Chin Chai!

Here's an invite for you to an event you might enjoy which features art with a literary twist!

Dear Sharon,

Sharon Chin and I are having an art exhibition, "Chin Chai" (after our surnames), at Sek San's from 9 - 23 August 2008.

We'd love for you and your readers to come for the opening event on 8.8.08 at 8pm (Friday).

During the opening event, we'll be launching our accompanying book to the exhibition, also titled "Chin Chai". It features new writing by KL writer Simon Soon, Auckland-based artist Kah Bee Chow, some poetry by Sharon and a short fiction piece by myself. The book will be 'sold' by donation.

We're very excited about this and would appreciate people spreading the word about the exhibition and book launch. Attached below is the full press release with more info about the exhibition and ourselves.

Thanks, Sharon.

Regards,
Lydia

Event: "Chin Chai"

Dates: 9 - 23 August 2008 (opening event 8.8.08, 8pm)

Venue: 67 Jalan Tempinis 1 Gallery, Bangsar, KL (see map)

Opening hours: 1pm - 7pm (Mon - Fri) and 11 - 5 (Sat - Sun)

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:

"Chin Chai" is a joint exhibition by artists Sharon Chin and Lydia Chai. They met in art school and became friends. Now Sharon lives in Kuala Lumpur while Lydia lives in Auckland. In an ambitious series of drawings, installation and video, they explore ideas of distance and friendship in relation to artistic collaboration. "Chin Chai" is the invented landscape of two very different artists living far apart, engaged in conversation with each other and the world around them.

We warmly welcome you to the opening event on Friday 8 August 2008, 8pm, where an artist book will be launched in conjunction with the exhibition.

There will be a screening of Werner Herzog's "Mein liebster Feind" (My Best Fiend), followed by a discussion of the film and the exhibition on Saturday 9 August, 3pm.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Sharon Chin was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1980. Working with text and sculpture especially in site-specific installations, her work looks at how we negotiate geography, history, human relations and language in the contemporary imagination. Recent solo exhibitions include Fourth World at the Australian High Commission (2006) and SENSORS: Banned Books and Other Monsters (2007) at Central Market Annexe. She is the recipient of the Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund grant as well as Australian High Commission Visual Arts Residency. She also writes regularly on art.

Lydia Chai grew up in Petaling Jaya and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, New Zealand, where she is now based. Her recent work ranges from chinese ink and watercolour paintings to socially interactive projects. These works are based on the form and idea of roots and footnotes, their rhizomic qualities, while extending the metaphor to relations between people. She recently exhibited in the group show Tell Me To My Face (2007) organized by The High Street Project and curated Footnotes: Walking Backwards Toward Meaning (2007) in Off The Edge magazine. She has her writings on art published now and then, while working on fiction privately.