Mizuki Nishiyama

Seefood Room and AucArt proudly present Latent Dreaming, a group exhibition featuring the works of Zena Blackwell, Grace Bromley, Alanna Hernandez, Corn Shuk Mei Ho, Jason Ho, Amber Larks, Dallas Lee, Purple Liu, Kidd Murray, Mizuki Nishiyama, and Harris Wong. The exhibition will be on view between 9 March and 1 April at 3-4/F, 9 On Lan Street in Central.

According to Sigmund Freud, he believed that an individual could relieve psychological distress by bringing the hidden meaning of dreams in their conscious awareness. The latent content of dreams holds the key to understanding our hopes, fears, and experiences in life. With this in mind, latent dreaming can be seen as a healing process. It is a space for love and kindness that exists in the nebulous region between wake and sleep, where emotions are simultaneously intensified and yet rendered meaningless, and where only a perpetual sense of bliss and forgiveness remains. In this group show, the West meets the East in the city of Hong Kong to create a vibrant fusion. The artworks act as the physical manifestation of the softness and clemency experienced in the dreamlike state, allowing the artists to showcase their brilliance as audiences indulge in the lucid sensation.

This spring, step into the subconscious with us and experience what it feels like to be latent dreaming.

Seefood Room is pleased to present Serendipitous Splendour, a group exhibition featuring the works of Almendra Bertoni, Amy Crehore, Fred Smith, GUMI, Jason Ho, Jeannie Rhyu, Jeremy Yamamura, Jimmy Lam,...

The Beautiful and The Grotesque explores the fine line between the two - both subjects are often associated with human bodies and femininity, yet the two evoke such contrasting emotions from the beholder. Nishiyama uses a series of selected works to challenge our senses through abstraction, nudeness, and intimacy documented in different mediums. As a female artist with mixed cultural heritages from Japan, Hong Kong, and Italy, whilst based between Hong Kong, London, and New York, she uses art as a gateway to confront the disquiet within her, and shine light on socio-political issues that she and many others face as women of colour.

This series doubles as a palimpsest of Nishiyama's identity as she drew inspiration from poetry, extended essays, philosophy, socio-politics, along with her personal experiences. From Georges Bataille's 'Death and Eroticism' to traditional Japanese customs, Nishiyama shows us the world seen through her lens that has been moulded by influences from the West, the East, and everything in between. Similarly, she elucidates to the world that beauty is found within the grotesque and vice versa. The fragility found in human nature and the superfluity of humans' needs to fixate on the malignant is delicately exposed to spark rumination.

One is often quick to dichotomize the beautiful and the grotesque. However, Nishiyama has opened our eyes to the blurred area in between where they coexist in harmony, especially via femininity. We are implored to find balance between the two, to pay attention to the fine line in between, thereby finding strength in vulnerability and seeking peace in the chaos that we call life to keep marching on.