song draws viewers, diners and Duddell’s restaurant staff into a beguiling dialogue with his works by placing blue masking tape around the edges of the walls and staircases, with the art – a series of fish head and vegetable ceramic sculptures, photos and videos from Eating the City, alongside several ‘city’ sculptures comprising thousands of biscuits, baguettes and bagels. The edible work was ‘demolished’ by visitors who consumed it during the exhibition’s opening evening.
‘The tape is a simple object that creates a framework for the entire concept,’ says Song, who refers to himself as the ‘city planner’ when constructing the sculptural pieces. ‘It connects the people inside of it, making them part of the artwork itself. As the tape is also present at Pace, it connects the two exhibitions as one.’
The joint exhibition’s creative symbiosis is further reinforced at the gallery, with Sauce Painting created using international food seasonings as paint.
‘I want the audience to see things in their everyday lives as art,’ explains Song. ‘By having this exhibition at Duddell’s, visitors become part of the whole experience and are encouraged to go beyond their usual dining experience of socialising and eating to recognise food as art and become more mindful toward their daily lives.’
INFORMATION
'Sketch' is on view until 10 January at Duddell's; and until 7 November at Pace Gallery
Photography courtesy the artist and Pace Gallery
ADDRESS
Duddell’s
Level 3
Shanghai Tang Mansion
1 Duddell Street
Central, Hong Kong
Pace
15C Entertainment Building
30 Queens Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice Biennale
The best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the senses
New restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallagher
By Billie Brand Published
-
Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction
The proceeds of ’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’, running this June, will go to the charitable causes she championed during her lifetime
By Jack Moss Published
-
Paulina Olowska brings Slavic folklore and androgynous nymphs to London
Paulina Olowska explores magical mysticism in ‘Squelchy Garden Mules and Mamunas’ at London’s Pace Gallery
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Matthew Day Jackson: ‘I want digital and analogue to fit together perfectly so we can regain our hands’
American artist-designer Matthew Day Jackson’s new show 'Against Nature' at Pace Gallery, New York offers a sharp digital spin on landscape painting
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
teamLab: how a Tokyo art collective pioneered an immersive art boom
With an operatic intervention and a show at Pace Geneva, teamLab, the now-700-strong Tokyo-based collective that blazed a trail for experiential, tech-fuelled art, continues to value ‘physical interaction in physical space’
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
Last chance to see: ‘Elmgreen & Dragset: The Nervous System’ at Pace New York
Scandinavian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset caution against short-term memory in their first major show with Pace Gallery, calling our attention to crises beyond the pandemic
By TF Chan Last updated
-
Torkwase Dyson and Mark Rothko inaugurate Pace gallery’s new London home
Just in time for Frieze Week 2021, Pace has opened its much-anticipated Hanover Square gallery with shows by Torkwase Dyson and Mark Rothko
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
David Adjaye and Adam Pendleton: a meeting of minds in Hong Kong
Paintings by American artist Adam Pendleton are staged in conversation with sculptural works by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye at Pace Hong Kong
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Sam Gilliam’s musical musings on jazz, colour and Beyoncé
‘Existed Existing’ reflects the Colour Field master’s six-decade career in boundary-pushing chromatic exploration
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Arlene Shechet brings nature into the gallery arena at Pace New York
For the American artist, every material and form has inherent questions. Here, the sculptor opens a new dialogue with ‘Skirts’ at Pace Gallery's new flagship
By Harriet Lloyd Smith Last updated