Biography
Janice Ka-Wa Cheung was born in Hong Kong and has begun her studies of media art at City University of Hong Kong since 2011. Janice has finished her MPhil research of the visual culture and the embodiment of eye in interactive installations to explore self-revealing interaction of the spectators. Her master studies have resulted in several conference presentations and conference publication. Janice now is a Ph.D. student in Humanities (Interdisciplinary Studies) at Concordia University. Under the supervision of Dr. David Jhave Johnston, Janice continues to pursue in research-creation with an interest in the notion of self in media art. Janice is eager to examine the embodies self-exploration and self-presentation behavior of artists, and question how artists and spectators use art to construct own self(identity).
Residency period
2 months: June, July 2019
Residency Projects
I Mahjong You (2019)
Installation, Colorless Mahjong on Acrylic, 44 cm x 42 cm
If the ways of linguistic communication of human are language and sign, and the ways of communication through music are note and frequency, then the ways of communication through an installation could be its presentation (visual or/and audio). The medium(s), the object(s) and the arrangement, form meanings and stories.
Choosing the Mahjong tiles as the object in this art piece based on only its rich cultural ties to Hong Kong, a familiar object that I believe every Hong Kong person knows, this work aims to remove any implication of anything personal, social nor cultural. Masking the Mahjong tiles by erasing all its color is asking how an object’s representation tells its stories and what the contribution of an artist does in an (art)work.
You ≠ I (2019)
This artwork questions self-image. A pool of water, a polished metal like copper or bronze, a piece of glass with mercury amalgam, or a camera with a screen are the ways we use to see ourselves through the ages. Yet, did we ever stop and think about this practice, the habit of seeing the self images?
Two mirrors are set in this installation. An aged mirror with taupe marks and scratches recalls a perpetual narcissism. Another “mirror” is outfitted with a hidden mini-computer, camera and screen, which creates an interactive experience to see one’s “authentic” image. However, the closer the viewer comes to this mirror, the more transparent their reflection becomes, reminding us that we cannot see our own face and questioning our visual perceptions.
The digital manifestation of self displayed in the mirror urges the viewer to rethink our primary desire to see a perfect self-image, to contemplate the prevalence of and behaviour around selfies – the “perfect” images: we retouch, we edit and we shuffle the images in social media platforms.
What do you wanna see?
Website: http://www.janice-cheung.com/