Frank Zhang

Seamlessness: Imagine Conflict as a Possiblity

Inspired by the seamless airbrush aesthetic to an imagination of social participation, this show explores interactive art with a participatory method to embrace conflict and negotiation. It intends to use an interactive airbrush system to trigger dialogue and negotiation between participants to imagine possibilities in our social relations.

“Seamlessness in traditional airbrush aesthetics reflects a desire to pursue technical excellence and perfection. The digital revolution has pushed airbrush practice from a popular art form to a niche discipline. Today, airbrushing survives in customization and subculture aesthetics. The retreat of airbrushing from the mainstream poses questions of how to extend this art form into contemporary art practice: an important consideration given its potential to redefine the social and cultural meaning of seamlessness in our current digital age. Using art galleries as an arena to engage theory and praxis, this research-creation project employs a participatory approach that intends to trigger conflicts and negotiations in the domain of galleries. It investigates the blurred boundaries between consensus and conflict, controllability and unpredictability, inclusion and exclusion. Lastly, through theorizing and redefining the meaning of seamlessness from an aesthetic concept towards social agency, this research questions the inclusivity of art institutions and their role in relation to social and cultural production.”