Ghost and John's Values and Beliefs
September 2020
Aims:
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As a set of principles and guidelines for us to work, to think, to make decisions and to take actions
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As a direction for what Ghost and John presents and represents
The Values and Beliefs:
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On being artists: We believe that being an artist is a lifestyle choice. It is not merely a career choice or an occupation. Being an artist is a commitment and a way to live, hence this policy shall guide us not only when we are working, but in every moment of our lives.
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On being part of the bigger bodies: We believe in relationships that encourage association and mutual support, and reject those that propose hierarchy, exploitation and utility. Everybody is human with flesh, blood, feelings and stories, we have to see the individuals in order to live with greater compassion.
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On being creatives: We focus on making works that are pertinent to contemporary technology, culture, society and politics. We continue to look into how artworks hold their historicity in our space-time and how the relevance to the greater environment arises from that.
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On being performers: As artists from a diverse background, mainly trained in technology, dance and biology, our work greatly involves our own faces and bodies. We are greatly aware of the fine line between the promotion of ourselves and the promotion of thoughts and ideologies when we perform. We admit that we are still climbing this very steep learning curve.
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On being Hongkongers: We are greatly aware of our privileges of being born and raised in the developed East Asian (post)colonial city, our language abilities, technological know-how and cultural heritage, which all form the prerequisites of our art-making. We are proud of the great flexibility, adaptability, efficiency and persistence that this city trained us to equip with.
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On being activists: We see art as a strategic tool to uphold, at the same to question, certain universal values, including freedom of speech, inclusivity, beauty and social justice.
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On being multidisciplinary: We are open to collaborating with artists from all disciplines while using it as a practice of decolonisation. We reject strict labelling and placing ourselves in one singular position, set by colonisers of all kinds, and champion fluidity in identities, practices and locations.
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On being independent artists surviving in a capitalist world: We are not a company/organisation/institute and are enduring our own personal struggles. We are on the crossroad of financial sustainability and artistic development and are greatly aware of the power imbalance between institutes and us. We are continuously seeking new ways to healthily develop our art practice. We are ignoring comments that deem our practice to be money-drawing and egotistic, especially those from fellow artists, as we never were.