Irrational Exuberance (Asst. Colors) at Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art

Preview at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art

view of the gallery from the street, with two transparent pink vinyl banners installed in the windows

Installation view: from left to right: Flag Snowflakes and Plates series, Hankies, 2009–10, Edition of two embellished handkerchieves: fluorescent handkerchiefs, place mats, thread, wood, 18 x 18 x 2 inches / 46 x 46 x 5 cm each; This Too Shall Pass, 2010, Edition of three papercut collages: paper, calendars, adhesive, customized rabets and frame, painted shelf, 48 x 10 x 12 inches / 1.2 m x 25 cm x 30 cm

Flag Snowflakes series, 2010, stick-on flags on neon paper, 8.5 x 11 inches / 21.5 x 30 cm; Plates #4, 6, 3, 2010, from an edition of six decorative plates: stickers, labels, plateholders, custom acrylic stands, painted shelf, 72 x 8 x 14 inches / 1.8 m x 20 cm x 36 cm

Vinyl Ficus #3, 1, 2, 2010, vinyl, mylar, thread, lacing, wire, ~18 x 12 x 12 inches / 45 x 30 x30 cm each

calendar collage with a golden retriever, a dolphin, a horse, a beach, a tropical fish

transparent pink vinyl with blue ribbons installed on the windows of the storefront gallery

In Irrational Exuberance (Asst. Colors), viewers encounter a colorful shop-like interior populated by reconfigured discount shop materials.

I developed many of the works in response to my 2009 Breathe residency at Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester, U.K., where I became enamored with the aesthetic, symbolic and conceptual potential of pound shops, the decorative impulse, and the search for happiness. This iteration inaugurated the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art’s storefront project space.

Caption: Christine Wong Yap, Irrational Exuberance (Asst. Colors), Centre for Contemporary Chinese Art, Manchester, UK, October 26, 2012–February 16, 2013.

Read The Guardian’s “Exhibitionist” preview, October 25, 2012.

Thanks to Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art staff and volunteers for their generousity, hospitality, and support. Special thanks to Curator Ying Kwok and art technicians Jon, Lee, and Gass.