• Empty Gallery
    • News
        2021-01-13
        Ocula Insight: Taro Masushio’s Homage to the Uncle from Osaka at Empty Gallery

        Nick Yu writes in Ocula: At the entrance to Rumor Has It, Taro Masushio’s current exhibition at Hong Kong’s black-box Empty Gallery, a giant, meekly illuminated pumice stone is supported by a steel structure—a sparse signifier of a subterranean cave. The atmosphere is mysterious, mythological, almost transgressive; not so much a Dionysian cruising club or a lascivious sauna than a mise-en-scène constructed with restraint.

        Single rows of framed black-and-white silver gelatin photographs line black walls: still-life captures that include a camera stand, flowers, soap, and erotic hand-drawn sketches.

        Read more …
        2021-01-06
        BOMB: Hypnotic and Historical Power: Taibach Interviewed by Alex Lau

        Long in gestation, Taibach’s first recordings were recently released as an LP on Empty Editions, a record label that I run together with my colleagues from Empty Gallery in Hong Kong. Composed of two Asian Americans who wish to remain anonymous, Taibach’s deliberate engagement with the ideological minefield which is US-Taiwan-China relations feels necessary during a moment defined by rising ethno-nationalism and the flattening of complex political narratives. With a nom de guerre that references both the infamous Slovenian proto-industrial group Laibach and their mythologized homeland of Taiwan, Taibach restages the classic thematics and aesthetic strategies of industrial music for a contemporary moment in which shifting balances of power between East and West herald new hegemonies and exhume old grievances. I spoke with the members of Taibach over email, iMessage, and WhatsApp about music, politics, and Asian American identity.

        Read more …
        2020-12-31
        Artnet News on Taro Masushio's Rumor Has It

        Andrew Russeth on Taro Masushio’s newly opened Rumor Has It: One recent morning in Hong Kong, while in the last hours of his quarantine, the New York–based artist Taro Masushio recounted a visit he made to a vast, little-seen archive of homoerotic photographs by Jun’ichi En’ya, who had worked as a photo-technician in Osaka, Japan. “I had just never seen anything like it,” Masushio said on a video call, as he recalled flipping through hundreds and hundreds of En’ya’s analog prints. “It was this very surreal and visceral experience.”

        Read more …
        2020-12-10
        XPER.XR interviewed by JOSH FEOLA for TONE GLOW

        Xper.Xr is a legendary, if poorly documented figure in Hong Kong’s experimental music scene. He first became active in the late ’80s “after a steep learning curve and gobbling up every piece of musical rebellion [he] could get [his] hands onto,” and put out his debut cassette Murmur in 1989. For the majority of his recording career he lived abroad—mostly in the UK and France—but he returned to Hong Kong in 2013 to open the short-lived underground venue CIA, his “payback to the HK arts and music scene.” CIA put on gigs that would be hard to imagine happening elsewhere in the region, like an Aktion for Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch, and a rare Asia booking for Slovenian industrial band Laibach.

        Read more …
        2020-12-03
        SOPHIE X. GUO on JES FAN in COURTAULD GENDER AND SEXUALITY GROUP

        (Dis)Embodying the biomolecular sex: The lapse of identity in Jes Fan’s hormone works (2017-2018) by Sophie X. Guo now on the Courtauld Gender and Sexuality Group blog:

        To borrow the terms of the American feminist Donna J. Haraway, the twenty-first-century body is a technoliving system, the result of an irreversible implosion of modern binaries (female/male, animal/ human, nature/culture).

        — Paul. B. Preciado, 2013[1]

        The contemporary condition of the body as a ‘technoliving system’ is meticulously mapped onto Jes Fan’s precarious sculptures, through which the artist wishes to challenge binary conceptions of gender, race, and identity. In their 2018 sculptural series titled Systems, Fan isolates testosterone, estrogen and melanin from the human body and lets them float freely in their hand-blown glass globules. Rendered in biomorphic shapes recalling human organs and drops of body fluids, the limpid glass objects slothfully hang on a piping system which the artist called ‘lattice’, as if in the process of leaking, or seeping out (Fig. 1). Not dissimilar to lattice normally used as a support for climbing plants, the vine-like pipeline used in Fan’s works is, for them, a ‘living shelf’— or at least, a semi-living one, for the sex hormones and melanin contained in the glass vessels are perpetually in flux.

        Read more …
        2020-12-01
        Elaine Scarry and Jeannine Tang on Tishan Hsu’s 1980s

        Online event with SculptureCenter: Sat, Dec 12, 2020, 11am–12:30pm. Tishan Hsu’s work appears prescient and influential for younger artists working today, which we can now understand (at least partially) as a product of his idiosyncratic and forward-reaching relationship to the aesthetics, media, and theory of the 1980s.

        Referencing the work of scholar Elaine Scarry, Tishan Hsu has remarked that while the critical theory of the 1980s interrogated the subject and saw its autonomy emptied out, pain remained the nagging anchor that kept it from dissipating into thin air. In other words, it was pain that kept the genie in the bottle of embodiment. In Hsu’s work, the body in pain, administered through the institutions of modern life (the office, the hospital, the prison, the factory), manifests itself as fragmented, sundered, and wounded.

        Read more …
        2020-11-27
        HENRY SHUM in Hong Kong Spotlight: Six Artists to Watch

        Stephanie Bailey writes in Ocula, “Showing in partnership with Fine Art Asia at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre between 27 and 30 November 2020, Hong Kong Spotlight is Art Basel‘s first physical presentation in 2020. Ocula Magazine highlights six artists on view among the curated booths of 22 participating galleries. Empty Gallery‘s black box was the perfect setting to showcase the impressive hand of Hong Kong-born painter Henry Shum, who graduated with a BA in fine art from Chelsea College of Arts only in 2020.”

        Read more …
        2020-11-26
        HENRY SHUM | Vortices in ArtAsiaPacific

        OPHELIA LAI writes in ArtAsiaPacific, “The vortex-as-portal is a recurring motif that conjures the irresistible yet terrifying pull of the unknown. For poet and artist William Blake (1757–1827), it takes on a spiritual dimension as a symbol of transfigurative passage. These mysterious connotations suffuse painter Henry Shum’s “Vortices,” a fever dream of perilous journeys and mystical awakenings in Empty Gallery’s darkened sancta.”

        Read more …
        2020-11-21
        JAMES T. HONG in TAIPEI BIENNIAL 2020

        James T. Hong’s work The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend is in the 12th Taipei Biennial, on view at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum from now until March 12, 2021. Curated by Bruno Latour and Martin Guinard with Eva Lin, it is titled “You and I don’t live on the same planet” and explores how “people around the world no longer agree on what it means to live ‘on’ Earth.”

        Hong’s work is a series of concept art storyboards for a speculative science fiction film set in the near future. The film presents a military conflict in Taiwan which involves forces from China, the USA, Japan, Taiwan, and other nations.

        Read more …
        2020-11-13
        TISHAN HSU in Diaries: Era of Good Feelings at 47 Canal online

        Diaries: Era of Good Feelings is an online exhibition curated by Mark Pieterson with an essay by Rizvana Bradley, featuring Antoine Catala, Julien Creuzet, Tishan Hsu, Heesoo Kwon, Christopher Meerdo and Philipp Timischl. On view now until December 20, 2020, this special online presentation brings together various works by six artists that extend the affective possibilities for empathy, care, and connection through the haptic. Also featured is a newly commissioned essay “The Vicissitudes of Touch: Annotations on the Haptic” by Rizvana Bradley.

        Read more …
      • Archive
    • Artists
        •
        Xavier Cha
        •
        Amit Desai
        •
        Jes Fan
        •
        ektor garcia
        •
        Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork
        •
        Philippe Grandrieux
        •
        Rei Hayama
        •
        Catherine Christer Hennix
        •
        James T. Hong
        •
        Tishan Hsu
        •
        Hans-Henning Korb
        •
        Denise Kum
        •
        Takashi Makino
        •
        Taro Masushio
        •
        Toshio Matsumoto
        •
        Takeshi Murata
        •
        Diane Severin Nguyen
        •
        Ohtsubo Kosen
        •
        Sean Raspet
        •
        Henry Shum
        •
        SUSANNE M. WINTERLING
        •
        Elliott Jun Wright
        •
        Cici Wu
        •
        John Ziqiang Wu
        •
        C. Spencer Yeh
    • exhibitions
        current
        •
        2020-12-23 . . . 2021-02-20
        Rumor Has It
        Taro Masushio
        current
        past
        2020
        •
        2020-09-26 . . . 2020-11-21
        Vortices
        Henry Shum
        past
        •
        2020-06-20 . . . 2020-09-05
        Oax.D.F.L.A.N.O.H.K
        ektor garcia
        past
        •
        2019-12-14 . . . 2020-02-01
        The Thing
        James T. Hong
        past
        •
        2019-12-14 . . . 2020-02-01
        Reoccurring Afterlife
        Diane Severin Nguyen
        past
        2019
        •
        2019-09-28 . . . 2019-11-23
        The Bare Life
        Philippe Grandrieux
        past
        •
        2019-06-22 . . . 2019-09-07
        New Molecules & Stem Cell Retinoid Screen
        Sean Raspet
        past
        •
        2019-03-26 . . . 2019-06-06
        Unfinished Return
        Cici Wu
        past
        •
        2019-03-26 . . . 2019-06-06
        delete
        Tishan Hsu
        past
        •
        2018-12-15 . . . 2019-01-26
        The Pearl Of Tailorbird
        Rei Hayama
        past
        •
        2018-12-15 . . . 2019-01-26
        Memento Stella
        Takashi Makino
        past
        2018
        •
        2018-09-22 . . . 2018-11-24
        Gravitational Currents & The Life Magic
        Susanne Winterling
        past
        •
        2018-06-30 . . . 2018-09-08
        Thresholds of Perception
        Catherine Christer Hennix
        past
        •
        2018-03-27 . . . 2018-06-02
        Ruthless Logic
        Xavier Cha
        past
        •
        2018-03-27 . . . 2018-06-02
        Mother Is A Woman
        Jes Fan
        past
        •
        2017-12-09 . . . 2018-02-03
        Shocking Asia
        C. Spencer Yeh
        past
        2017
        •
        2017-09-09 . . . 2017-11-18
        Everything Visible Is Empty
        Toshio Matsumoto
        past
        •
        2017-06-17 . . . 2017-08-26
        Catchy
        Jacqueline Kiyomi Gordon
        past
        •
        2017-03-22 . . . 2017-05-27
        Infinite Doors
        Takeshi Murata
        past
        •
        2016-12-13 . . . 2017-02-17
        Kaya Cynara
        Hans-Henning Korb
        past
        •
        2016-12-13 . . . 2017-02-17
        CINÉMA CONCRET
        Takashi Makino
        past
        2016
        •
        2016-03-24 . . . 2016-05-20
        Ancestor Bone Hug
        Amit Desai
        past
        •
        2015-11-07 . . . 2016-02-06
        The Man Who Sleeps On His Breath
        Edward S. Curtis, Valerio Tricoli
        past
        2015
        •
        2015-09-11 . . . 2015-10-21
        Sonorous Objects
        Rolf Julius, Tomoko Sauvage, Rubén D’Hers and Marc Hurtado
        past
        •
        2015-03-05 . . . 2015-08-15
        Transcendance
        Amit Desai
        past
    • events
        past
        2020
        •
        2020-10-03
        Tours of Henry Shum 'Vortices'
        Henry Shum
        past
        •
        2020-09-05
        ektor garcia, Ruth Asawa and a brief history of crochet
        ektor garcia, Ruth Asawa
        past
        2019
        •
        2019-12-15
        Screening | John Carpenter's The Thing
        James T. Hong
        past
        •
        2019-11-30 . . . 2019-12-01
        The Body Electric
        Xper.Xr., Die Angel, Fiesta Brass
        past
        •
        2019-10-05
        Still House Plants
        past
        •
        2019-06-23
        Human Formats: Recent Developments in Stem Cell Science and the Plastic Arts
        Dr. Robert Johnston
        past
        •
        2019-03-20
        Opening Rave | delete & Unfinished Return
        O YAMA O, DJ PYTHON, CARLOS SOUFFRONT, BILL CONVERSE
        past
        •
        2019-01-26
        Screening | Experimental Films by Rei Hayama
        Rei Hayama
        past
        2018
        •
        2018-12-16
        Taku Sugimoto & Minami Saeki
        past
        •
        2018-10-27
        Taibach, Billy Bao & NYPD
        past
        •
        2018-08-31 . . . 2018-09-02
        Chora(s)san Time Court Mirage
        past
        •
        2018-06-30
        Opening Reception | Thresholds of Perception
        Amir ElSaffar
        past
        •
        2018-03-31
        Failed Celestial Creatures
        David Grubbs & Taku Unami
        past
        •
        2018-03-30
        Opening Rave | Ruthless Logic & Mother Is A Woman
        Ahmed, Cera Khin, Mumdance, Logos & Rob Hall
        past
        2017
        •
        2017-12-09
        Opening Reception | Shocking Asia
        Violet
        past
        •
        2017-11-18
        Screening + Closing Reception | Funeral Parade Of Roses
        past
        •
        2017-10-21
        Reizen / Morishige
        past
        •
        2017-09-09
        Opening Reception | EVERYTHING VISIBLE IS EMPTY
        Aki Onda
        past
        •
        2017-08-26
        Closing Reception | CATCHY
        Errorsmith
        past
        •
        2017-06-17
        Opening Reception | CATCHY
        Thomas Brinkmann × Seijiro Murayama
        past
        •
        2017-05-27
        Closing Reception | Infinite Doors
        C. SPENCER YEH
        past
        •
        2017-03-25
        Green Hour, Grey Future
        Reinier Van Houdt
        past
        •
        2017-03-23
        Une Nuit Sans Sommeil
        Lionel Estève, Jean-Michel Distexhe & Zoë-Louise Estève
        past
        •
        2017-03-22
        Opening Party | Infinite Doors
        Sissy Spacek, Gabber Eleganza, Lorenzo Senni & Rian Treanor
        past
        •
        2017-02-18
        Endless Cinema
        Takashi Makino
        past
        •
        2017-01-21
        Green Music
        Tomoko Sauvage & Francesco Cavaliere
        past
        2016
        •
        2016-12-17
        Eli Keszler, Rashad Becker & James Hoff
        past
        •
        2016-12-09
        EG Reopening Party
        Terre Thaemlitz, Mark Fell, Rian Treanor & Robert Lippok
        past
        •
        2016-05-21
        Magda Mayas × Tony Buck, dj sniff & Shane Aspegren
        past
        •
        2016-04-23
        Dialogues
        Ko Ishikawa / Joel Ryan & Jean-Luc Guionnet / Daichi Yoshikawa
        past
        •
        2016-01-09
        Keiji Haino × John Butcher
        past
        2015
        •
        2015-11-21
        Masayoshi Urabe
        past
        •
        2015-10-24
        Peter Brötzmann
        past
        •
        2015-09-25 . . . 2015-09-26
        Editions Mego 20th Anniversary
        Fennesz, Klara Lewis, Ilpo Vaisanen & KTL
        past
        •
        2015-08-15
        [email protected]
        III人
        past
        •
        2015-06-07
        [email protected]
        Mark Fell × NHK’KOYXEN
        past
        •
        2015-05-09
        [email protected]
        Suishou No Fune
        past
        •
        2015-03-14 . . . 2015-03-15
        [email protected]
        Ninos Du Brasil, Eli Kezler, Rashad Becker, NHK’KOYXEN, Lorenzo Senni, Gábor Lázár & Mark Fell
        past
    • fairs
        past
        2020
        •
        2020-11-26 . . . 2020-11-30
        Hong Kong Spotlight by Art Basel
        Cici Wu & Xiaofei Mo, Henry Shum
        past
        •
        2020-11-11 . . . 2020-11-15
        Art021 Shanghai
        Tishan Hsu, Diane Severin Nguyen, John Wu
        past
        •
        2020-08-20 . . . 2020-08-31
        June Art Fair
        John Ziqiang Wu
        past
        •
        2020-02-13 . . . 2020-02-16
        Felix Los Angeles
        James T. Hong
        past
        2019
        •
        2019-11-07 . . . 2019-11-10
        ART021 Shanghai
        Elliott Jun Wright
        past
        •
        2019-03-29 . . . 2019-03-31
        Art Basel Hong Kong
        Tishan Hsu
        past
        2018
        •
        2018-05-03 . . . 2018-05-06
        Frieze New York
        Jacqueline Kiyomi Gordon
        past
        •
        2018-03-07 . . . 2018-03-10
        The Armory Show
        Tishan Hsu and Takeshi Murata
        past
    • Editions
        •
        EE008 . . . . .Taibach
        Taibach
        2020
        •
        EE009 . . . . .Mein Corona
        Xper.Xr.
        2020
        •
        EE007 . . . . .Unbegrenzt
        Catherine Christer Hennix
        2020
        •
        EE006 . . . . .Selections from 100 Models of Hegikan Roku
        The Deontic Miracle
        2019
        •
        EE004 . . . . .Palina'tufa
        XT (Seymour Wright & Paul Abbott)
        2019
        •
        EE005 . . . . .Selected Early Keyboard Works
        Catherine Christer Hennix
        2018
        •
        EE003 . . . . .Failed Celestial Creatures
        David Grubbs & Taku Unami
        2018
        •
        EE002 . . . . .Intervivos
        Jean–Luc Guionnet & Daichi Yoshikawa
        2018
        •
        EE001 . . . . .Last Signs of Speed
        Eli Keszler
        2016
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Ocula: Taro Masushio’s Homage to the
Uncle from Osaka at Empty Gallery