Amir H. Fallah;s “Joy As An Act Of Resistance” on RTHK’ s The Works
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Miniature art, Amir H. Fallah@Denny Dimin Gallery & in the studio: Anna Lo & VSing
Humans have been creating miniature representations of reality since prehistoric times. Many of the earliest were funerary objects, but throughout the history of art miniatures have come in the form of paintings, drawings, engravings, book illustrations and sculptures. Miniature paintings came to the fore in the Renaissance, and portrait miniatures were particularly popular in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Miniatures are a way of preserving memories, and here in Hong Kong, as elsewhere, some create them to capture things that may disappear, or that have already gone.
And still on miniatures, miniature paintings have been a significant form of Persian art since the 13th century. Iranian native, Amir H. Fallah moved to the United States when he was a boy. His paintings explore portraiture. He says he’s interested in “turning the history of portraiture on its head”, and he draws on Persian miniatures as well as Western painting and imagery to deconstruct portraits and examine such issues as migration, celebration, and trauma. On show at Denny Dimin Gallery is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. “Joy as an Act of Resistance”. It’s a new body of work about the psychological fatigue, the challenges, and feelings of bleakness, created by the Covid pandemic. For Fallah, creativity is a way of finding joy even in the face of pressure.
Since its inception more than 70 years ago, the International Society for the Performing Arts has organised semi-annual ISPA Congresses at which performing art leaders and other participants get together to discuss ideas and issues related to their work. Twice a year, they organises congresses to bring together creative minds, practitioners, and leaders of the performing arts from different countries. Each year, one takes place in New York, the other in a city elsewhere in the world. Hong Kong is hosting one of this year’s congresses from 24 to 27 May. For the first time, the four-day congress will be livestreamed this year. It will include events such as panel discussions, the pitching of new works, and performance showcases. Composer, songwriter, pianist, singer and conductor, Anna Lo is one of the featured artists. She’s with us now.
RTHK’ s The Works focuses on Hong Kong’s arts and cultural scene. Visit The Work’s website.