News and Media

Published: Sep 27, 2010

New gallery features work by talented SCAD students, professors, alumni and renowned visiting artists

HONG KONG–SCAD is pleased to announce the debut of Moot Gallery, the university’s second gallery space to open in Hong Kong this year, featuring the work of talented SCAD students, professors, alumni and renowned visiting artists. Located at SCAD Hong Kong in the former North Kowloon Magistracy Building, 292 Tai Po Road, Sham Shui Po, Moot Gallery is named as a lighthearted reference to the former function of the gallery space.

The gallery’s opening exhibition, “Graphic Abstraction,” features the work of 11 distinguished and emerging SCAD artists. Using bold colors, strong lines and layered patterns, the exhibition exemplifies the way contemporary, abstract fine art has been inspired by design-based aesthetics such as graphic design, advertising, illustration and architecture. The featured work explores graphic abstraction through a variety of media, including painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture. The exhibition is free and open to the public now through Oct. 9.

Among the artists is Heidi Cody, a SCAD printmaking and foundation studies professor, whose undercover series investigates American brand icons and incorporates her findings into sculptures, drawings, prints and paintings.

“Punchy and abstract, these works draw viewers into the obsessive game of guessing each piece, the hilarity of adults turning into children outguessing each other, and the vertiginous realization that we all recognize more than we want to admit,” said Cody of her work.

Cody has investigated American consumerism in her work for 14 years, showing throughout the world in venues such as the Moscow Biennial; Agnew’s Gallery in London; Roebling Hall Gallery in New York City; Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York; and Savage Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Her work has also been featured in Advertising Age, Art in America, The New York Times, Flash Art, the Chicago Tribune, WIRED, Salon.com and in textbooks ranging from “Introduction to Psychology” to “Designing Brand Identities.”

Fellow artist Richard Gere, who is also a printmaking professor at SCAD, conducts fascinating explorations of order and chaos in his contributions to “Graphic Abstraction.” His latest body of work addresses nature’s decay and rebirth, the guiding hand of the spirit, the uncertainty of life, and the constant human urge to build, organize and control—all in a poetic and thoughtful visual voice. Gere has exhibited in more than 140 group and solo shows throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He has taught at SCAD for 10 years, and helped found the printmaking B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs at SCAD Atlanta. He maintains an active studio practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

SCAD B.F.A. fibers alumna Wendy White’s recent series incorporates multiple canvases configured to read as a whole–with aggressive line work, acrid colors and a generous use of black paint. Added to the mix are outlines of letters and sculptural attachments that mimic written language.

White has exhibited around the world, with recent solo exhibitions at such noteworthy venues as Galeria Moriarty in Madrid, Spain; Primopiano in Lugano, Switzerland; Motus Fort Gallery in Tokyo, Japan; Heist Gallery in New York City; and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. She has participated in group exhibitions at such prestigious venues as Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Indianapolis, Indiana; Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia; as well as galleries in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and internationally in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Her work is included in the private collections of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City; UBS Art Collection in Zurich, Switzerland; and ARCO Foundation Collection in Madrid, Spain. She currently lives and works in New York.

With the opening of Moot Gallery, SCAD now operates 13 galleries in the United States, France and Hong Kong. The university’s annual exhibitions calendar features a range of work by talented SCAD students, professors, alumni and renowned visiting artists. Over the past decade, SCAD galleries have hosted exhibitions featuring work by such internationally renowned artists as Andy Warhol; Christo and Jean-Claude; Kader Attia; Cao Fei + Map Office; Karim Rashid; and Chaikia Booker.

Moot Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, visit www.scad.edu/hongkong.

Media inquiries may be directed to Flora To at 852.2523.7666.