Yuan Goang-Ming
Dwelling (2014) Video Installation

This work is a continuation of Yuan Goang-Ming’s investigation into the cultural nuances of ‘home’, ‘dwelling’ and ‘ruins’. The video presents an ostensibly comfortable bourgeois living room. Despite the seemingly tranquil environs however, an underlying tension ripples through the quiet interior space. A sudden blast sends objects flying in every direction, before reversing their course and returning to their original position intact.

As the room pieces itself back together, it is difficult to tell if anything has happened at all.

Though not instantly apparent to the viewer, Yuan has filmed the work underwater, imbuing the debris with a surreal, dream-like quality.

Creating a scenario where the unthinkable invades the commonplace, Yuan alludes to the instability that lurks beneath the everyday.

Yuan Goang-Ming (b. 1965, Taiwan) is recognised as a pioneer of Taiwanese video art, and one of the most influential artists working in the field of new-media art today. Combining metaphor with the language of technology his works explore the perplexing state of the world today, referencing topics as diverse as climate change, the refugee crisis, and the rise of populism.

Hayward Gallery

Opened to the public in 1968, the Hayward Gallery is a world-renowned contemporary art gallery and a landmark of Brutalist architecture. Its exhibition programme focuses on the presentation of a wide range of adventurous and influential artists from across the world, while its rich history includes exhibitions by modern pioneers such as Paul Klee, Lucio Fontana, Francis Bacon, Bridget Riley, and Anthony Caro.