Behind the Spotlight: The double-life of indie artists

Youngsters, mostly art lovers came to witness the visual story of their favourtie indie artists in a reflective monochrome space created by VCCA- Vincom centre for Contemporary Art. The theme is Behind the Spotlight. I can not help but wonder its connection to the room’s light design which is seperated into two different black and white spheres. Whereas white and black may represent the pubicly visible onstage and the obscure offstage of the artists’ lives, the white space is put behind the black space on purpose, which may reveal that the spotlight of the show this time is actually what’s behind the spotlight.

Judging from the title, i expect the exhibition would be an intimate work showcasing hidden struggles that are often blurred in the public’s camera lens. But the exhibition emerges in a more horizontal approach: every artist has or used to have a breadwinning job and its unique interplay between that job with their passion for music. Although i would prefer captures of raw and imperfect moments, the photos’ sophisticated set-up and its strong aesthetic sense can easily instil thoughts and feelings for many of the beholders.

The orthodox idea of “follow your passion” is discussed realistically throughout the exhibition. Indie artists featured shared a same voice to encourage youngster to do things one enjoy. However, there are much more to be told such as acknowledgement of the difficult financial situation artist may face, how the career needs resilience, the will to work seriously and so on.