Past | Mark Chu
The Ecstasy of People Watching
23 - 28 February 2021
In this major show of over 60 paintings, Chu highlights the artist’s duty as an observer of human life. Ordinarily, people watching is a daily pleasure, done in solitude or an act of bonding. From speculation to empathy to naked voyeurism, many mental states are provoked by gazing upon others, some joyous and others barbed. Have we missed people watching lately? How do we gaze differently in this paradoxical time of social distancing and hyper-interconnectivity? Do we turn instead to media, objects, places, or the past? Have private spectacles become public? Chu applies a range of styles to the gamut of emotional experiences prompted by people watching.
As a part of QV’s Year of the Ox Lunar New Year experience, Chu has created his first sculptural work, a bronze cast of an ox tail coated in 24-carat gold, called a Giving Charm. This valuable work will be priced at zero dollars, however its acquirer will receive instructions from the artist to embrace a life of generosity as fully as possible. The acquirer is encouraged to define their own sense of generosity. When the acquirer no longer wishes to engage in the artwork, they may pass it onto a new acquirer, with the same instructions.
Join us to celebrate
Thursday 25 February, 6-8pm
RSVP here
Email info@no-vacancy.com.au to register interest for preview catalogue
In celebration of the Year of the Ox, the artist has also created a 50m2 mural on QV’s Jane Bell Lane. Find out more in his interview with Rain Fuller.