Clara Chow: Silverhand

26 April – 7 June 2008

Sydney-based artist Clara Chow’s exhibition Silverhand includes two video works, Angelica and Deconstructive Princess. Silverhand takes its name from a Cantonese phrase, which roughly translates to “having an itching arse”. This crude phrase is used to refer to someone who meddles in other people’s business. This pun sets the tone for the exhibition.

Angelica, Chow’s newest work, depicts an interview with the artist’s sister and mother about finding a pornographic video on her brother’s mp3 player. Deconstructive Princess is a seven-channel video of deconstructed scenes from a Peking Opera. The artist uses popular culture images to explore translation problems and language barriers. Subtitles act as a unifying visual theme in both videos-critical in one and frustratingly useless in another.

Clara Chow studied at the Sydney College of the Arts. She has exhibited her work at local venues including the University of Sydney and Silverspoon Gallery in Balmain.