Pro Arts Gallery will open a unique exhibition featuring artist Michelle Kuen Suet Fung on June 1, on view until July 7. Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky will feature Chinese Pop propaganda banner paintings and posters, each promoting Polluta, a futuristic dystopian community in the imaginary country Contradictoria. In 2084, Contradictoria has solved its pollution problem with Plan Polluta. Under this plan, industrial waste is condensed into building bricks, which are used to build archaeologies called Polluta – a floating green vibrant live-work colonies for artists.
Michelle Kuen Set Fung currently lives and works in Hong Kong. Owing to her multi-faceted background and international outlook, Fung draws inspirations from a wide range of sources and popular sub-cultures including fairy tales, children’s picture books, the Japanese Otaku, fifteenth-century European etching, as well as traditional Chinese painting. Fung explores the relationship between animals and humans from various intellectual and philosophical angles whether emotional, sustenance, or environmental.
“With Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, Fung’s tries to makes sense of modern Chinese history while at the same time proposing a future as a Hong Kong-er,” says Natalia Mount, Executive Director of Pro Arts and Curator of Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky. “This attempt is similar to the way that many Californians feel today, when making sense of recent American political events.”From 7-8PM on June 1st, 2018 and as part of the exhibition opening reception, Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will interview selected visitors for admission to Polluta. Interview questions will range from the practical to the ridiculous. Based on the interviewees’ answers, the artist will determine (arbitrarily) whether they are accepted into Polluta. The lucky ones will receive a temporary resident card on the spot, then proceed to the photo booth area for an official headshot. An official package from the Ministry of Polluta will follow via mail.
The opening reception performance’s absurdity highlights the duality of the Polluta project. Is it dystopia or ecotopia?
“There is no doubt that our ecological and socio-political landscapes are rapidly shifting in the advent of Anthropocene,” says artist Michelle Kuen Suet Fung. “Today, it is more important than ever, for a conscientious citizen to be careful with reading between the lines and with choosing one’s communities.”
Fung’s works have been exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea and China. Her work Plastic, plastic, everywhere! received the Grotto Award, Hong Kong Baptist University (2015) and Award of Excellence, Fourth Greater China Illustration Awards (2016) and was recently shortlisted in the Hong Kong Young Writer’s Competition (2016-7) hosted by Joint Publishing and Sun Hung Kai Properties. Fung’s exhibition I Don’t Know if You Know How Much I Love You (2012) was the inaugural solo show at Hi Art, a gallery owned by Beijing art tycoon Wu Jing.
Fung has participated in prestigious artist residencies including Banff Centre, Canada, Island Institute, Alaska and Art Omi, NY. Her work has been featured ins RTHK, Sing Tao Daily and Hong Kong Economics Times, and are in international private collections and as well as the Canada Council Art Bank.
A catalogue titled Michelle Kuen Suet Fung: Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky will accompany the exhibition. The publication includes full-color illustrations and essays. It will be available at Pro Arts Gallery and online in the beginning of August 2018.
On June 9, 5-8PM Pro Arts will host a special Artist Reception for Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, during which Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will have the opportunity to address the use of reference to dystopian literature and films in her work, among other topics of interest. The event will conclude with an hour-long workshop led by Michelle Kuen Suet Fung, inviting guests to draw their own visions for the future.
This exhibition is organized by Pro Arts Gallery and is supported with generous funding by The Zellerbach Family Foundation, The Fleishhacker Foundation and Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
show less
Michelle Kuen Set Fung currently lives and works in Hong Kong. Owing to her multi-faceted background and international outlook, Fung draws inspirations from a wide range of sources and popular sub-cultures including fairy tales, children’s picture books, the Japanese Otaku, fifteenth-century European etching, as well as traditional Chinese painting. Fung explores the relationship between animals and humans from various intellectual and philosophical angles whether emotional, sustenance, or environmental.
“With Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, Fung’s tries to makes sense of modern Chinese history while at the same time proposing a future as a Hong Kong-er,” says Natalia Mount, Executive Director of Pro Arts and Curator of Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky. “This attempt is similar to the way that many Californians feel today, when making sense of recent American political events.”From 7-8PM on June 1st, 2018 and as part of the exhibition opening reception, Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will interview selected visitors for admission to Polluta. Interview questions will range from the practical to the ridiculous. Based on the interviewees’ answers, the artist will determine (arbitrarily) whether they are accepted into Polluta. The lucky ones will receive a temporary resident card on the spot, then proceed to the photo booth area for an official headshot. An official package from the Ministry of Polluta will follow via mail.
The opening reception performance’s absurdity highlights the duality of the Polluta project. Is it dystopia or ecotopia?
“There is no doubt that our ecological and socio-political landscapes are rapidly shifting in the advent of Anthropocene,” says artist Michelle Kuen Suet Fung. “Today, it is more important than ever, for a conscientious citizen to be careful with reading between the lines and with choosing one’s communities.”
Fung’s works have been exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea and China. Her work Plastic, plastic, everywhere! received the Grotto Award, Hong Kong Baptist University (2015) and Award of Excellence, Fourth Greater China Illustration Awards (2016) and was recently shortlisted in the Hong Kong Young Writer’s Competition (2016-7) hosted by Joint Publishing and Sun Hung Kai Properties. Fung’s exhibition I Don’t Know if You Know How Much I Love You (2012) was the inaugural solo show at Hi Art, a gallery owned by Beijing art tycoon Wu Jing.
Fung has participated in prestigious artist residencies including Banff Centre, Canada, Island Institute, Alaska and Art Omi, NY. Her work has been featured ins RTHK, Sing Tao Daily and Hong Kong Economics Times, and are in international private collections and as well as the Canada Council Art Bank.
A catalogue titled Michelle Kuen Suet Fung: Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky will accompany the exhibition. The publication includes full-color illustrations and essays. It will be available at Pro Arts Gallery and online in the beginning of August 2018.
On June 9, 5-8PM Pro Arts will host a special Artist Reception for Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, during which Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will have the opportunity to address the use of reference to dystopian literature and films in her work, among other topics of interest. The event will conclude with an hour-long workshop led by Michelle Kuen Suet Fung, inviting guests to draw their own visions for the future.
This exhibition is organized by Pro Arts Gallery and is supported with generous funding by The Zellerbach Family Foundation, The Fleishhacker Foundation and Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Pro Arts Gallery will open a unique exhibition featuring artist Michelle Kuen Suet Fung on June 1, on view until July 7. Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky will feature Chinese Pop propaganda banner paintings and posters, each promoting Polluta, a futuristic dystopian community in the imaginary country Contradictoria. In 2084, Contradictoria has solved its pollution problem with Plan Polluta. Under this plan, industrial waste is condensed into building bricks, which are used to build archaeologies called Polluta – a floating green vibrant live-work colonies for artists.
Michelle Kuen Set Fung currently lives and works in Hong Kong. Owing to her multi-faceted background and international outlook, Fung draws inspirations from a wide range of sources and popular sub-cultures including fairy tales, children’s picture books, the Japanese Otaku, fifteenth-century European etching, as well as traditional Chinese painting. Fung explores the relationship between animals and humans from various intellectual and philosophical angles whether emotional, sustenance, or environmental.
“With Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, Fung’s tries to makes sense of modern Chinese history while at the same time proposing a future as a Hong Kong-er,” says Natalia Mount, Executive Director of Pro Arts and Curator of Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky. “This attempt is similar to the way that many Californians feel today, when making sense of recent American political events.”From 7-8PM on June 1st, 2018 and as part of the exhibition opening reception, Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will interview selected visitors for admission to Polluta. Interview questions will range from the practical to the ridiculous. Based on the interviewees’ answers, the artist will determine (arbitrarily) whether they are accepted into Polluta. The lucky ones will receive a temporary resident card on the spot, then proceed to the photo booth area for an official headshot. An official package from the Ministry of Polluta will follow via mail.
The opening reception performance’s absurdity highlights the duality of the Polluta project. Is it dystopia or ecotopia?
“There is no doubt that our ecological and socio-political landscapes are rapidly shifting in the advent of Anthropocene,” says artist Michelle Kuen Suet Fung. “Today, it is more important than ever, for a conscientious citizen to be careful with reading between the lines and with choosing one’s communities.”
Fung’s works have been exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea and China. Her work Plastic, plastic, everywhere! received the Grotto Award, Hong Kong Baptist University (2015) and Award of Excellence, Fourth Greater China Illustration Awards (2016) and was recently shortlisted in the Hong Kong Young Writer’s Competition (2016-7) hosted by Joint Publishing and Sun Hung Kai Properties. Fung’s exhibition I Don’t Know if You Know How Much I Love You (2012) was the inaugural solo show at Hi Art, a gallery owned by Beijing art tycoon Wu Jing.
Fung has participated in prestigious artist residencies including Banff Centre, Canada, Island Institute, Alaska and Art Omi, NY. Her work has been featured ins RTHK, Sing Tao Daily and Hong Kong Economics Times, and are in international private collections and as well as the Canada Council Art Bank.
A catalogue titled Michelle Kuen Suet Fung: Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky will accompany the exhibition. The publication includes full-color illustrations and essays. It will be available at Pro Arts Gallery and online in the beginning of August 2018.
On June 9, 5-8PM Pro Arts will host a special Artist Reception for Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, during which Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will have the opportunity to address the use of reference to dystopian literature and films in her work, among other topics of interest. The event will conclude with an hour-long workshop led by Michelle Kuen Suet Fung, inviting guests to draw their own visions for the future.
This exhibition is organized by Pro Arts Gallery and is supported with generous funding by The Zellerbach Family Foundation, The Fleishhacker Foundation and Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
read more
Michelle Kuen Set Fung currently lives and works in Hong Kong. Owing to her multi-faceted background and international outlook, Fung draws inspirations from a wide range of sources and popular sub-cultures including fairy tales, children’s picture books, the Japanese Otaku, fifteenth-century European etching, as well as traditional Chinese painting. Fung explores the relationship between animals and humans from various intellectual and philosophical angles whether emotional, sustenance, or environmental.
“With Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, Fung’s tries to makes sense of modern Chinese history while at the same time proposing a future as a Hong Kong-er,” says Natalia Mount, Executive Director of Pro Arts and Curator of Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky. “This attempt is similar to the way that many Californians feel today, when making sense of recent American political events.”From 7-8PM on June 1st, 2018 and as part of the exhibition opening reception, Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will interview selected visitors for admission to Polluta. Interview questions will range from the practical to the ridiculous. Based on the interviewees’ answers, the artist will determine (arbitrarily) whether they are accepted into Polluta. The lucky ones will receive a temporary resident card on the spot, then proceed to the photo booth area for an official headshot. An official package from the Ministry of Polluta will follow via mail.
The opening reception performance’s absurdity highlights the duality of the Polluta project. Is it dystopia or ecotopia?
“There is no doubt that our ecological and socio-political landscapes are rapidly shifting in the advent of Anthropocene,” says artist Michelle Kuen Suet Fung. “Today, it is more important than ever, for a conscientious citizen to be careful with reading between the lines and with choosing one’s communities.”
Fung’s works have been exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea and China. Her work Plastic, plastic, everywhere! received the Grotto Award, Hong Kong Baptist University (2015) and Award of Excellence, Fourth Greater China Illustration Awards (2016) and was recently shortlisted in the Hong Kong Young Writer’s Competition (2016-7) hosted by Joint Publishing and Sun Hung Kai Properties. Fung’s exhibition I Don’t Know if You Know How Much I Love You (2012) was the inaugural solo show at Hi Art, a gallery owned by Beijing art tycoon Wu Jing.
Fung has participated in prestigious artist residencies including Banff Centre, Canada, Island Institute, Alaska and Art Omi, NY. Her work has been featured ins RTHK, Sing Tao Daily and Hong Kong Economics Times, and are in international private collections and as well as the Canada Council Art Bank.
A catalogue titled Michelle Kuen Suet Fung: Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky will accompany the exhibition. The publication includes full-color illustrations and essays. It will be available at Pro Arts Gallery and online in the beginning of August 2018.
On June 9, 5-8PM Pro Arts will host a special Artist Reception for Polluta, Floating Artist Colony in the Sky, during which Michelle Kuen Suet Fung will have the opportunity to address the use of reference to dystopian literature and films in her work, among other topics of interest. The event will conclude with an hour-long workshop led by Michelle Kuen Suet Fung, inviting guests to draw their own visions for the future.
This exhibition is organized by Pro Arts Gallery and is supported with generous funding by The Zellerbach Family Foundation, The Fleishhacker Foundation and Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
show less
Date/Times:
150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.