Down the Melting Pot in George Town Festival

Down the Melting Pot in George Town Festival

Drawing upon the associations between people, culture and place, and relating it to the concept of a hot pot cuisine, “Down the Melting Pot” will bring audiences into an intercultural journey through the perspectives of young contemporary artists, whom in particular, often welcome the possibilities of forging memories, empathy and meaning with the cultural constructs of a place as they spark the inspirations and impulses to create. With a varied selection of moving images from around the world, including experimental shorts, video art, animation and performance art, the exhibition will highlight the myriad of sensibilities, cogitation and imagination made possible with intercultural exchange between people and people, and between people and place. The diverse works will each express a unique commentary about an individual or a collective issue as inspired by the cultural experience in a specific setting – ranging from the spread of popular media, consumerism and technology; the impacts of gentrification; to the abstract ideas of the self and relationships. Audiences are also encouraged to reflect upon the peculiar symbiotic connections between people, culture and place, through the artists’ unique interpretations of their personal encounters with different geographical locations. The screening will be followed by a discussion participated by artists Shir Handelsman, Sujin Lim, Chulayarnnon Siriphol and Gianluca Abbate, as well as curators Jaxton Su and Nien-Ting Chen.

「Down the Melting pot馬來下這鍋」邀請11位來自9個國家的青年影像創作藝術家，藝術創作涵納藝術家之母文化與異地生活背景之觀察，作品本身即可視為文化交流參照之文本與對象。去年已於英國 2020利物浦白晝之夜、韓國首爾 LOOP 空間、台灣台南海馬迴光畫館、台灣高雄萬事屋等地點受邀展出。台灣策展人陳念庭在不同屬性的展覽空間展出前會針對當地主要觀賞群眾調整展出作品，試圖以展出規劃、作品呈現與觀眾對話，呈現世界青年藝術家獨特視野。並且舉行數場策展人座談會、藝術家連線討論會，重新探問彼此藝術文化的既定框架想像與標籤，發覺相異間的藝術文化所蘊含之多樣性，提供世界各地觀眾對彼此間有更多的理解與討論的可能性。