WOAW Gallery has collaborated with Stems Gallery in Belgium on curating a group exhibition entitled the Backstage Party. The exhibition – which is displayed in the WOAW Gallery – responds to the fluctuating feelings of fear and hope, liberation and restriction that comes with experiencing a pandemic.
The global pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate how we exist, our relationships and patterns of consumption, which the exhibition aims to reflect through obscure, darker tones.
Each piece of work presents a different element of consumerism, from photographer Julien Boudet redefining luxury brands by using counterfeit products, blurring the line between real and fake, to Léo Luccioni applying advertising slogans to his work, playing with capitalist notions.
The exhibition also features work by Clément Poplineau who paints Renaissance-like portraits of French youths, American contemporary artist Allison Zuckerman allows her portraits to become societal critiques through combining aspects of historical paintings with fragments of modern internet culture and in Tyrrell Winston’s work, the artist explores the rise and fall of Mickey Mantle, the baseball prodigy who suffered from alcoholism.
Art galleries have become a victim of the pandemic, forcing them to shut their doors and postpone upcoming exhibitions.
As we start to emerge from lockdown, the two galleries tentatively celebrate the end of our uncertain times backstage, hoping to convey a feeling of hope and anticipation through the works displayed.
by Sophia Ford-Palmer
WOAW Gallery CENTRAL, HONG KONG
9 Queen’s Road Central, Central,
Hong Kong
Tue – Sat: 11am – 7pm
WAN CHAI, HONG KONG
5 Sun Street, Wan Chai,
Hong Kong
Sun – Sat: 11am – 6pm
