Multi-media artist Hiromi Tango invited reflection on our emotional responses to the colour red in a striking installation for kids (and adults) at Sydney Contemporary recently. Called The Red Room, the work lived up to its name, built as a small room filled with red, within the large expanse of the art fair at Carriageworks in Sydney.
As well as featuring red walls, the space was filled with red objects made by Hiromi and her team, as well as by visitors to the space who were provided with red materials, paper and crocheted flowers to add to the artwork. Larger items in the space included red light sculptures that illuminated the surrounds and a red hanging chair, encouraging you to climb over and into the installation itself and rest for a moment.
A Japanese-Australian artist who works across sculpture, photography, installation and performance, Hiromi Tango sees the installation as a kind of exploration of the colour red. She says: “Red Room explores the social and emotional dimensions of the colour red, reconsidering the positive connotation of the colour as a life force of love, passion and energy.”
The installation asked visitors to create their own artworks in red and write what red means to them, while performers in red danced through and around the room at designated times.
The Red Room was created in partnership with Arterie@RPA, the art program at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital – Hiromi will be an artist in residence at the hospital in 2018.
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