WOAW Gallery‘s latest group exhibition is centered around the centuries-old notion that art is an illusion. Curated by Saša Bogojev, Objecting Reality brings together 10 international artists who ruminate on the ability to freeze-frame the world into a static plane, capturing subtle notions of the world that would otherwise by missed in real time.
The exhibition explores an array of art historical motifs, from Egyptian tombs and Roman frescos to religious objects of the Middle Ages and the birth of still life in the Dutch Golden Age of the 16th and 17th centuries. “In an age increasingly defined by artificial, fabricated, inorganic, or virtual existence, there is an increased interest in capturing the stillness and lifelessness of our surroundings,” wrote Bogojev. “Rather than portraying the essence of the subject, a convincing visual representation of the world is crafted by capturing the flare of life that surrounds it.”
Standout works within the show include Untitled (2024) by South Korean artist Heesoo Kim, depicting a Roman bust, balancing a slender rock atop its head and surrounded by several objects rendered in three-dimensions to impart the notion that the subjects are floating from the canvas. Similarly, Swedish comic book artist Niklas Asker tinkers with the limits of the painting’s surface by featuring an oval-shaped object about to touch a diamond below. Asker paints the scene in a way where the implied dynamism of the (expected) interaction between the two objects exists only in the viewer’s imagination, rather than the static work itself.
“This alchemical transformation converts the organic medium applied to a flat surface into an illusion of a lifeless object within a three-dimensional scene,” Bogojev added. “In a way, painting challenges sculpture and feeds our curiosity to explore the boundaries of reality and illusion.” Objecting Reality will be on view until April 26.
WOAW Gallery
3 & 5 Sun Street Wan Chai,
Hong Kong
Exhibiting Artists:
Niklas Asker
Jennifer Carvalho
Ginny Casey
Suzuki Hidetaka
Quinten Ingelaere
Heesoo Kim
Damien Meade
Filip Mirazović
Ken Nurenberg
Wedhar Riyadi