[Exhibitation review]The craft-art : form ‘SPARK : the Science and Art of Creativity’ to ‘Art Central’, Central Harbourfront, Hong Kong, 26-30 March 2019

Abstract

Technology has initiated a new era in art and craft. SPARK: The Science and Art of Creativity was organized for the first time by the British Council in January with the collaboration of over 200 artists, scientists and academics from Hong Kong and the United Kingdom celebrating creativity across the arts, sciences and education. SPARK has showcased new conversations between art and technology, transforming the definition of art and craft through the involvement of science and technology. The combination of light and crafts were continued two months after in Art Central 2019 which was returning to Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront for the fifth time. This review concentrates on some of the artworks in the Art Central exhibition, particularly those using light as a medium to express the artists’ emotions and points of view. The reflections of light created by the Korean artist Yong R. Kwon and the fascinating installation made up of 100 light bulbs by Satoru Tamura from Japan demonstrate how these artists express their language of art through craft. Yong R. Kwon combined hundreds of handcrafted stainless-steel discs and painted them to express his view of darkness. Satoru Tamura’s work featured the movement of a needle on a circular metal plate, which illuminated the light bulbs. The movement of the art piece was initiated by an internal motor, honouring the traditional craft of watchmaking. There is a common thread in the work of these two artists, who both avoid defining their artworks, allowing the viewer to respond to and define the artworks for themselves.