Press Release

SUFFER FROM REALNESS

Suffer from realness is a UK group exhibition by the artists: Ka Ian Hoi, Pippa Brabyn, Pui Pui Ip and Thomas Jon Walker that takes place at the Chelsea College of Arts in London.

Four different artists come together to express their investigations of what is true, authentic, and worthy of memory, when living in a society that worships the artificial and accepts the fake and a standard. Each artist uses diverse media and levels of interaction between the artworks, to play with the possibilities of understanding ourselves, tangibly and honestly.

In a world where artificiality rules, the news is fake, surveillance is rampant and we must hide behind a “Finsta”, we have to ask ourselves is being real a sickness? If we embrace individuality over assimilation of mass culture, are we doomed to suffer? Reflecting on the words of the great Kanye West who sang “Doctors say I’m the illest, because I suffer from realness”, this exhibition contemplates our own fate in the constructed society that is puppeteered by authority we can no longer trust.

Pippa’s Monument 2.0 explores the psychological repercussions of absence of documentation, in the context of a society that is obsessed with self-documentation, where the profile photo is the ultimate representation of self-constructed identity. Ka Ian uses the symbol of a heart, representative of a “like” in social media, and how the symbols meaning has slowly transformed in a currency for popularity. Pui Pui investigates how it is at the moment language is learned is where we must immediately be questioned the authenticity of the information provided to us. Conclusively, Thomas’s work is riddled with post internet era anxiety, when asking the literal question of if one were to die, would their followers know?

The exhibition is curated by Amanda Jamieson and Penny Nikolaou and will be on view from 30 May to 1 June 2019 at the Cookhouse Gallery at the Chelsea College of Art in London.

KAIAN HOI - “Suffer from likability”, 2019

Mixed media (3 pieces)

30 x 30 x 15 cm

In the work “Suffer from likability”, KAIAN explored the importance of being likeable in the contemporary world, which progresses by the overuse and overflow of social media and information. The usage of a heart (or symbol of “like” in social media), slowing transforms its meaning and performs like a new currency of itself: a trade for popularity.

KAIAN HOI: Born in Macau. Currently studying in Chelsea College of Arts. The artist is concerned with the social and personal perspectives towards vulnerability, authenticity and emotional related philosophical questions. Her interests in medium diverse in response to the work itself: painting, installation, sound, performance and immersive experience.

Education:

Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, MA Fine Art, 2018-2019
Taipei University of the Arts, BA Fine Art, 2014-2018

Group Exhibitions:

Moment, The flying Dutchman, London, 2018
Spectacular Sensation, Five Bells, London, 2018
Mooore, Chelsea College of Art, London, 2018
Wicked game, Chelsea College of Art, London, 2019
Gentleness, Chelsea College of Art, London, 2019
Wasteland, Filet, London, 2019
One-night stand, Wimbledon College of Art, London, 2019

*Monument 2.0”* 2019. photo courtesy of artist

PIPPA BRABYN - “Monument 2.0”, 2019

Installation; Clay sculpture with chalk pigment, plaster, 35mm film, and a video projection

Pippa’s work is an artistic investigation into the psychological repercussions of absence of documentation and questions the reliability of the image in the construction and preservation of memory. Pippa explores how the absence of documentation of experiences affect our identities, and she explores how a person’s decision-making process is expressive of what experiences a person considers a worthy reflection of their identity and can alluded to subsequent experiences a person might pursue. “In a world where social media and fake personas are rife, the real sufferers sit atop a tower of profile pictures and ‘memories’ and 35mm film and ‘realness’ lay as rubble at the foot of the tower. The true view of what remains, is unattainable without unrealistic elevation.” - Pippa

PIPPA BRABYN: Born in Crowborough UK, Pippa spent 4 years traveling the oceans of the world behind the lens as a photographer on a cruise ship. These experiences profoundly impacted her perception of photo documentation and sparked her artistic investigation into the psychological repercussions of absence of documentation and question the reliability of the image in the construction and preservation of memory. Pippa explores how the absence of documented experiences affects our identities and investigates how a person’s decision-making process is reflective of what experiences a person considers a worthy reflection of their identity and can alluded to subsequent experiences a person might pursue. Pippa tactically demonstrates this investigation by manipulating photographic images to physically demonstrate the metaphorical value of the experience and documenting it.

Pippa intervenes in the process of standard photographic development with unique destructive and enhancing techniques by using chemicals, time-based corruption, and photo-

editing software. Her work contrasts these new photographic documents with past experiences and historical imagery to investigate the reliability of memory constructions. Her oeuvre interests are highly relevant, and her work a timely exploration in a moment of people’s obsessive digital accumulation in contrast to the traditional more tangible analogue photographic material as the personal archive.

“In a time where everyone has the accessibility to capture and store images at their fingertips; publicize, multiply, edit and exploit - the image as photograph and the photograph as document has lost value. Its importance diluted and almost redundant. My investigation strives to retrieve the significance of the photograph as image as well as highlight why and how we have become so obsessed with incessant documentation and if this reflective of identity or if identity is encapsulated within the images. What are we compensating for? … What am I Compensating for?”

PUI PUI IP - “#truth”, 2019

Installation; Video and sound piece

#truth intends to debate how social media distorts the truth and misleads our next generations. #truth consists of a series of 1960s ladybird children’s learning cards, yet the images do not coordinate to the vocabularies dictated. Pui Pui takes inspiration from the education system in Hong Kong, that is often at fault in changing definitions taught to innocent school children to align with government propaganda. Pui Pui is especially concerned with those who are innocent in this manipulation of meaning. The use of the hashtag demonstrates a new language that has revolutionized how we communicate and categorize content in social media platforms. “We cannot underestimate the popularity of hashtags on social media, sadly it is inevitable to see how young people using hashtags incorrectly, leads the users to irrelevant topics or conversations. A crossover with 1960s illustration and 21st century social media language, I aim to demonstrate the change of how we perceive the knowledge with the introduction of social media era.” - Pui Pui

PUI PUI IP: Born in Hong Kong and currently studying in Chelsea College of Arts.

“Words are powerful. Even a single word, or short phrase can conjure up emotions and ideas. I believe when letters are well-placed, they have meaning, it is creation, it is art.”

Pui Pui’s work focuses on language specifically in the short form such as quotes, captions, and hashtags. Her work often explores the tangibility of language through needle point embroidery. Her works evolves installations that poetically and humorously give voice and narratives to inanimate objects, such as chairs, curtains, scissors, and books by embroidering text onto them. Behind the beauty of her craftsmanship, Pui Pui’s work is steeped political narratives, most specifically about the manipulation of education through language. Pui Pui is inspired by corrupt systems of education in her native Hong Kong and reflects on her educational experiences compared to those in London to investigate the social and political brainwashing that is a reality in Hong Kong. Further, Pui Pui has a soft spot for the innocent children of this system, who are unaware of this brainwashing, and grow up without a desire to critically as questions or discover meaning for themselves. Though Pui Pui seeks to fight for greater freedom of expression in Hong Kong, for artists and students alike, she keeps her work fun, light, and humorous. She loves wording and sees each word as opportunity to rearrange and play with how we can express ourselves.

Education:

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, BFA Theatre Technical Arts
Chelsea College of Arts, Graduate Diploma Fine Arts
Chelsea College of Arts, Master of Fine Arts 2018-2019

Group Exhibitions:

Spectacular Sensation, Five Bells, London, 2018
Mooore, Chelsea College of Art, London, 2018
Wicked game, Chelsea College of Art, London, 2019
Gentleness, Chelsea College of Art, London, 2019
Wasteland, Filet, London, 2019
One night stand, Wimbledon College of Art, London, 2019

TOM WALKER - “do your followers know you’re dead?”, 2019

Video work installation

In the work “do your followers know you’re dead?”, the artist presents a satire film about how to be in relationship with yourself. The story concentrates on the literal idea of if one were to die, would their followers know? It is a question riddled with anxiety that develops around today’s post internet era. It investigates the relationship between narcissism and depression, and also the relationship between capitalism and consumerism.

TOM WALKER: Thomas Jon Walker is born in Lincolnshire, UK. The artist/filmmaker is residing and working in London. His works investigate an array of concepts ranging from tackling issues of mental health as well as film within a contemporary age. Tom Walker’s art raise questions about the ways that film is utilized through different media and how the internet has changed our perception of cinema.

SUFFER FROM REALNESS, Chelsea College of Arts

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