Three Artists Explore Visual Language at BTAP

It"s overwhelmingly obvious to point out that how something appears depends on from where you are doing the looking. But this simple idea of shifting perspective is employed to great effect in two shows concurrently exhibiting in Projection of Site/Sight at Beijing Tokyo Art Projects.

Shinichi Kaneko"s archival pigment prints of various colored and textured shapes are experiments in form, with edges rising sharply into the air like the eaves of skyscrapers, or pushing out in bulbous projections from the sides of cylinders like pregnant bellies. Shinichi"s works are visually intriguing, and leave the viewer guessing as to what each picture resembles most: a cluster of glass shards? A soon-to-burst pipe? Each invites contemplation on the nature of lines and shading, and how these elements affect the way the human eye perceives shapes and colors.

Hidden away in the next room are the works of the Vietnamese-Australian and German architect/artist duo Trinh&Buscher. The pair spent a lot of time in major cities around the world, carefully mapping streets and structures that fell within a designated 3.3 km square. The results were then projected onto a piece of stainless steel, which was then cut into these shapes. From a distance they look like large, shining microchips hanging on the walls.

As the viewer moves closer, smaller details begin to surface. Each urban landscape has developed in a distinct way. The grid pattern of New York"s streets contrasts with the swirling suburban patterns of Amsterdam"s waterfront downtown district. Hong Kong has a notable number of "green" spaces in the form of solid silver patches that represent Victoria Peak, and Tokyo"s vast and confusing clutter is cut through with large smooth silver swathes of major parks. Viewers are privy to bird"s eye views of Paris, Copenhagen and Beijing, all etched onto stainless steel plates.

Each urban landscape is distinct. They challenge the viewer to contemplate the nature of urban development, and how social values influence, and are influenced by, its construction.

DETAILS:

What: Projection of Site/Sight

Where: Beijing Tokyo Art Projects

When: Through May 8

Web: www.tokyo-gallery.com