September 17, 2011
The landscape genre in art, however neutral or unbiased it may seem at first glance, has always conveyed a point of view. Throughout the history of art, landscape painters in particular have extolled the beauty and monumentality demonstrated vividly by and in nature. Some artists have sought to convey a sense of quiet spiritualism in their work uniting man with his environment. Others have depicted a shifting landscape inspired by their observations of the effects of time and light. The representation of abundance or scarcity in our environment—an image of a blank hillside, the bluest of oceans or a galaxy in outer space—is always told from someone’s perspective. Pearl C. Hsiung’s landscapes have their own point of view.
Writer Catherine Taft, in her essay accompanying this show, describes how a narrative impulse informs the artist's creative process, "In the mind of Pearl C. Hsiung, an earthquake, geyser or volcano is a perfect metaphorical space for creation: like geothermal pressures building-up deep inside the earth’s crust, an idea rumbles around in the brain until it can’t be contained any longer and shoots outward like an unstoppable fountain of water, a flow of molten lava, or powerful vibrations. As she has demonstrated through her painting, sculpture, video, and music, Hsiung’s ideas result in wild dislocations from which new possibilities arise."
Is it absurd to see a glossy tongue sticking out of a rock or gigantic, long spindly fingernails dripping over a crest? Absolutely. When we engage with Hsiung’s range of artwork, we encounter incongruent elements and situations we don’t expect to see, and haven’t actually ever seen; rather than question these juxtapositions and fantastical relationships, however, we knowingly appreciate them. Hsiung’s imagination seems boundless. She can put a few disparate elements together and an ordinary scene morphs and pops out explosively with street-wise, psychedelic, sumptuous prettiness. Of course, her impeccable technique and sophisticated use of color make the work all the more satisfying.
Hsiung's work invites speculation as to what the artist's own take on the world around her may be— her visual references range from the political and psychological to the comical and sexual. She clearly enjoys poking fun at our predisposition to see the world and all its intricacies through our own human eyes. For Hsiung, the concept of landscape is inextricably linked with how we conceive of ourselves. In all the various media that make up her practice, Hsiung offers us a sly combination of landscape, desire and projection. Her visions are made explicit, but it is up to us to give them their meaning(s).
Installation Shots
Opening Reception
