Many artists’ studios contain intriguing objects that were interrupted and hover somewhere between a sketch or maquette and a finished artwork.
beyond completion seeks to present a selection of such objects gathered from the studios of AVA faculty, current and past students and selected Hong Kong artists. Some are artworks that intentionally embody the non finito, whether deliberately utilising a provisional or naive aesthetic or purposely left open ended.
Some works are a natural residue of a system of production or are the result of a studio accident or material testing, while others are artefacts of a thought process that did not make it to a finished artwork. Others represent a decision to go one way instead of another – not an abandonment, but the trace of a course correction. The finite is resisted in other works which the artist cannot bear to finish and part with.
Removed from the studio context, it is hoped that the gathered objects can not only shed light on the artists’ studio process, but also facilitate a conversation by conflating the ‘finished’ and ‘unfinished’.
This exhibition was organised through the class VART3367 Exhibition and Art Markets of the school year 2016/17. The organisers would like to thank the generous support and engagement of all artists that were involved in the various stages.