The Obsidian Isle is a significant new body of work for Chong Kwan which documents a fictional island located off the west coast of Scotland, on which reside one country's lost and destroyed buildings and places. Presented as an installation of photographic and sculptural works, 'The Obsidian Isle' explores collective history, national identity, and landscape and tourism through the prism of the senses and the distortion of memories. From structures that fell into dereliction after the Highland Clearances, buildings destroyed during the Second World War, places torn down to make way for new developments, or structures that collapsed due to poor construction, the island is a place where visitors are invited to remember or possibly to collectively 'forget'. 'The Obsidian Isle' questions what is kept, what remains, what falls into ruin or is destroyed, what persists and how these can be altered by memories, myth or competing histories. The works in 'The Obsidian Isle' – ten large-scale large-format photographs, sculptural sensory aids for use on the island, a series of oval 'mirrored' works, tactile 'blind' photographic prints, a cyclorama map of the island, a limited edition publication with wrap around map, and a final print in which the view of the island is almost completely obscured by a storm - provide different and sometimes contradictory versions of the island itself.

Chong Kwan's 'The Obsidian Isle' refers to a controversial literary work. Ossian, the blind 3rd century poet who was 'discovered' by James Macpherson in the 18th Century, was presented to the public as the narrator and supposed author, of a cycle of epic poems. Supposedly translated from fragments of ancient sources in Scots Gaelic, it aroused huge controversy: Samuel Johnson called Macpherson "a mountebank, a liar, and a fraud, and that the poems were forgeries"; Hugh Blair upheld its authenticity; and a Committee for the Highlands was set up to investigate its sources and the veracity of Macpherson's claims. Ossian was hugely influential notions of national identity at home and abroad: Napoleon was said
in the development of ideas of the Scottish landscape and to carry a copy with him; Ingres painted the 'Dream of Ossian' and places inspired by and named after Ossian, such as Fingal's Cave in Staffa, and Ossian's Cave in Drumkeld, became major tourist attractions.

PUBLICATION:
'The Obsidian Isle': Designed and published by Gayle Chong Kwan and Graphical House. A full-colour 60 page limited edition publication featuring large-format photographic works, sensory drawings, text works and a wrap around pull-out map artwork. Edition of 500. £30. ISBN 978-0-9565200-3

Developed in partnership with Ricefield Chinese Arts and Cultural Centre, and through work-in-progress events and a symposium organised by Chong Kwan, 'The Ossianic Landscape', at Glasgow Project Room (Trongate 103) in April 2010.
The exhibition was produced in partnership with Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen and was previewed at the New Forest Pavilion, 54th Biennale di Venezia, 2011, shown at Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, 2011and Galleria Uno + Uno, Milan, 2012.

About Gayle Chong Kwan

Gayle Chong Kwan was born in Edinburgh in 1973 and is based in London. She has shown extensively in the UK and internationally; including participating in major international Biennales, such as the 54th Venice Biennale 2011 and 10th Havana Biennial, Cuba, 2009.

She is represented by galleries in Paris, Madrid, and Milan and was recently selected by Haus de Kulturen de Welt in Berlin to develop 'Invisible Twinning', for Urban Meridian, Asia-Pacific Biennial.

Chong Kwan holds a BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins College of Art, a BA in Politics and Modern History from Manchester University; an MSc in Communications from Stirling University; and will begin a practice-based Phd at the Royal College of Art in 2012. She regularly gives lectures and talks at art colleges, galleries and institutions both nationally and internationally including: The V&A, London / Tate Britain, London / La Villette, Paris. Awards have included: Vauxhall Collective Award for Photography 2009 / Pépinières Européennes pour Jeunes Artistes Award / Arts Council England International Fellow.

Exhibition views

Exhibition works

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Effective date: April 24, 2018

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Delivery & Returns

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At Peacock Visual Arts we have been dealing with delicate artworks on a daily basis, for over 40 years. Our staff are trained in securely and professionally packaging a print, ready for shipment all over the world. Firstly, the print is protected by specialist tissue paper. Depending on the size of the print, it will then either be carefully rolled up in a tube or packaged flat using tough cardboard and bubble wrap. Your print will be delivered fully insured. We aim to deliver within 3-5 working days for UK orders, within 7-14 days for European destinations and within 12-24 days for the rest of the world.

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If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please call us first on +44 1224 639539 to return the item within 14 days for an exchange or refund in the form of original payment. The item returned must be packaged in its original way and in saleable condition. Shipping and handling charges are not refundable, unless the print has been lost or damaged in transit (see ‘Damages’ for more info). Return the package insured to: Peacock Visual Arts Ltd 21 Castle Street Aberdeen AB11 5BQ United Kingdom We will credit your original payment method within 3 days of confirmation of receiving your returned print. If you have requested an alternative, we will ship this as soon as we have confirmed receipt of the original print. Transit times will be the same as detailed in your original order. For more information, please call our Customer Service representative on +44 (0)1224-639539 or email info@peacockvisualarts.co.uk.

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At Peacock Visual Arts we do our utmost to ensure that every print is sent to you in perfect condition, but we know that occasionally things can get lost or damaged in transit. Please inspect your print upon delivery. In the unlikely event that it has arrived damaged, please contact us immediately on +44 1224 639539 or email info@peacockvisualarts.co.uk. Keep all of the original packaging and we will arrange a courier to pick up your re-packaged print and issue you with a replacement print or full refund in the form of original payment. If you have requested a refund, we will credit your original payment method within 3 days of confirmation of receiving your returned print. Alternatively, if you have requested a replacement, we will ship this as soon as we have confirmed receipt of the original print. Transit times will be the same as detailed in your original order. The majority of our prints are limited editions so their stock is restricted in number. Whilst we do everything we can to issue you with a replacement, occasionally the print edition will have run out. In this situation, we can offer you a full refund or store credit note so that you can choose an alternative. We cannot accept prints back unless they are in their original packaging.