Experimental art by Filipino-American artist

Different art museums have different strategies.

Some cater to the aesthetic taste of the majority, and some pursue experimental art.

Rockbund Art Museum obviously prefers the latter.

"No Sky," the first survey exhibition of Filipino-American artist Tosh Basco, is underway at the museum through October 15.

Born in California and currently based in Zurich, Basco initially emerged from her involvement in the queer nightlife scene of the 2000s. She became prominent under her performance name boychild, an ethereal drag persona that the artist performed hundreds of times over a few years. After her early success as boychild, her practice continued to evolve as she explored experimental performance aesthetics and dance practice.

This exhibition presents hitherto unseen works that the artist made over the last decade, including works on paper, oil paintings and photography, inviting the viewer to ponder about alternative sensory modes of representation, challenging the dominance of eye and mind, imitation, and idea.

She works with materials such as clown white paint, gold pigment, and theatrical blood powder, which were initially used in her performances. Covering her body with these materials, the artist uses her body weight to imprint marks on different surfaces, evoking motion and bodily intimacy. Such approach to paint-as-improvisation allowed her to illustrate gestures and entangled movements that would be impossible to render through other media.

The drawings in her "Rubfall" series were made using residual pigments that collected on the floor of her studio. These pieces subvert the typical process of step-by-step drawings, which entails an artist first selecting the ideal materials before freely working with them. "Rubfall" invites contemplation from viewers towards movement in relation to body weight and the force of gravity.

"'No Sky' brings together many pieces of my practice and is the culmination of many moments in my life," Basco said. "There is no logic. It is a felt sense, a full throttle feel in the working through world."

Exhibition info:

Date: Through October 15 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm; 10am-9pm (Friday and Saturday)

Venue: Rockbund Art Museum

Address: 20 Huqiu Rd

虎丘路20号