Gallery: Double Q Gallery
Artist(s): Nadia Ayari
Opening / Event Date: 2 Mar, 2024
Closing / End Date: 30 Mar, 2024
JPS Gallery is delighted to present The More Things Change, a solo exhibition of Michael John Hunter, on view at the gallery’s Hong Kong location in LANDMARK ATRIUM.
Showcasing a series of works that challenge our perception of the “real and imaginary”, the exhibition features iconic works of Hunter, including the photography work of Falling Army Man Toy (2021). The sculpture work of the image debuted and gained immense attention in Art Central earlier this year. Academically trained in photography, Hunter also found great passion in sculpture making. This present series is a manifestation of the artist’s two artistic pursuits as well as a display of the versatility of his artistry. By employing what he describes as “fake macro photography” method, Hunter places enlarged sculptures of vintage toys in real-life locations and photographs them at night, often from bird’s-eye view for the enhanced effects demonstrating the actual scale of the sculptures.
Fascinated with details and imperfections in small objects, particularly toys and plastic insects, Hunter builds each of the sculptures with precision and care. The enlarged sculptures are extremely life-like, created with great attention to detail, even including the wear and tear on a child’s toy and the broken wings of a fallen fly.
The sculptures are then installed in specific real-life urban locations, where Hunter photographs them with a five by four film camera. The final images are produced after thoughtful placement and shot in specific heights and platforms in a controlled manner along with carefully orchestrated lighting.
He believes that the toys were our first introduction to art and played a pivotal role in our understanding of art and sculptures. Hunter’s works offer a brand-new assessment of the concept of reality by rescaling and reinterpreting the toys. Hunter challenges the sense of scale and perception in an inherently nostalgic undertone. The presented series invites us to contemplate how truth is perceived through the sculptures themselves and the final photographic works.
Gallery: Double Q Gallery
Artist(s): Nadia Ayari
Opening / Event Date: 2 Mar, 2024
Closing / End Date: 30 Mar, 2024