Sharon Chin's Shadow Puppets Lit by Refinery Flare in Afterall Talk
Afterall has launched an initiative called 'Hiding in Plain Sight,' which features a presentation by artist Sharon Chin from Malaysia. She discussed her recent work, starting with 'Creatures on the Move (In the Death of the Night)' (2022), which captures shadow puppets illuminated solely by the Hengyuan Refinery's light, located just 200 meters from her home. This artwork has evolved into linocuts, placards, and wheatpaste posters. Chin raises an intriguing question: how can we imagine daylight without darkness? Additionally, the initiative includes talks by Estefanía Peñafiel Loaiza on Gayatri Spivak's 'Can the Subaltern Speak?', and a symposium titled 'Precarious Solidarities: Artists for Democracy (1974–77)', in collaboration with various institutions, including the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong.
Key facts
- Sharon Chin presented 'Creatures on the Move (In the Death of the Night)' (2022) at Afterall's 'Hiding in Plain Sight' programme.
- The work features photographs of shadow puppets lit by the flare of Hengyuan Refinery in Port Dickson, Malaysia.
- Chin's home is 200 meters from the refinery fence.
- The work exists as linocuts, placards, and wheatpaste posters.
- Estefanía Peñafiel Loaiza discussed Gayatri Spivak's 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' in a separate Afterall event.
- A symposium on 'Precarious Solidarities: Artists for Democracy (1974–77)' was held on 2 February 2023.
- The 'Cities on the Move' symposium took place on 21 July 2022, co-organized by City University of Hong Kong and Zurich University of the Arts.
- The 'Precarious Solidarities' symposium was supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
Entities
Artists
- Sharon Chin
- Estefanía Peñafiel Loaiza
- Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
- Elisa Adami
- Alex Schady
- William Davis
- Gridthiya Gaweewong
- Leung Chi Wo
- David Morris
- Wing Chan
- Camille Crichlow
- Arianna Mercado
Institutions
- Afterall
- Hengyuan Refinery
- CSM Art Programme
- Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College
- Asia Art Archive
- Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts, University of Gothenburg
- Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
- Shared Campus
- School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong
- Zurich University of the Arts
Locations
- Malaysia
- Port Dickson, Malaysia
- Hong Kong
- Gothenburg, Sweden
Sources
- Afterall —