FEAST Projects is proud to announce FIVE - HONG KONG, a performance by Rashaad Newsome on 18 May 2012.
FEAST Projects proudly inaugurates a new second space with a special performance by artist Rashaad Newsome. Newsome will present FIVE - HONG KONG in FEAST’s new space, a former mechanic's garage with a total of 3,000 sq ft and six-meter ceiling in Hong Kong. FIVE - HONG KONG is an official part of the VIP Programme of the 2012 Hong Kong International Art Fair (ART HK 2012). Specifically adapted for the city, the artist will feature a dynamic composition between local musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments, renowned opera singer Stefanos Koroneos, distinguished rapper SCANZ, and several NYC-based vogue dancers - all coordinated by Newsome.
Cocktails and a DJ party will be held before and after the performance at FEAST Projects gallery space on 18 May from 7 - 9:30PM. FIVE will begin at 8PM. RSVP is essential as space is limited for this event.
About Rashaad Newsome
Celebrated artist, at only 32 years old, Rashaad Newsome has been included in a number of noteworthy projects and exhibitions. Highlights include: Venice Biennale 2011, Whitney Biennial 2010, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art’s MATRIX series, le Centre Pompidou, Greater New York 2010, Art Basel Miami 2011, and MOVE at MoMA PS1 where he collaborated with fashion designer Alexander Wang; additionally he has earned 16 prestigious art prizes and residencies.
FIVE is a multimedia performance that redefines how performance art is chronicled beyond the traditional mediums of video and photography. Through the Hong Kong presentation of the work, Rashaad Newsome brings together an ensemble of creative fields and cultures into one performance while serving as a platform to transcend vogue’s marginalization, enabling it to take its rightful place as a legitimate art form. Another version of FIVE was performed at Miami Art Museum during Art Basel Miami. At FEAST Projects, Newsome will adapt his piece to China by collaborating with musicians playing the Dizi, Erhu, Guzheng, Yangqin and Chinese drums, allowing the free interaction and juxtaposition between Chinese orchestra, Western opera, rap and hip-hop.
“For Rashaad the creative process of a performance is always alive, and evolving. I am amazed at how he combines elements from different art forms he sees in museums, on the street, or MTV and creates a mash up that transcends and unifies. I am thrilled to be able to present his première show in Asia for ARTHK 12.” Says Philippe Koutouzis, Director of FEAST Projects.
Born out of Harlem’s ballroom scene in the 1960s and introduced to a mainstream audience by Madonna’s song “Vogue”, the vogue dance form is highly stylized, and inspired by fashion model’s postures and attitudes.FIVE offers an evolved and reframed view of vogue. It introduces and explores the five elements of the dance form: hands, duck walking, cat walk, floor performance, and dip spins. “I view these performances as drawings, with the dancers acting as my pen, creating lines, shapes, landscapes, and an array of narratives,” explains Rashaad Newsome.
