A meta-project counterposed to the general dross of art academia, “community”, criticism and the reified and commoditized big “avant-garde” art events of 2013 in Toronto (the indulgent twee tableaux of Marina Abramovic, and the hyped political posturing of Ai Weiwei); F*ART is an experiment and exploration of the possibilities of producing anti-art – art against establishment, and the institution of art itself. F*ART also functions as a retrospective of Stephen’s 2013 output where he completed and exhibited an average of 2 new works each month that span different forms, styles and concerns.

F*ART is a fist up, a finger, freedom from convention and strictures of funding, festivals, saleability, and space. In addition to their respective social commentary, the works in F*ART also critique the degraded and proforma nature of art, both in itself and in people’s lives. Bravura is a common thread that links the 2013 works; going beyond pretensions and pretty things to create socially engaged work. This meta-project investigates the problematic of centering; the loss of agency when moving from the fringe to the mainstream, the fetishizing of the other, the provinciality of community, and the complex inter-relationship with the mainly bourgeois audience.

A meta commentary on the institutionalization of art production and access, F*ART demonstrates (to dispirited artists and detractors) that one doesn’t need degrees, or grants, or community networks to create good/challenging work – one just needs to go and do it. It is also a metaphor for the status of activism – lots of people whining/waiting around, when they just have to go and do something.

DateTitleForm
01/2013INTER-MEZZOFilm, Triptych
02/2013PACEDFilm, Video
02/2013STILLE.DFilm, Video
02/2013THE SCHOOLING OF DESIREFilm, Performance
02/2013TRANS-PIRERecording
03/2013CLEANVideo, Performance
03/2013PASSAGIOVideo, Performance
03/2013LOON SONGSFilm, Performance, Music
03/2013INTERIOR SONGSInstallation, Performance, Video
04/2013BOUNDED NATUREInstallation, Photography
05/2013T(Ä/A)USCHENPhotography
05/2013MIKROÖKONOMIEPerformance
05/2013I’LL BREAKFAST IN THE REDLIGHTDISTRICT (I CAN DO WURST)Video
05/2013GEBROCHENGELFilm, Performance
05/2013NO ROADFilm, Performance
05/2013OVER TIME | TIME OVERFilm
06/2013I CAN’T SAY AIN’TInstallation, Video
06/2013FOSCA FUGUEPerformance
07/2013HI-DEF NOISEVideo
08/2013DEALTInstallation, Performance
09/2013OF(F) AN ACID LAKEVideo
09/2013TAKING STOCKFilm
10/2013SOMNOLENTVideo
11/2013SPO(N/O)GEVideo
11/2013SEX TOYPhotography
11/2013FERO-CITYInstallation, Photography
12/2013MY WOUNDED HEADFilm
12/2013I-CONPerformance, Recording
12/2013VERTIGO I, II, IIIInstallation, Video
1920 1080 dissonance productions

dissonance productions

Started by trans-discplinary art-ivist Stephen Chen to consolidate his recent work; as well as facilitate collaboration with others. Stephen’s oeuvre is often allegorical as well as simultaneously deconstruct and hybridize the very forms he works in. Disdaining academic and esoteric expressions, as well as institutional conventions and practices, Stephen explores complex ideas and issues immanent in his works through experiments in form and technique.

dissonance productions