East West Connection
Nick Walker. Image Courtesy of Arrested Motion

Above Second Gallery is pleased to present East West Connect, a group exhibition curated by Arrested Motion (www.arrestedmotion.com) featuring the work of Luke Chueh, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Evah Fan, Stella Im Hultberg, Tat Ito, Akino Kondoh, Travis Louie, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Brendon Monroe, Edwin Ushiro, Nick Walker, and Yoskay Yamamoto. The exhibition will run from November 25^th until January 12^th with an opening scheduled for Friday November 25h (6-10 pm).

The showing, East West Connect, brings together thirteen participants chosen carefully from a diverse selection of artists covered by the online art magazine for their inaugural curatorial feature at the Hong Kong showspace. Each artist, despite differing ethnicities and nationalities, can either claim an Asian heritage and/or have utilized imagery inspired by the Far East in the past. Most of those included, although they have a common interest in the region, have not had major shows in Asia. By bringing their collective work back to its geographic “source,” so to speak, the exhibition hopes to deal with themes of identity for those who have dual cultural allegiances, explore the melding and fusion of artistic influences, and foster the discussion of the work when brought into local context when comparing audiences in the East and West. The vibrant city-state of Hong Kong, long considered to be the gateway between East and West, and now the epicenter of a booming art market in the region, seemed to be an appropriate location for this exhibition.

About Arrested Motion (http://www.arrestedmotion.com):

Arrested Motion is an art culture hub started up in 2008 by a group of collectors who saw the opportunity to share their love for artists they knew through extensive online and onsite coverage.  Along with the associated Artchival Forum (http://artchival.proboards.com/), the website has grown from its humble beginnings to over half a million hits a month while reporting on the contemporary, street/urban, and so called low brow art scene in all the major art centers of the world. Their goal is to provide unique and exclusive content while demonstrating that art is for people of all ages and socioeconomic groups.

About The Gallery (http://blog.above-second.com/)

Above Second is an artist-run gallery and studio space existing as a catalyst for the expanding new contemporary art movement exploding forth from the streets / art schools / design studios from around the world. Located near the Central District of Hong Kong Island, the gallery has cultured a network of local emerging young talent and international artists whose work is rarely exhibited in Asia.

Their Art Residency programs are designed to provide a space for the visiting artists, without any limitations, as a setting to be progressive and innovate. They are proud to have collaborated with artists from Denmark, Italy, Australia, USA, UK, Mexico, China, and locally. One of the most successful examples of this is their POW WOW (http://welovecampfires.com/powwow/) event series. The first POW WOW was held in Hong Kong (http://welovecampfires.com/powwow/2010/12/pow-wow-hong-kong-press/) and then most recently in Hawaii in February of this year  (http://welovecampfires.com/powwow/2011/04/pow-wow-hawaii-press/).

To RSVP or to be placed on the preview list, please email info@above-second.com. Further questions can also be directed to Hung-Hei Yung (hunghei@arrestedmotion.com) and Tanley Wong (tanley@arrestedmotion.com). Address: Above Second Gallery, 31 Eastern Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong.

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