Working in Johanesburg for 'Hong Kong, etc.'

              Working in johannesburg
for "Hong Kong, etc."
• • •
HOU HANRU
l l i e niaking of ihe Johaiiiiesburg Biennale of Contemporary Art
is bv destiny an extremelv particular experieiice, or a veritable
challenge. In a context like Johannesburg. where tlie hope for a
New South África confronts the evervday difficulties of a societv
in liistoric tran.sition - economical and social crisis, poverty,
violence, radical inequalitv between soi-ial classes, urban
explosión, qnests for national identity, etc., Okwui pjnwezor's
cholee to focus the Biennale on the issue of Clobalisation and its
historical root in tliis part of the African continent is obviously
relevanl and inspiring. Entitling the biennale "Trade Routes,
Histon' and Oograpliv , it points out an effective wav to
understand the recent, highlv inediated changes in the country
and tlieir colonial-postcolonial historical background. More
iniportantlv, it leads us to grasp the current, ihealrical sliifts
caused by the Clobalisation at the end of the ceiilurv and the
forination of a new cultural cartographv which results from a
general resistance to and deconstruction of Eurocentric
Universalisin which has been the doniinant ideologv in the
modernist culture. How to renegotiate willi such a iiistorical
context and invent new solutions to deal with a postcolonial,
postmodern (in the largest sense of the term) and globalising
reality henee beeome an inescapable and iirgent challenge to all
of US. It appears to be even more crucial in a context like South
África since. like other non-Westeni eountries, it is raising up as
new power to coiuiterbalance the Western superpower. In fact,
the issues evoked here have already beeome a central concern
shared hy numerous contemporary artists aeross the world. It is
based on such a reality that the Second Johaiuiesburg Biennale
has succeeded in presenting a completely refreshing and
innovatiye landscape of ereation. with hiuidreds of new ñames
and faces with considerably high quality and a tinpreeedented
variety of languages and expressions.
The Global City, or more exactly the network of Global
Cities aeross the planet, which is becoming new centres of
economical, politieal and cultural activities in onr world, is no
donht the itiost decisive element in the reforniation of the world
order. Oitical observations of and interventions in such a
network can of course reveal the most fiuidamental process of
restructurii"ig and nmtation of our world. .lohainieshurg and
(^ape Town. where the Biennale lakes place, are certainly
~ / \ / \
•-m¿4 11
I
c
A
147
Anii I laraliIsMiii (li-clariil/daiiaila). Tijlaiiy liidrrf and Tlic Harn'y Renidencc, 1')93. Cnloiir prinl. 102 x 122 riri.
2IHI .lüliaiiiR'sliiirjr Bii'iiiialc. Hong Kong, ele. Photo: Wayiie Oostliuizcn.
aiiKiiii; llic iiio.sl active aiid (Kiiaiiiic iii llic iii-lwork lodav. It is
lliciTÍorc evidpiit lliat íliscii.sísioiis oii llic ¡ssue of tlie Global (^itv
via aii cxliihiiioii projccl lakiiif; place liei-e heconie luit ciiilv
siiíiiiricaiit hiil also necessary.
Re-iieíiotialion (if relatioiisliips hctween oíd "(ilohal Cites"
like New York. Paris. Loiidori. Tokyo aiid new "(dohal (alies''
like Houji Koiiií. .joliaiiiieshiirü:. Hcijiíiíi. Sliaiigliai. Sao Paolo
aiid so Olí. i-eflcci clearlv to these iiiiilatioiis. Fliese new global
cilies represent tlie evection of new ecoiioiiiic. <-ulluial and even
polilical powcis wliicli ari' bringiiii; alioiil a new woiid order
and new visions ofoiir plaiiel iii llie coniing cenliiiy wliilsl tlie
older (Ules ha\c lo re-adjiíst llieir owii posilions to ada|)( to tbe
clianges of power rapports. Apail Iroiii classical eharacteristics
of ulobal cilies, snelí as beiii"; llie iiiosl active eleinenls iii ihe
Wdild inaikel and ciiininunicalion. iiiainlainiíig xarious,
innlliculliiial and liMlinolouicalK ad\aiiced nrban culliire.
"inlernationalized ' iiiO(i(>s of lile, wiile and reliable inter-coniieclix
¡ l \ . ele. diese new. .\on-\\ eslern global cilies also liold
tlieir o\\ 11 specific cliaracterislics: llieir owii cullnral Iradilions,
liislorical backgroimds. wliicli are inostlv conneeted w iili llie
Colonial pasl and neo-colonial presenl. and lieiice new claiins
lor de\-elo|)inenls. Bul. llie iiiosl iinporlanl is tliat, willi tlieir
specific legacies, tliev lieconie new and original spaces iii %\ liicli
new visions and nndersUnidings of iVlodernitv. and new
possibilities of "L topian/dvslopian iinaginalion, can be
elaboraled and iiui-nted, Tbe leiisioii belween tbe Global and
ibe Local, belween Modernitv and Tradition. belween llislory
and i'iiuire, etc. is now generaling new forces of innovation. It
is ])erliaps tbe most decisive aspect of tbe global ninlalion lliat
we are e.xperiencing al llie lurn of liie niillenniíiin.
l'be exliibilioii projeel "llong Koiig, ele. llial I cnrale for
tbe Biciiiialc leiids lo use llie currenl Iransilion ol I loiií; Koni;-
Boíiys Isck Kiiiaclcz (Zairp). Sirisxair. 1993. Sciilptiirc iii (•ar[ll)oaril. Oü x -tu x -fO cin.
2iid Juiumncsbui'' Biennale. HotisKon" ele. Pholo: Waviie Oosthuizeii.
(wliicli is perhaps tlie mosT sigiiil'icaiit cvciit iii 1')')?) as a
uiclaplidr (>( lile ncw slaíjc ol irlohali.salidii llial \ve <lÍHCiissf'd.
especiallv iii terniH of envisloiiing ncw jilohal cilies. Tlie
traiisition of I loiig: Kong iiül oiih' inarks tlie end ol llie
"Classical colonisalion huí also reveáis a ncw piospcct of
(¡lolialisalioii ¡Iscir. Agaiii. as poinlcd oiM ahovc, Joliannesliurg,
sliaring a siinilai' colonial past (wliich was acliiallv a receiit
pasl). and rapid dc\ ('lopnicnls, is of coursc a rclcvaiil place to
discuss llic issiic. Al llie eiid. it gocs iierícclU wcll willi llie
general issiic of llic Biennale "Trade Koiiles, llisIoi\ and
Gcograpliy'.
OhvionsK'. llic inl<'nlion lo inliodnce discussioiis oii the
liansilion of f loiig Kong is bv no nicans hased iiniqncK on llic
specific and tcmporarv siluation of Hong Kong itself, not to say
ihe specTaclarilv of llie eveiil ilself. Ratlier, the discussion are
supposcfl lo unfold along ihe nelwork links lieTween Global
Cities, espeeially between non-western Global Citv in order to
beconie globallv mcaningful.
One shoiild nolice tliat an exliibilion project as such is not
a simple and ailificial arliculalion of iheorelical issiies. bul a
pan of rcalily in wliicli wc live lodav. In llie 1990 s, al ihe end
of lile eeiilui\. arlisis. arcliilecls and inlellccluals are aiiiong the
firsi lo reacl lo llie ncw sliifls. (ilobalisalion is also a process of
breaking all kinds of froiilicis. inchiding lliose belween an and
othei' disciplines. In llic e.xhibition. I trv to inlroduce. on the one
liand. archilects. writers into ihe field of "visual a r l s ' \ and on
ihc ollier. bring together the "cyber xvorld" (the internet) and
llie real. .An internet web site has been created to present
projecls b\ arlisls. wrilers and arcliilecls. and nnillimedia
installation works are presented in a pallerv space at the same
lime.
In fhe iiieantime, more direct and intimate connections
widí the actual context ol tlie citv oí .lohanneshurt!; and ils
neighbouring áreas, especiallv tlie townsliips wlicre ihe Irue
stories of the South África reahty occur. sliould ne\er be
ignored. hi other words, it is in investigating llie real and
dialeclic connections between the Global expansión of
"modernisation", driven by ihe dvnamics of liberal,
niultinational (;a])ilalism. and the Local reactions, resistance
and re-canalisalion of the pressure of Globalisation ihat an
exhibition like "Ilong Kong, etc. as well as discussions on the
issue of the (ilobal Citv can lie relexant and ineaningful. As a
matter of fací, more and more artists in the 1990 s.
undei'standing ihe necessitv to restructure the estabhshed
institution svsiem as well as art languages, tend lo practice their
work in tlie real, often urban and social contexts, and henee
develop new strategies lo go beyond the framework of
inslilulions and doniinanl discoiu'ses. Based on such an
understanding. I choose to realize the exhibition project. apart
IVom ihe \¡rlual space on the internet, in two very specificalK
selected context for physical ])resenlation of the works.
The first one is llie Rembrandt Van Rijn (^allerx. which
has beconie a svmbol of cultural resistance of the South African
inlellectual and art worid because of its activist aclions and
presentalions during the A|iartheid. The second is |)ublic spaces
where |>eo|ile of different social classes, strata and valúes
encoimter eacli olher. These ¡nclude i'cslanrants. coffee síiops
and pubs. silu;Ued IVoui ihe ,lohannesliui-g dowiuown lo
surburbian lownslh|)s. Here the messages thal lh<' projecl tries
to tran.smit can be ací'eded by diffeient conununilies from the
urban bonrgeois to working class.
The Rembraiull \'an Rijn Callery. which is lun by a
gioup of voung artisls iuid(M- ihe dire<'(ion of Steven Hobbs, is
situaled as the entrances of two iheatres of the New Town
cultural complex. The gallery space is actually two passage
spaces where the theatre audience gathers and spends a briel
niouieni iiefore going ¡nio ihc perfornuuu-e spaces. In ils hisloiy.
tJiis arlisi i'un s|)ace has been plaving a remarkable i-ole in
resistance of Apartheid bv providing a forum for nndti-cullural
and muhi-racial ex|)ressions. Its verv phvsical characterislic of
being a passage rellects, somehow coincidentallv. an image of
the curi-ent Iransition hap|)ening in the citv of .loluumesburg.
Accordinglv. some extremeK interesting changes are also
happening in llie South African art world to uiake it
increasingly exposed to the internalional ai't scene. To niake an
exhibition iu ihis c'ontexl. it is natural to take account of the
cultural meaniíig of such a phvsical condition. The whole space
can be tnrnefl into a temporal "Micro-Í^dobal Gitv" in constant
sliills. Therefore, I decide to iiislall ihe works in such a wav
that they. being formally and conceplually exli-emel\ diverse, all
enler inlo \-eiy ¡ineracli\c dialogues. .None of ihe works can be
separated from anolliei-. InvoKing (liffereiu kinds of techn¡(|ues.
foruis. moxements. liglus and somuls. lhe\ aie all phvsicallv
inlerwoven. Togclhei-. ihey bi'eak down ihe i-on\-em¡onal
nnisenm preseiUalion o! ailwoiks as felisli objecl in wlhle cube
spai'es. '\\)c opemiess of ihe gall('r\ Windows pro\¡des wondei'fid
views ol ihe cily oí .lohannesbnrg. On one side. one can
appi'cciale looking at die speclacular' íoi-esl of Skvscrapers.
while on ihc otliei'. lh<' bus\ highwavs cul tiu-ough the citv wilh
S|)ee(l\ Iralfic. l'liese views ai'e aclnallv inicgraled as |)arl
ol the exhibition s "backgi'ound . .\ cióse link belween ihe
meauings of tlie works and the realil\ of llie coiueM is llu-reliv
created.
In such passage-like spaces, video works b\ liona Tan
and Hoderick Riichanan. wilh llie tensión belween s|)eedv
Rivkn liiiiii (Uriirl). Iiciiii .^nic,-. Mciiitiry i'ii Uval 'liint'. 190.5.
j'liotosi'riügraphv in liglilho.xi's.
'irid .Idluuiiii'hlmr" liiciinalc. Il<iii<! Kiiiia. clr- Pliiilii: W aviir Oostliuizi'ii.
Zhu .li;i (Cliiiia). Foivreí: 1<)<)4. Niclco.
IÍIKI .líilidiuioliMii; Biciiiialc. IIÍIII'J: koiiíf. ele. PliciKi: W'nMic Onslliiiizcii.
inoveiiients aiul (he inoiiieiils oí .suspensión, cicale dülerent
kiiuls of psvcliologiral aiiibieiiecs of (ransiliou al tlie two
enírances ol'tlic e.xliihilion. Iiislallalioiis hy IJuanjí Voiif; Pin<>
and Ellen Pan. in coinijIelcU (lillerenl wav.s. deal direcllv wilii
the liLslorical nionient ol I lonj; Kong s transilion. Rivka Rinn.
Nobnvoslii .'\raki. ;\rni Harraldson. Andreas Gurskv and Zlni
jia coinribule llieii' dixcrsp visions and ex])erienres oílravelling
belween (dol)al (lilies wliere L lopiaii projecls conlronl crucial
reaiilies. Bodvs Isek Kingelez pi'oxides us a l'anlastic ui'iían
visión of a postniodern (;k)i)id (al^ wliich is ahernative lo llie
exisling Weslcni metrópolis inodeis.
As a continiialion oí ibis section. two iiniiliinedia
projections bv Keitb I'iper and l'eng Mcngbo are picscnled in
the Mnseinn Ab'ika. wiiere ihe iirban bisl(ir\ ol Jobannesburg is
e.\hii)¡ted.
FroTii the gaHery, as well as lioin anwxhei'e in ihe woihL
one can get aceess to the website "Hong Kong, Etc.
(ww^v.aica.co.za/hk) designed l)y Eric Ariix. This wel)S¡te is in
l'acl the very core oí the whole project itselí. e\()king histórica!,
sociokigical and theorelicai disciissions on tlie issne oí tlie
Gk.)l)al Cil\ in postcolonial Iransition. (^¡nsisting ol two niajor
sections —"The Cil\ as the Real \ "The Cily as Dystopia" as
well as a section l'or |)iil)lic disctission— the website opens a
virtual S])ace l'or analvsis and iinaginative projects. contribiited
b\ wi'iters. architects. iirbaii planners and arlists Saskia Sassen.
Reni Koolhaas. .\rala Isozaki. \ ung lio (Hiang. ('lien Zlien. .hni
Jielí \\ ang. Deepak .\nanlh/ron\ Browii. Osear lio. Desniond
HUÍ, Haniiaíi Le Ronx. Keii Yeang. the magazíne Art Asia
Paciíic and a group oí voung arti.sts Iroiii the Rijksakademie
\aii Beeldende Kuirsten, Anisterdam. Al the same thne. the
general |)ul)lic can also express their Ojiinions throiigh
participating in ihe .Newsgroup disciission on the internet.
Aiiotlier jiart of the jirojecl is mentioned above;
interventions into llie ui'baii ])iiblic nieeling |)oinls sucli as coffee
siiops, reslaiiranls and pubs. A prograin of video works, hoth
specific films and performance records, by Steven Hobbs,
Randol|)ii I laitzenherg, Lin ^ ilin. I lenrv Bond. Fioiía Tan,
Saskia .lanssen, Oweii Oppenheiiner. (¡eorge Kosmit and so on.
are presented on the e.xisting televisión monitors at lliose "non-art
vemies. This brings the art works niost dii-eclK into the
everyday lile oí the local inliabitanls. Il is imporlant to point ont
tliat the vennes iuNolved spread thronglionl diíferent ateas of the
.lohannesbiirg región, especiallv townships like Soweto. West
Btirv and Alexandra. ll is in ihese jilaces where art never goes
ihat one can encoimler the most eiithiisiastic and siirprising
reactions from the |.)eople. On iiiv hrst \i,sit to one of the ]3ublic
vennes, a coffee .shop " Ooin .lans liin in the township of West
Biirv. I encoimtered the owner oí tiie coffee shop, Ooin .jan
(I líele .jan) wlio was a wliite liaired black iiiaii a! bis 60 s.
W lien he noliced tliat I was a Ohinese from Cantón, he slarled
lalking to me in (^amónese! Never liaving lefl bis coimtrv, he
learned Oantonese from a Oantonese laniilv willi wlioni he grew
up. l i s a inader oí fací dial llie Irade roiile has aKvavs existed.
(dobalisation has alwavs been a parí ol oiir coininon hislorv.
Ki\ka líiriii {Israel), jroiii series Mcnmrv ni linil líiiit'. l^í**-").
Pli()l(>s<'rii)gra|ili\ in liglillioxes.
l2riií .Idliaiineshuru líieniiale. IIÍHIU: f"^""'-^- e/c. Pluilo: \\ a\iic Ooslliiiizcii.