스킵네비게이션

Nebulous Bouquet – Couplet, 2019, Neoprene, Dimensions variable        

Hsiao-Chi TSAI & Kimiya YOSHIKAWA

Nebulous Bouquet – Couplet

❑ artist bio

This artist duo, Hsiao-Chi Tsai and Kimiya Yoshikawa lives and works in London. The duo is an installation group utilizing diverse mediums. Tsai has BA in Fiber Design and Yoshikawa in Sculpture at Chelsea College of Art and Design and finished graduate course from same disciplines at Royal College of Art, London.

❑ introduction

The artist duo explores industrial materials emerged after Late Industrialism era. Their uniqueness comes from the fact they add sculptural elements to certain site using fibreglass, acrylic, UV pigments, Neoprene, etc. It was the exhibition, Futuristic Flowers in 2007 at Harvey Nichols’ seven large show windows in London where they started their journey of formal experimentations using various range of materials. Their experimentation continued to surprise us another presenting exhibition with aluminum figures in 108 colors at the very same place. Most famous example of their style is The Lion that was installed on a corner wall of a building at the entrance of London Chinatown in 2009. This three meter high permanent sculpture of lion figure stemmed from a question about the historical identity of the Chinatown’s unique culture where co-exist diverse cultures. The Lion sculpture received the runner-up award in the Marsh Award for Excellence In Public Sculpture 2009 in UK and continues to draw crowded visitors’ attention till this day as if it is guarding enterences to the place. They keep their active practices mainly in Asia and Europe participating in Asia Triennial Manchester in 2014, etc.

The work will be shown at the Sea Art Festival, Nebulous Bouquet–Couplet(2019) is an installation based piece using two pine trees standing both sides of center entrance of Dadaepo Beach. These two pine trees that face the sea at the fore front of the beach, will be adorned with various forms of neoprene cut-outs as if the pair usher the people into the beach. The shapes and colors mostly came from natural image in the work deliver its audience familiarity and its organic forms invite to a journey to a new discovery at the same time. Their changing shapes of dramatic shadow according to lights are also another sculptural element. Like this, the work adds yet another characteristics depending on the elements of light, color, form, etc. in the work. This, in turn, is duo’s object of the artistic exploration. The duo stated that this piece symbolizes luck and means blessing. In Asian tradition, you can often find a pair of guarding figures at the outside of main gate. They are symbolic figures that call for good energy and shun the misfortune usually in the forms of animal, angel, or even threatening warriors. The pair of pine trees that greet us at the entrance of Dadaepo Beach, conveys message that the duo’s wish for beautiful, natural environment and message of welcoming its visitors.