13_05_2010

Artist Talks on Cockatoo Island!

Today, I led the artist talks on Cockatoo Island. This involved dragging a PA around, wrangling visitors up for the talks, and introducing each artist and thanking them for being there.  The most challenging task today was having to lead the question and answer period.  The public was a bit timid about asking questions, so I had to facilitate many of them.  This definitely tested my knowledge about the artworks!  The artists that spoke were Jota Castro, Slave Pianos, Ola Kohlemeinan, and Tsang Kin-Wah.  I was particularly interested in Tsang Kin-Wah’s talk.  He spoke about how he was raised staunchly Christian, and his work is a visual representation of the confusing psychological state one experiences when they are sorting through the confusions of rejecting a religious life.  His work involves projections of stream-of-consciousness-like language across a ceiling that ultimately reaches a euphoric climax.  Every time I take in the work, I take note of some other message the artist is conveying.  It’s a involved work, so to hear the artist shed light on where he was coming from when he made it, makes the work a lot more accessible for the audience.  Artist talks are an excellent way to involve people in the exhibition in a more intimate manner.