Myth Makers—Spectrosynthesis III
Myth Makers—Spectrosynthesis III circles around the core notion of “queer mythologies” and delves into modern and contemporary mythologies along with practices of the body, by gathering a diverse range of artistic idioms related to LGBTQ+ perspectives from over 60 artists from Asia and its diasporas.
The exhibition draws inspiration from artists addressing “queer mythologies”, who highlight either same-sex love and desire or gender fluidity as found in ancient belief systems and traditions in Asia. At the same time, the exhibition also highlights the “new traditions” of our times, of spectacle and celebrity, playful and/or transgressive, along with non-normative bodily practices and histories in artworks by contemporary artists.
Myth Makers unfolds through three distinctive chapters and encompasses newly produced artworks, historical works from the 1950s–1990s, as well as artworks on loan from the collection of the Sunpride Foundation. In bringing together such a plethora of artistic perspectives and vocabularies, Myth Makers endeavours to present a multiplicity of conversations, representations, and anti-representations of stories, individuals and communities. While the bulk of the exhibition focuses on living artists, some visionary and transformative figures of the past will also be underscored, including artists who lived in times when present-day LGBTQ+ identifications were not possible.
Curated by Inti Guerrero and Chantal Wong, and co-presented with Sunpride Foundation, Myth Makers includes over 100 artworks in all Tai Kwun Contemporary galleries, with one third of the works loaned from Sunpride’s collection. As such, Myth Makers is one of the first major institutional exhibitions on LGBTQ+ perspectives in Hong Kong, and expands on the Spectrosynthesis series from Taipei, Bangkok, and now Hong Kong. The exhibition also includes a special publication collaboration with Queer Reads Library.