Known for her contemporary photography artist Isa Ho will present her latest series of works, “Westbeth” project. The inspiration of this series originates from her residency in New York awarded by the Asian Culture Council, in ISCP and Westbeth Artist Housing. In this old building live over 400 artists from around the world, here Ho met with other residency artist, during their interaction and exchange, gradually discover their lives and view of life, this new series photographs the artists in the Westbeth Artist Housing as subject.During 2013 Ho and German fine art photographer Mortiz Partenheimer collaborated on this project, where they visited artists’ homes, recording their portraits and their homes, inside the permanent residency artists’ homes displays an array of objects which demonstrates the specific taste or shall we say the collection and clues of their life journey.
Over the past Isa Ho’s works are mostly staged and directed, together with digital manipulation to discuss the modern day people, their values, compromise and despair. Moritz Partenheimer inherited the calm and objective manner of German contemporary photography, carefully investigating the man made landscape of the modern city. In the Westbeth project, two artists from Taiwan and Germany, each uses their own perspective to photograph the man and objects inside this apartment. Isa Ho in this project approach portraiture in a style different to traditional method where the figure fills the frame, instead in her works, posture of the figure and the living environment both retain great relativity.Apart from this she also utilize digital image manipulation to include in the reflections objects which does not belong, therefore in her works we can find not only the actual recorded space where these artist resides, but through the frames within the image a multitude of extensions in location and time. Moritz Partenheimer has always observed the corners of the city with great detail, photographing the sections of the homes, carefully composing the image with furniture that often partially cropped, objects arranged in an orderly fashion, such a viewpoint and evenly applied light control, to simplify the different spaces into a single atmosphere, so our attention is focused on those different shape and color of the object itself and its relationship to the owner.
In this exhibition the works on display are juxtaposed, each artist has a corresponding piece to the other artist, the viewer can compare the two artists, their approach taken and the differences of opinion. Under such an arrangement, one can explore the interaction and resonance between the two photographs, their structure and cultural symbols. This exhibition display a new method of working and presenting for Isa Ho, also opening new approach to contemporary photography and its narrative form.
*image (left)
courtesy of the artist and VT Art Salon
