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Common Ground was founded by two London-based artists, Grace Lodge and Mich
Maroney, and is the first international visual artist collaboration to be invited to work with
the Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity in Hong Kong (known as Creative Hong Kong).
From December 2008, they will spend three months with Creative Hong Kong in a studio
provided by the school. In return they will run workshops, give lectures and hold "open
studio" events where students, members of the public and artists will take part in informal
and friendly exchanges providing forums for discussion and an exchange of ideas and artistic
practice between East and West. The two artists share a mixed Eastern and Western ancestry,
(the basis for their collaboration), and whilst not forming a definite subject matter, this can be
seen to shade aspects of their work.
Straddling two cultures can mean one feels fully at home in neither and, to an extent, on the
outside looking in. However, this duality results in a certain richness and complexity of
experience. The hybrid creates a world for his-herself, sometimes lonely but always
interesting and never simple. Growing up in a dual culture makes you look at the world
differently, there is never one way of seeing things.
Culture is formed of many diverse, subtle and "foreign" elements that are subsumed into the
prevailing whole. It is important that this is recognised by the wider public. The residency,
and the work resulting from it, will foster this understanding, Identity and memory is an
intrinsic part of how a work of art is created without being an obvious or literal part of the
subject matter and process.
In these days of greater openness and interest between China and the West and in light of the
Olympic Games, it is of vital importance to keep channels of communication flowing.
Education has a very important role to play in this exchange and our aim is to keep the
residency going for future artists on our return from Hong Kong.
On return to the UK Common Ground will produce works for an exhibition resulting from
research and development during the residency and their time in Hong Kong and Mainland
China.
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