Debe Sham - sculpture/participatory art

In Case 《In Case》

Stainless steel
不銹鋼

L 180 x W 35 x H 200 cm

2024

To fully experience the In Case installation, a participant must place themselves and their belongings inside the metal boxes. Even those who choose not to participate can observe others engaging with the work, which may lead them to imagine what the experience might be like. This reminds us that human play has the special quality of human freedom. As scholar Monica Vilhauer explains, “Human play is not simply the freedom of randomness or caprice, but is a freedom that involves the intentional self-restraint that goes along with any effort to accomplish something. It involves what hermeneutical philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer refers to as a profound commitment.”

為了充分體驗《In Case》這件作品，參與者必須將自己及其物品放置於金屬箱內。即使是選擇旁觀的人們，也可透過觀察參與者如何與作品互動，想像自己如何體驗作品。這提醒我們人類的遊戲具有自由的特質。如學者莫妮卡·維爾豪爾（Monica Vilhauer）解釋道︰「人類的遊戲不單止指涉隨機或狂想的自由，而是一種為了努力去達成某事，有意識地自我約束的自由。這涉及當代詮釋學家伽達默爾(Hans-Georg Gadamer)所說的堅定的承諾。」

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

If X Is Not A Perfect Player 《如果X不是個完美的選手》

Stainless steel, wood and sand
不銹鋼、木和沙子

Dimensional variables

尺寸不定

2024

A game requires an opponent, but what would happen when tic-tac-toe is played solo? Can an encounter with an absent opponent be understood as competing with one's own thoughts, or tackling a challenge posed by the game creator? For philosopher Eugen Fink, play always involves reaching out to others, whether they are "real individuals" or "imaginary partners." He describes play in his essay "Oasis of Happiness" as such: "Playing is, structurally, not an individual or isolation activity- it is open to one's fellow human beings as fellow-players. It is no objection to point out that frequently, though, the ones playing carry out their games "all alone," apart from their fellow human beings."

玩遊戲需要對手，那獨自一人玩「過三關」會發生甚麼事？缺席對手的交峰是否可以理解成個人的思想競賽，或是一種由遊戲創作者所提出的挑戰？對哲學家尤金·芬克（Eugen Fink）而言，無論是「真實的個體」抑或是「想像的伙伴」，玩遊戲總是牽涉與他者的連結。他在《幸福的綠洲》一文描述玩遊戲是︰「從結構上，它不屬於個人或孤立的活動，它本質是開放的，讓人類能結伴同遊。但毫無疑問的是，人類常常擺脫同伴，『獨個兒』作樂。」

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

Windmills 《風車》

Stainless steel
不銹鋼

Dimensional variables

尺寸不定

2024

We need a tangible object such as the windmills here to create a departure point for visitors to participate in situations for play. The play world, as described by scholar Robert Anchor, is not suspended in a purely ideal world. It always has a real setting, and yet it is never just a real thing among other real things. Play involves real objects which fantasy transforms into playthings.

我們必須透過有實物—例如《風車》，去作為出發點，讓觀眾參與玩樂的情境。如學者羅伯特·安克（Robert Anchor）所描述︰「玩樂的世界並不是懸浮在一個純粹的理想國度。它總是縈繞一個真實的環境，但又不僅是一般實物的存在。遊戲涉及到真實的物件，而由物件引起的奇想則將其轉化為玩意兒。」

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

See-Saw 《See-Saw》

Mixed media
混合媒介

L 110 x W 230 x H 210 cm

2023-2024

Each moment of play continues with the next in See-Saw. Moments are constantly linked together, with the present linked with the past to create nuanced layers. This interplay makes me wonder if time can be perceived as a landscape that one can listen to or navigate through. Artist Lev Manovich brings forward the notion of "spatial wandering," a defining element of digital media. He asserts that if there is a new rhetoric or aesthetic which is possible, it may have less to do with the sequence of time determined by a writer, and more with spatial wandering.

玩《See-Saw》的時候，片刻之間緊密相連，不斷將現在連結過去，構成更深一層的現在。這種交互作用令我想知道，時間是否可成為一種聽得到或能穿越的風景。藝術家列夫·馬諾維奇（Lev Manovich）提出「空間浪遊」的概念，這是數碼媒體的一個關鍵要素。他斷言，若出現新的修辭或美學，它可能與作家所定的時間排序關係較小，與空間漫遊的關係較大。

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

Happily: 15 Personal Stories《快樂地: 十五個人故事》

Mixed media
混合媒介

Dimensional variables

2023-2024

When do toys or games become palpable in our existence? In his book Playing and Reality, paediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott offers his insights into the toy paradox. He raises the concept of “transitional objects” and emphasizes the importance of accepting a paradox: “the baby creates the object but the object was there waiting to be created.” Or perhaps one could say, in the context of Happily: 15 Personal Stories, waiting to be found.

玩具或遊戲在甚麼時候會顯現於人？兒科醫生及精神分析學家唐納德·溫尼科特（Donald Winnicott）在他的著作《遊戲與現實》中鑽研有關玩具的悖論。他提出「過渡性客體」的概念，並強調接受其悖論的重要性︰「幼兒創造物件，然而物件亦在那處靜待被創造。」或者可以這樣說，在《快樂地: 十五個人故事》的語境中，等待被發現。

*Special appreciation goes to the masterful storytellers— Geoff, Devitt, Fung, Ashley, OnOn, Sabu, Blessy, Venessa, Helen, Josephine, Amanda , Mui, Kwok Keun, Mr Sit, and Ah Jeng—who crafted Happily: 15 Personal Stories.

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

Ping-pong Notes 《乒乓樂》

Mixed media
混合媒介

Dimensional variables

2023-2024

What melody is weaving around your existence now? Every one of us is writing our own songs in life. The rhythm of sewing and musical notes are like putting fabric and incidents together. In his significant short essay “Toys and Play”, cultural theorist Walter Benjamin asserts that nothing gives greater pleasure than to "do it again!". Repetition is the "soul of play."

你當下的人生在交織著怎樣的旋律？每個人都正在為自己的生命譜寫樂曲。縫紉節奏及音符的過程就如將布料及事件拼湊於一起。文化理論家華特·班雅明在他的文章《玩具與遊戲》中強調，沒有什麼比「再做一次！」能帶來更大的愉悅感。重覆本身就是「遊戲的靈魂」。

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

Scratching cards for vA! Spotlight — Park Solo 《A! 焦點 — 自在公園刮刮卡》

A set of six
一套六張

2024

Park Solo exhibition view, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 2024 (cr. Nero Tsz, Tse925, Kevin Lam, Lung)

Broken Toes

Stainless steel, wire ,tyre and readymade
不鏽鋼、鋼絲繩、車胎和現成物

L 147 x W 147 x H 84 cm

2022

Grotto Fine Art is pleased to present the solo exhibition “Where have all the flowers gone” by Debe Sham. The exhibition will feature three series of works, including Clothespin Doll Series, Lucky Windmill Series and The City and Its Toy Series.The three series of works revolve around the artist's imagination of childhood games, machinery, the city, and the medium of sculpture, presenting a creative style full of childlike delight and wonder.

嘉圖現代藝術欣然呈獻岑愷怡個展《那時花開見月明》，展出包括三個系列的作品，分別是衣夾公仔系列，幸運風車系列和城市玩具系列。三個系列的作品圍繞藝術家對於孩童遊戲，機械，城市以及對於雕塑這個媒介的想像，呈現充滿童趣的個人風格。

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view at Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Lucky Windmill Series — Dancing Dragon / Da Gun Shi Zi
幸運風車系列 — 舞龍 / 打滾獅子

Brass, stainless steel and readymade
黃銅、不鏽鋼和現成物

L 53 x W 15 x H 72 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view at Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Lucky Windmill Series — Christ 幸運風車系列 — 基督

Brass, stainless steel and readymade
黃銅、不鏽鋼和現成物

L 43 x W 13 x H 80 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view at Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Lucky Windmill Series — Made in Hong Kong Toy Gun
幸運風車系列 — 香港製造玩具槍

Brass, stainless steel and readymade
黃銅、不鏽鋼和現成物

L 81 x W 8 x H 55 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Lucky Windmill Series — Hei Hei
幸運風車系列 — 囍囍

Brass, stainless steel and readymade
黃銅、不鏽鋼和現成物

L 16 x W 12 x H 160 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Lucky Windmill Series — Roly-Poly
幸運風車系列 — 不倒翁

Brass, stainless steel and readymade
黃銅、不鏽鋼和現成物

L 42 x W 20 x H 73 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Lucky Windmill Series — Windmill 01
幸運風車系列 — 風車 01

Brass, stainless steel and readymade
黃銅、不鏽鋼和現成物

L 35 x W 12 x H 72 cm
2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Tiny Fixed

Brass and Wood

黃銅和木

32 x 6.5 x 50 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

The City and Its Toy Series - The Watermelon Ball
城市玩具系列 - ⻄瓜波

Brass, Marble and Polyethylene
黃銅、大理石和聚乙烯

L 21 x W 21 x H 220 cm
2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

The State of Play
遊戲狀態

Brass, wood, cloth and polyethylene

黃銅、木、布和聚乙烯

L 20 x W 20x H 25 cm
2022

Still Flying
衣夾公仔系列 — Still Flying

Brass, Foam Sponge and Lead

黃銅、泡沫海綿和鉛

L 25 x W 25 x H 31 cm
2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Rolling Global
滾動球球

Brass, wood and polyethylene
黃銅、聚乙烯和木

L 16 x W 12 x H 37 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Clothespin Doll 02
Clothespin Doll 02

Brass and wood
黃銅和木

L 44 x W 39 x H 6 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Balanced Dolls
不倒翁

Brass and Steel Wire
黃銅和鋼絲

21.8 x 1.3 x 22.5 cm

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

The Happy Hour

Brass and Readymade

2021

The Happy Hour為岑愷怡的童玩雕塑系列之一，是一件通過觸動而運行的懸掛式雕塑。作品蒐集不同時期、地域的遊戲和玩具為材，配合金工技術和機械部件進行渲染，探索孩童遊戲與成人創造力之間的連繫和可能性，並以雕塑為物，挪用和重建出遊戲的形式和空間的關係。

The Happy Hour is a hanging sculpture of Debe's toy sculpture series that drivered the motion from touching. Through toying with play materials collected from different landscapes of childhoods, rendered with mechanism and metal work, the work is exploring continuity between youth games and grown-up creativity as a method of visual argument, as well as appropriating and reconstructing play of forms and spatial relationships, including sculpture as a thing.

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Flower Sea- Still Life
花海 - Still Life

Brass, glass, dried wheat and readymade
黃銅、玻璃、乾麥和現成物

Dimensions variable
尺寸可變

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Pop Pop Boat
蒸汽鐵皮船

Brass, iron and sand
黃銅、鐵和沙子

Dimensions variable
尺寸可變

2022

Image: Where Have All The Flowers Gone exhibition view Grotto Fine Art, 2023 ( cr. Nero Tsz)

Mat6 Gwai1 Yun4 Jyu2 《物歸原主》

Steel and wood

2018-19

歷史總是不斷被創造，總是激動人心，總是持續變化，有幸身處其中是我最大的快樂。時局時好時壞，沒有法則，只有事實；沒有規律，只有選擇；沒有程序，只有偏愛。所謂的預言，都是基於今天的經驗所假設。此時此刻，我仍相信有些東西永遠存在，如人與人之間的連結。《物歸原主》就是我妄想對美好的時光不朽的渴望。

History is reincarnation. It repeats, changes and touches human soul. I am so pleased to live in one and become part of it. Current global political situation fluctuates without rules, only facts; no patterns, only preferences; no sequences, only prejudice. “Prophecy” comes from today’s happenings. At this very moment, I insist on believing the existence of the certain fact, for instance, interpersonal relationship. Mat6 Gwai1 Yun4 Jyu2 is my vainly attempt towards the eternal time.

Image: Mat6 Gwai1 Yun4 Jyu2 exhibition view at 1a Space, 2023 ( cr. Leona Poon)

New Haven Green & i

紐哈芬綠地與我

Collaboration Partner : Urban Design Workshop, Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop and four New Haven Elementary Schools

Dimension Variable

2017

This is public art project funded by Yale China Association , New York Hong Kong Economic and trade office and Yale University. Through artist-led teaching and learning workshops, New Haven youngsters and Debe explore new possibilities of creating a series of playful sculpture in the heart of the city. During the International Festival of Arts and Idea and Pop-up festival, the works were exhibited in four locations, including Blatchley Park, Scantlebury Park, Trowbridge Square Park and the New Haven Green.

Stay Tuned with 保持某個狀態

Steel

2400 x 3600 x 700 mm

2015

香港嶺南大學藝術家駐地期間製作的雕塑。

A sculpture that I made during the Artist-in-residency in Lingnan University, HK.

Rainbow Series II | 彩虹系列 II

Steel

2015

Dimension variable

<彩虹系列II> 嘗試讓陌路人玩著來打破沉默！七色雕塑由童孩玩耍的概念而起，化為成人對坐的器物。使用者雖素未謀面，但透過身體的互動，不同方式的配合，共坐在拱橋型的椅子上，又可牽絆著地從一端爬到另一端，緣由此起。

Let’s break the ice, strangers! Rainbow Series II is a series of seven metal sculptures in bright rainbow colors. In each structure, two chairs are structured facing each other with elongated and connected arcs on the top. The work alludes to the local children playground facilities and also encourages adults to retrieve their childhood memories. In this regard, the rainbow chairs derive from memories serve as a tool for enhancing communication and interaction between two strangers. While audiences enjoy their conversation with each other, they also complete Rainbow Series II.

Rainbow Series I- Orange Rocking Chair | 彩虹系列I - 橙色搖椅

Steel

1225 x 225 x 800 mm

2013-14

還記得童年的時候和其他小朋友到公園玩耍的情形嗎？不同出身和背景的小朋友，總會哈哈地玩在一起!

那麼，由何時開始，我們習慣了對別人計算着付出和收獲？

Still remember we used to make friends easily in the playground when we were little?

If so, since when we become that person who starts to think about gives and takes?

Drifting in the Pool | 人在江湖

Sound installation

Dimension variable

2013

Drifting in the Pool" is a site-specific project developed during my Master's studies under the guidance of Professor John Aiken. This project explored the fluid and interchangeable nature of the roles of participant, viewer, and artist, prompting reflection on who holds the power to define these roles.

在讀碩士期間所造的一項 site specific 的作品 (作品指導老師: 莊藝勤)

THE 3rd PARTY | 他者

Steel, mirrors, plastic pads

1850 x 1750 x 3270 mm

2011-2012

人際關係是如斯的無影無形。一段關係就像生物的循環，經歷獨有的開始，再漸漸走到盡頭。藉著鍍鋅管，鏡子和墊的合成，＜第三者＞讓觀眾置身其中感受那貼身卻又無法抓緊的人際關係。這裝置分成三個階段，寫實的記錄一段關係的變化。在第一階段，是一種視點，一種關係的表現。兩人分席而座，靠光的折射可以轉折的看到對方，而我們眼中的光正是彼此的距離。那可移動的椅子是第二階段，這抽象的關係闡述了兩人如何認識、建立及延伸著關係，甚至是對立與分離。最後一組可說是藝術家的自白：我們都是獨個兒來獨個兒離開，坐在裝置中獨剩自己……觀者同時能看見的零碎殘影，希望參與者能自我反思人與人之間溝通的方式。

3rd Party is an interactive installation that incorporates galvanized zinc pipes with mirrors and pads. The devoted passion in communicating with the audience has definitely taken root in <The 3rd Party>. It is expected that the audience will actually be inside the ‘experience’. No longer will they play the ‘game’, they are the ‘game’. One of the cool things is that, despite the self, participants can connect and communicate with others simultaneously. There could be several users inside the installation simultaneously. Human relationships are intangible. They normally exist in our mind. Interpersonal-relationship is whatever we imagine it to be. <The 3rd Party> proceeds to the artistic investigation of intangible human relationships and it brings the imagination out into the real world so it becomes part of the physical reality.

Imitate

模仿

Video documentation (4 minutes 31 seconds)

Video still capture

Click to watch the video : 模仿Imitate

一項有關觀眾互動性的實驗

An installation testing piece on interactivity

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