13/03/2009 - 05/04/2009 joint exhibition
SHIAU-PENG CHEN
I DON'T BELONG HERE BUT THERE II
Curator's note:
Melbourne based Shiau-Peng Chen addresses issues of Taiwanese cultural identity and
displacement with I Don’t Belong Here but There II at Immersion Therapy.
Shiau-Peng’s trademark abstract and geometric work is fuelled by a keen sense of spatial awareness and a sensitivity to geographic and social placement. Drawing from her ongoing
China Series, I Don’t Belong Here but There II presents a unique reflection on the socio-political tensions that currently exist between Taiwan and China.
In the ambitious I Don’t Belong Here but There series, Shiau-Peng uses the map of China as the spring point from which she creates an abstract, temporal sequence marked by evolving color and spatial arrangements that are designed to symbolize the shifting political landscape of North East Asia; particularly the complicated relations between mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Shiau-Peng Chen’s practice is based in painting, text work and installation. She continues to indulge her guilty habit of education, currently undertaking a PhD at RMIT after previous studies at the Pratt Institute in New York and at TNUA in Taipei. In addition to a wide range of previous exhibitions, she previously participated in the GroupTherapy show at Immersion Therapy in 2008.

13/02/2009 - 08/03/2009 joint exhibition
HONG TONG
WIND CHANGES
Curator notes:
Having completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1984 at the Beijing Central Fine Arts Institute with a major in Woodcuts, Hong Tong’s practice has evolved considerably over time, but has remained aligned with the fundamentals of her undergraduate training.
Since having made the transition to Australian life, Hong has completed an Associate Diploma in Visual Arts at the University of New South Wales as well as a Masters of Studio Arts at the University of Sydney’s College of Fine Arts, continually experimenting in the painting medium.
In recent years, her work has become increasingly inspired by her adopted home of Australia, and particularly by the environmental influences of her Sydney surrounds, with elemental and natural themes repeatedly coming to the fore in her work.
The Wind Change series, a selection of which is presented at Immersion Therapy, not only captures the intangible, atmospheric essence of the elemental force, but also
illustrates the hallmark of Hong’s graphic style; created by her unique and methodical approach to line. Applying paint to surfaces using only a palette knife, Hong’s manages to replicate by hand the precision and effect of woodblock printing, whose origins can be traced to China, whilst also moving beyond its technical constraints.
Wind Changes at Immersion Therapy marks Hong’s first exhibition in Melbourne, following on from shows throughout Sydney, including recent shows at the Newington Armory Gallery and Tap Gallery.

05/12/2008 - 21/12/2008
HUA CUN CHEN
SHIAU-PENG CHEN
ALAN COTTON
BENEDICT ERNST
ANDREA INNOCENT
DAMON KOWARSKY
JESSICA MAIDEN
FATEMEH VAFAEINEJAD
NAOKO YENEHARA
Exhibition: GROUP THERAPY

Curated by Dave Di Vito, curatorial assistance: Julia Johnston
Part and parcel of the modern experience is the sensation of duality; the underlying feeling
that one never truly belongs in one time or place.
The competing pulls in our lives; geographic, emotional or temporal are symptoms of a world in which our borders are crumbling and our boundaries are constantly on the move. For many, the reality is that whilst we remain rooted in our daily existence we do so without the same level of grounding we once might have expected.
Articulating the sensation of these oppositions, Group Therapy brings together nine of
Australia’s most interesting established and emerging artists in a show which explores the
push and pull between cultures and times that are now so prevalent in modern life.
The artists undertaking Group Therapy are united in that they all to some degree juggle the
influence and pull of multiple cultures although their individual approaches and use of media adds another layer and point of difference to the equation.