19 May - 23 May 2021
Art Basel Hong Kong 2021
Various Artists
Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
Video
About
SILVERLENS is pleased to be participating in Art Basel Hong Kong in three ways: on-site in Hong Kong, with a joint booth with Rossi & Rossi; the fair’s Online Viewing Room; and our own website, where all the pieces are available for viewing. The works represent diversity in practice and a playfulness with materials that the gallery has been championing since it was founded in 2004.
Mit Jai Inn (b. 1960) shows his signature double-sided Scrolls alongside his Sala Murals that were initially seen at the temple of the Jim Thompson Park in Thailand. Bernardo Pacquing (b. 1967) presents recent red abstract paintings: his Beta-Chain series, out of his Singapore studio. Patricia Perez Eustaquio (b. 1977) has made a new hybrid painting, Boom VII. A three-dimensional wall- bound piece, on shaped aluminum with tapestry – art as a burst of energy. Accompanying this is a tapestry, After Pila Pila, which is an abstracted rendition of Philippine national artist, Vicente Manansala’s iconic painting. Gary-Ross Pastrana (b. 1978) shows a grid of early collages from 1999 – 2003, Nos. 61 – 97 (Set II – Hunting Guides) – source codes for his conceptual practice of transforming existing functional objects into art. James Clar (b. 1979), a Filipino-American artist who divides his time between Brooklyn and Manila, makes his first appearance at Art Basel Hong Kong, with two sculptural installations using light: Rain Under Lamp Post and Ball and Chain. Pio Abad (b. 1983), London-based Filipino artist, presents a new suite of drawings from his Notes on Decomposition, an ongoing series of drawings that examines specific moments of political and economic upheavals through the role that domestic objects play in these narratives. The three red-ground cloisonné vases depicted in the triptych work Notes on Decomposition (Lot 157) are from Margaret Thatcher’s collection of personal effects, auctioned off by Christie’s in 2019. Pow Martinez (b. 1983) mines the internet for images that are both tongue-in-cheek and absurd. He shows recent paintings that point to our times. The largest piece, Affluenza speaks to prevalent obsession with selfies and exercise. Nicole Coson (b. 1992) works on a variety of media – analogue printmaking and etching press methods – to create her large-scale abstract paintings. Her primary emphasis is on the economies of visibility and invisibility, focusing on space in between what is seen and overlooked. She is a London-based Filipina artist who is making her debut at Art Basel Hong Kong.
Installation Views
Works
Nicole Coson
Untitled
2021
6635
2
oil on canvas
55.12h x 39.37w in ∙ 140h x 100w cm
1
0.00
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These works are from emerging artist Nicole Coson’s Exoskeleton series. Conceptualised amidst the height of the health crisis, when society’s public sphere transformed abruptly into a private one, these paintings illustrate the renewed way in which we view the outside world: through the glass of our windows. Focusing on a domestic object that is perceptible both inside and out – Venetian blinds – Coson subtly communicates society’s seismic shift in a manner that contrasts the volume of its context and import.
SPI_NC088
Nicole Coson
Untitled
2021
6637
2
oil on canvas
62.99h x 43.31w in ∙ 160h x 110w cm
1
0.00
USD
0
These works are from emerging artist Nicole Coson’s Exoskeleton series. Conceptualised amidst the height of the health crisis, when society’s public sphere transformed abruptly into a private one, these paintings illustrate the renewed way in which we view the outside world: through the glass of our windows. Focusing on a domestic object that is perceptible both inside and out – Venetian blinds – Coson subtly communicates society’s seismic shift in a manner that contrasts the volume of its context and import.
SPI_NC087
Nicole Coson
Untitled
2021
6636
2
oil on canvas
55.12h x 39.37w in ∙ 140h x 100w cm
1
0.00
USD
0
These works are from emerging artist Nicole Coson’s Exoskeleton series. Conceptualised amidst the height of the health crisis, when society’s public sphere transformed abruptly into a private one, these paintings illustrate the renewed way in which we view the outside world: through the glass of our windows. Focusing on a domestic object that is perceptible both inside and out – Venetian blinds – Coson subtly communicates society’s seismic shift in a manner that contrasts the volume of its context and import.
SPI_NC089
Mit Jai Inn
The Sala Murals 2/8
2019
6642
2
Oil on canvas (one-sided, unframed)
58.66h x 31.50w in ∙ 149h x 80w cm
0
0.00
USD
0
Mit Jai Inn’s seven years in a Buddhist monastery, where he endured strict regiment and education as a young boy, impacted the direction of his artistic practice. His enthusiasm for traditional Buddhism is reflected clearly in his series, ‘The Sala Murals’. This collection of works is the artist’s abstract interpretation of traditional wall paintings found in temples, illustrating the narratives of saints and deities. Rejecting figurative imagery, Mit Jai Inn’s renditions favour an amorphous surface, at once spiritual and meditative.
SPI_MJI254
Mit Jai Inn
The Sala Murals 3/8
2019
6643
2
Oil on canvas (one-sided, unframed)
58.66h x 31.50w in ∙ 149h x 80w cm
0
0.00
USD
0
Mit Jai Inn’s seven years in a Buddhist monastery, where he endured strict regiment and education as a young boy, impacted the direction of his artistic practice. His enthusiasm for traditional Buddhism is reflected clearly in his series, ‘The Sala Murals’. This collection of works is the artist’s abstract interpretation of traditional wall paintings found in temples, illustrating the narratives of saints and deities. Rejecting figurative imagery, Mit Jai Inn’s renditions favour an amorphous surface, at once spiritual and meditative.
SPI_MJI253
Mit Jai Inn
The Sala Murals 4/8
2019
6644
2
Oil on canvas (one-sided, unframed)
58.66h x 31.50w in ∙ 149h x 80w cm
0
0.00
USD
0
Mit Jai Inn’s seven years in a Buddhist monastery, where he endured strict regiment and education as a young boy, impacted the direction of his artistic practice. His enthusiasm for traditional Buddhism is reflected clearly in his series, ‘The Sala Murals’. This collection of works is the artist’s abstract interpretation of traditional wall paintings found in temples, illustrating the narratives of saints and deities. Rejecting figurative imagery, Mit Jai Inn’s renditions favour an amorphous surface, at once spiritual and meditative.
SPI_MJI250
Mit Jai Inn
Screen (Actants) 5
2020
6639
2
oil on canvas (two-sided, suspended)
98.43h x 59.06w in ∙ 250h x 150w cm
0
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Mit Jai Inn's practice has been long celebrated for challenging conventional boundaries of art through medium and display. Unframed and two-sided, this painting is immensely tactile, composed of long strips of linen, densely layered with bold colours, hot wax, and powder. In keeping with the artist’s alternative approach to art making and presenting, this piece is intended to be hung from the ceiling, disrupting the manner in which this medium is traditionally exhibited.
Mit Jai Inn
Scroll 3, Scroll 4, Scroll 5
2013
6655
2
oil on canvas (two-sided, rolled)
94.49h x 18.50w in ∙ 240h x 47w cm
0
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Mit Jai Inn's practice has been long celebrated for challenging conventional boundaries of art through medium and display. The artist exemplifies his off-centre approach to oil painting with his Scrolls series. These works boast the spirit of experiment as the painter rolls long strips of canvas and displays them on their edges like unravelling spirals. Through his unorthodox presentation, Mit Jai Inn rejects traditional modes of display and focuses instead on the materiality of his medium.
Scrolls are sold separately. The price displayed is the price for each scroll.
Mit Jai Inn
Scroll 16
2013
6641
2
oil on canvas (two-sided, rolled)
110.24h x 47.24w in ∙ 280h x 120w cm
1
0.00
USD
0
Mit Jai Inn's practice has been long celebrated for challenging conventional boundaries of art through medium and display. The artist exemplifies his off-centre approach to oil painting with his Scrolls series. These works boast the spirit of experiment as the painter rolls long strips of canvas and displays them on their edges like unravelling spirals. Through his unorthodox presentation, Mit Jai Inn rejects traditional modes of display and focuses instead on the materiality of his medium.
Pio Abad
Notes on Decomposition (Lot 157)
2021
6645
2
ink and gouache on paper
23.39h x 16.54w in ∙ 59.40h x 42w cm (each)
1
0.00
USD
0
Notes on Decomposition is an ongoing series of drawings that examines specific moments of political and economic upheaval through the role that domestic objects play in these narratives. Deployed strategically by those in power, they are often the only things left to remain after the inevitable, if impermanent, collapse – artefacts and auguries of cyclical histories.
Since 2014, Abad has been interested in the auction as a site for excavating these narratives and the auction catalogue as a document where the private histories of public personages are laid bare. The three red-ground cloisonne vases depicted in the triptych work Notes on Decomposition (Lot 157) are from Margaret Thatcher collection of personal effects, auctioned off by Christie’s in 2019. These artefacts were presented to the former British Prime Minister by Dr. Tze-chi Chao, President of the World League of Freedom & Democracy, Republic of China chapter.
Bernardo Pacquing
1 Beta Chain -B 01
2021
6646
2
oil on canvas
60h x 48w in ∙ 152.40h x 121.92w cm
0
0.00
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Started at the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic as small-scale collages of over-painted cardboard by contemporary artist, Bernardo Pacquing. With these recent works, Pacquing translates the series into full paintings. The abstractionist’s characteristic intuition and spontaneity are evident through the works’ textured, layered surfaces, and are dramatically complemented by deep shades of red.
SPI_BP247
Bernardo Pacquing
1 Beta Chain -B 02
2021
6647
2
oil on canvas
60h x 48w in ∙ 152.40h x 121.92w cm
1
0.00
USD
0
Started at the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic as small-scale collages of over-painted cardboard by contemporary artist, Bernardo Pacquing. With these recent works, Pacquing translates the series into full paintings. The abstractionist’s characteristic intuition and spontaneity are evident through the works’ textured, layered surfaces, and are dramatically complemented by deep shades of red.
SPI_BP248
Bernardo Pacquing
1 Beta Chain -B 03
2021
6648
2
oil on canvas
60h x 48w in ∙ 152.40h x 121.92w cm
1
0.00
USD
0
Started at the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic as small-scale collages of over-painted cardboard by contemporary artist, Bernardo Pacquing. With these recent works, Pacquing translates the series into full paintings. The abstractionist’s characteristic intuition and spontaneity are evident through the works’ textured, layered surfaces, and are dramatically complemented by deep shades of red.
SPI_BP249
Gary-Ross Pastrana
NOS. 61 – 97 (Set II-Hunting Guides)
1999-2003
6638
2
acrylic and collage on index cards
46.26h x 34.25w in ∙ 117.50h x 87w cm (framed)
0
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Gary-Ross Pastrana’s collage series is an ongoing project that has spanned over two decades. This particular collection is of paramount significance as it marks the very inception of the series. Culled from the first set Pastrana created as a young artist, these personal plates are remarkably rare. They mark the artist’s foray into graphics and reflect his tendency to work in sets, demonstrating the continuity common to his practice.
SPI_GRP314
James Clar
Ball & Chain
2010-2021
6650
2
Car headlights, chain, LED lighting
45.28h x 45.28w x 45.28d in ∙ 115h x 115w x 115d cm
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Ball & Chain consists of 24 car headlights configured into a sphere. LED lighting is integrated into the headlights and the power cable interwoven with a thick chain that connects it to the power outlet. This sculptural piece is a commentary on energy use: the amount that we can do is limited by the amount of energy we can spend. In effect, energy is our ball and chain.
Edition 3 of 3
James Clar
Rain Under Lamppost
2014
6649
2
Projector, Media Player
153.54h x 51.18w in ∙ 390h x 130w cm
0
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A projector is mounted so half of the video image grazes the wall before it hits the floor. The video is controlled through generative software and replicates the atmosphere of falling rain through the cone of light from a lamppost, here replaced by a projector. This work hints at volumetric space and the interstices between virtual worlds and reality, while creating a calm and reflective scene of watching rain pass through light.
Edition 3 of 3
Patricia Perez Eustaquio
Boom VII
2021
6652
2
acrylic on aluminum, tapestries
74h x 53.50w in ∙ 187.96h x 135.89w cm
1
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Through her paintings, drawings, sculptures, and tapestries, Patricia Perez Eustaquio explores the conflicts that emerge in the act of translation and object-making. Taking inspiration from cropped digital photos, her work Boom VII is an assemblage of tapestries, fabric, and paintings on shaped aluminum panels.
SPI_PE105
Patricia Perez Eustaquio
After Pila Pila
2020
6651
2
digitally woven tapestry in cotton and wool
92.13h x 54.33w in ∙ 234h x 138w cm
0
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Textiles have always been a central fascination for Eustaquio and as a result, the medium has inherently influenced her artistic practice and approach. The artist transposes paintings created by canonised Philippine artists into textiles through modern processes: photography and a digital loom. The meanings and dynamics of the original works become altered, and another dimension is added in the reconstruction process. Eustaquio calls these ‘translations’: discourse between time frames is generated, from the historical past to an unrealised future.
2 of 3
Pow Martinez
Affluenza
2021
6653
2
oil on canvas
58h x 64w in ∙ 147.32h x 162.56w cm
1
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In Affluenza, the subject stands alone in a humorously exaggerated position amidst objects signifying wealth: an ancient vase, a tasteful still-life painting, a decorative rug, and a framed portrait of a white dog. The title can be interpreted as a play of words—affluent, influenza, and influencer—a tongue-in-cheek commentary on social media and its effect on society.
Pow Martinez
the dead zone
2021
6654
2
acrylic on canvas
48h x 48w in ∙ 121.92h x 121.92w cm
1
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In The Dead Zone, a lone subject smoking a cigarette stands in the foreground; behind him a motel that stands against an acerbic pink sky. It is a scene that is both humorous and lonesome. The artist’s gift for telling stories is clearly evident in this piece: in Martinez’s own words, “when I work, I think of myself like a fiction writer or filmmaker. I think the purpose of painting is also to create realities.”
