Latest news with #participatoryArt
Malay Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Boarding pass required: ‘Children on Bicycle' artist back in Penang with art exhibition tackling copyright exploitation
GEORGE TOWN, July 4 — You will need a boarding pass to check in before entering Ernest Zacharevic's latest art installation opening tomorrow. A tongue-in-cheek participatory experience for visitors, the installation titled 'We need to talk' is designed to resemble an airport check-in counter. Posters on the wall, similar to advertising boards by airlines, displayed the phrase 'Justice in the Air' with details of artists' rights to their intellectual property (IP). The idea for the interactive art installation was sparked by Zacharevic's 'I think we need to talk' social media post directed at low-cost carrier, AirAsia, in November last year. He had posted a picture of an AirAsia plane that displayed his Children on Bicycle artwork on the forward part of the fuselage, which he alleged was used without his consent. Visitors become part of the art installation by queuing and checking in as if at an airport. — Picture by Opalyn Mok The staff manning the counters and the exhibition space were dressed in cabin crew uniforms with red scarves. There were also several aircraft marshals complete with illuminated wands. At the check in counter, visitors are reminded to place any dangerous items in a clear box next to the entrance and those with larger bags are asked if it exceeds the 7 kilogramme limit. Inside, a table featured merchandise from tote bags to stickers, art prints, and aircraft models, all featuring Zacharevic's art. There were also rows of inflight 'meals', labelled as being under the brand 'satan' as part of the installation's satirical theme. Each visitor to the exhibition receives an information card on IP rights. — Picture by Opalyn Mok The artist — who shot to fame after his series of murals in Penang became well-known in 2012 — said the exhibition is about creative ownership and persistent exploitation of artists' work in commercial contexts. 'I'm using this to speak up about it, to voice myself,' he said. He said he found that many other artists in Malaysia are facing similar IP infringement but they were unable to express themselves publicly due to the cases being in legal proceedings. The exhibition serves as a fundraiser while also educating the public about IP rights of artists. 'There will be a series of events, there will be a talk tomorrow with artists on ownership and creative rights,' he said. Rows of inflight 'meals', labelled as being under the brand 'satan' as part of the installation's satirical theme. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Zacharevic said his Children on Bicycle mural has appeared on everything from corporate advertising to commercial spaces without permission, proper credit, or fair compensation. The artist said he had contacted AirAsia on the use of his artwork without consent, but according to him, this did not lead to a resolution, and he is now considering legal action against the airline. Explaining the concept of the exhibition, Zacharevic said it is a way for visitors to be a participant instead of coming in to view art on the wall. 'We want everyone to have that little bit of inconvenience that artists go through and to have that, you know, a bit of delays and frustrations that we are experiencing, that is sort of similarly going through the airport sometimes,' he said. Dressed as a pilot himself, he said the installation is about irony and playfully comments on his experience with AirAsia. 'We will be organising a series of events and talks including an IP clinic by lawyers on August 9 and 10 for artists so they can register on our website for it,' he said. Exhibition merchandise included tote bags, stickers and prints. — Picture by Opalyn Mok The exhibition includes four original paintings by Zacharevic featuring paper planes: Plein Air, Sky Hi, Hi Sky and Paper Plane. The various merchandise packages priced from RM50 to RM5,000 form part of Zacharevic's fundraising efforts to support potential legal proceedings against AirAsia. The exhibition is open to the public for free from July 5 to August 31 at Cultprint, 36 Malay Street, George Town, Penang. More information about the exhibition is available at or via the hotline at 011-16089935.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong artist Doris Ng explores vulnerability and disability at M+
Doris Ng Toi-yee takes out a wooden tray and shows me its contents: wooden pegs, each scrawled with handwritten notes. Some of them are simply names, like 'Marilyn', followed by three hearts. Others contain more ambiguous text: 'Truth is', 'Play', 'Hope', 'Broken', 'Inner Child'. Each one is an audience response from A Collective Imprint: Adjust the Rainbow (2025), a participatory performance that Ng staged in March at Supper Club Hong Kong , in H Queen's. (I co-founded Supper Club but was not involved in this event.) We're at Ng's studio in HART Haus in Kennedy Town, where across the space, a mess of large-scale canvases, performance props, clothes and books evoke a sense of play. In her practice, Ng is interested in vulnerability, connection and 'icebreaker' moments, what she says are embodied in the pegs she extends towards me. Later this year, these interests will take her to London, where she will begin a PhD at Central Saint Martins, studying participatory art, trust building and crip theory, a growing movement that affirms the lived experiences of people with disabilities. But before that, she is staging a performance at M+ 's Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival next weekend. Signage of Reflex #1 (2020). Photo: Jocelyn Tam What's your first memory of making art? My earliest memory is of a colouring book that revealed colours with water. It dictated outcomes, leaving little room for creativity. I grew frustrated, brushing so much water that the paper tore. I was five, and my mother bought me many colouring books. This experience planted the seeds of my desire to embrace spontaneity, push boundaries and challenge controlled frameworks in both life and art. What's your daily studio routine? I wouldn't call it a routine. It's more of a pre-studio ritual that sets the tone for my day. I start by exercising vigorously, grab some orange juice and walk up the stairs. Inside, I burn incense and keep the windows open for fresh air and white noise, no matter what the weather's like.
