Presenting:
Cromniomancy, single-channel video, 2016, 7’33”
About Artwork
Cromniomancy, a collaborative exhibition by Adrian Wong and Shane Aspegren. Inspired by the concept of cymatics, or the study of wave phenomena, the themes in Cromniomancy are concerned with divination, and can be seen as a continuation of a series of interventions presented under the collective name The Glorious Phoenix. The works take a number of different forms, including prints, rugs, video and sound.
The imagery in Cromniomancy suggests exploration of frequencies and cosmic divination. The word ‘cromniomancy’ refers to the practice of divination by onions. While its natural patterning is not unlike the shapes found within cymatics, the sphere within a sphere of the onion is also symbolic of eternity. Likewise containing healing and medicinal properties, the onion has been associated with esoteric forms of mysticism throughout history.
To complement this artwork, Arthub will also present a related artwork series Third Eye Kaleidoscope in the physical space on “Exhibition on the Table” program. Third Eye Kaleidoscope aimed to trace the development of eastern spiritual beliefs into the modern New Age Movement and its related principles and practices, specifically in the context of Hong Kong. Gaining popularity the West in the 1960’s and 70’s, New Ageism was fueled by an influx of Eastern philosophies, propagating an alternative to the normative structures of the Judeo-Christian framework. These philosophies were inevitably melded with various homegrown forms of mysticism, to yield its dizzying constellation of pantheistic and hybridized forms—forms that have now made their way back East. Third Eye Kaleidoscope was an investigation into these new renditions of New Ageist beliefs or, as the artists call it, The New New Age. The project occurred over three days, as three different events at three different locations in the city. These interventions predominantly involved bathing the audience in sound and light, speculating the ideas of cosmic frequencies, harmony, and rituals.
About Artists
Born in Chicago in 1980, Adrian Wong has since 2005 lived and worked in Hong Kong where he founded the Embassy Projects production agency. He graduated in experimental psychology from Stanford University and majored in sculpture at Yale University. His installations and sculptures explore the relationship wit h the environment through collective works. The Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, and the Saatchi Gallery, London, have held solo exhibitions of his work. His films have been shown at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (Germany), at the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival and at the Kunsthalle of Vienna. Included in numerous public and private collections, his work won the Sovereign Asian Art Prize in 2014.
Shane Aspegren(b. 1975, USA) is currently based in Hong Kong. Working across various media, his projects often juxtapose obsessively-fixed elements with temporal or improvised aspects—many of which function within a collaborative or otherwise responsive nature. In the field of music, Aspegren has made dozens of studio albums, one-off projects & world tours, in addition to numerous soundtracks and sound design. Alongside other current projects, he is co-founder of the music group Blood Wine or Honey and founder of the Hong Kong based production studio Bellows. Aspegren’s work has been commissioned or presented by museums and art spaces across North America, Europe, and Asia, including Art Basel (Hong Kong), Anthology Film Archives (NYC), Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen (Montpellier), Palazzo Reale (Milan), Rossi & Rossi (Hong Kong) and Para Site (Hong Kong).
