A Journey to Self Through “HOPE” at ALIEN Art Centre

In 2020, this writer travelled nearly two hours from Taipei City to visit ALIEN Art Centre, a cultural destination in Kaohsiung City that has attracted much attention in recent years. The centre is housed in what used to be called the Kin-Ma Military Hostel.

First completed in 1967, Kin-Ma Military Hostel acted as a terminal for soldiers who would wait here for clear weather before they set off to fulfil their military duty on off islands, such as Kinmen and Mazu. It was also in this historic building where soldiers reunited with their loved ones upon the completion of their service. Though the hostel has become an art centre today, the voices of their tears and laughters seem to linger in the air.

At times of transition such as that of this never-ending pandemic, art can be a means of therapy that accompanies us through times of difficulty.

VOICES, a 20-year retrospective exhibition of the Berlin-based jewellery artist, Jiro Kamata, was the main reason that prompted me to visit ALIEN Art Centre. Walking through the different milestones achieved throughout his artistic career reminded me of the time at Alchemia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence, Italy, where I met many outstanding artists, particularly Doris Maninger and Peter Bauhuis, both of whom I had the privilege to learn from.

Since my visit to VOICES, I didn’t expect to come across Kamata’s work within a short period of time, especially at times of the pandemic. I was excited when I discovered that the artist’s latest series recently travelled to ALIEN Art Centre. Only this time, he’s not here alone.

Entrance to HOPE at ALIEN Art Centre

HOPE is a duo solo exhibition that revolves around the work of two artists, namely jewellery artist Jiro Kamata and photographer Caroline Halley des Fontaines. The exhibition takes up the centre’s entire second floor. Upon arrival, visitors are first welcomed by four gigantic letters ‘HOPE ‘. At times of transition such as that of this never-ending pandemic, art can be a means of therapy that accompanies us through times of difficulty. With this in mind, the exhibition curator Yaman Shao aims to explore the relation between art and healing.

Knowing that the only constant in this world is change, can art ignite ‘a ray of hope’ for those trapped in the dark, bridging that gap between reality and spirituality? Simply titled HOPE, the exhibition presents beautiful works of art while inviting its visitors to seek comfort and consolation.

Jiro Kamata

Holon series by Jiro Kamata

Jiro Kamata is known for using discarded camera lenses as his medium, which tend to evoke a reflective and somewhat mysterious quality akin to that of precious stones. His new body of work is titled Holon. An ancient Greek word that means ‘whole’, Holon explores the relation and, to a certain extent, the co-existence of the individual and the whole.

By applying a PVD coating with various colours to the lenses, this talented artist has created a captivating universe of ever-changing colour and pattern that, in the artist’s own words, “not only reflect our reality, but may also change our perception” of the world around us.

As viewers contemplate on the play of light and colour in each piece, one must note that the lenses’ surface, both concave or convex, hint at a much bigger world than what’s visible to the eye. With a display of 100 work, every single piece — though a separate entity — seems to connect to one another, creating a complex and, unquestionably, complete ensemble. Similarly, each lens also appears to be a reflection of an individual who comes together to constitute the social fabric.

Necklace from Jiro Kamata’s Holon series

Among the exhibits is a necklace made of concave lenses in gold; its surface is so finely polished that it reflects like a mirror. When coming close to this necklace, I could see an infinite number of my reflections to the point that I wasn’t sure whether I was looking at the piece, or it at me. The contemplative nature of this necklace predominates the Holon series.

Having seen innumerable works made by those who position themselves as contemporary jewellery artist, I must say that one rarely comes across a body of work like that of Jiro Kamata’s. Whether the viewer is familiar with the artist or not, Kamata’s jewellery never cease to fascinate its beholders.

Caroline Halley des Fontaines

Lightscape series by Caroline Halley des Fontaines

Opposite the gallery in which Jiro Kamata’s work is displayed is a door that leads to a dark space. It is in this room that one finds Caroline Halley des Fontaines’ photographs, which have been endowed with the room’s only spotlights to bring its colours to life out of near pitch black.

Sublime is the first impression that most visitors get when they encounter Caroline Halley des Fontaines’ Lightscape series. Her work captures the transitions of colour found in nature, particularly those of water, light, and the horizon. In one image, one finds sophisticated gradient of tomato red, hot pink and scarlet red; in another, mysterious indigo gracefully blends into a thin line of red, which then gently unites with charcoal black.

Through Fontaines’ lens, the natural landscape as we know it transforms into coloured abstraction infused with a sense of solitude, serenity, and solemnity. Powerful and mesmerising, each of these images shows the artist’s attempt to bring to light the “inner experience of colours”. Fountaines says, “with my camera, I aim to catch the colours and lights of the ocean or natural landscapes and experiment my unity with nature”.

Oddly enough, even when I have my eyes closed, I could still feel the vibration of this otherworldly state of being that Fontaines has brilliantly captured. At that moment in time, it’s as if I’ve been taken on a pilgrimage to my inner self through colour and energy, entering a sacred, meditative realm.

Looking at Fontaines’ photograph through a peep-hole

What’s also interesting is that, in order to view some of her photographs, viewers need to look through the peep holes in the wall. The act of looking at these hidden images through a peek-hole brings the viewing experience to a different level; some sensitive viewers may find themselves exchanging a dialogue of unspoken words with the photographer herself.

“I wish you could see what I see out the window, the pink and celestial blue emerging to the west, the full pale moon about to go down in an early morning lavender…” Fontaines says. But as Roland Barthes famously pointed out, the author must die in order to allow room for its readers. That said, though we might never see what Fontaines sees outside her window, it is undeniable that her work has enabled us to see something else: the landscape that lies within us.

HOPE is now on view at ALIEN Art Centre and runs through March 27th, 2022.