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China Blue at Lance Fung - New York - Brief Article
Art in America, Dec, 2003 by Sarah Valdez
China Blue's less-is-more approach to installation art takes its inspiration from the Chinese philosophy and practice of feng shui, which contends that people can improve their state of mind and quality of life by dealing thoughtfully with the space that surrounds them. Working with sonic, digital, organic and sculptural elements, Blue responded to the gallery rather than filling it with objects intended to stand on their own. In the name of "art," the artist sought to "transcend the functional aspects of the practice" (i.e., of feng shui) and therein met with some trouble.
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Upon entering the gallery, viewers were greeted with a small Plexiglas box that emitted the sound of the artist reading Lewis Carroll's famed "Jabberwocky" poem in what seemed to be Pig Latin, recorded with a great deal of reverb. Layered on top of this was noise from several speakers strung up like holiday lights in a leafy, spindly tree near the opposite corner of the gallery. From afar, the tree noise sounded like a badly tuned radio. Up close, distinct voices were discernible, as a man and a woman exchanged such droll, frequently rhyming statements as "he whistled," "she bristled."
The tree cast its shadow against a wall on which the artist had hung a long piece of pink butcher paper, like a banner, giving off a rosy glow. Another wall hosted two projections of goldfish swimming. Elsewhere, a disco ball flashed light around the room, and a large mirror was postitioned to reflect "the spirit of a person," as wall text explained.
This text went on to state, "Everything is a cause, and is caused, absolute and relative at the same time, making up an endless series of conditioned origination." Profound and true as this may be, Blue's somewhat goofy spatial interventions failed to illustrate or illuminate the concept. However, she did succeed in encouraging viewers to investigate the energetic and diverse content of the gallery--which in this case was twittery, and a little bit literary.
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