‘Energy’ from recycled tanks and reflecting glass

Any art exhibit would have had a hard time competing with the alluring city lights radiating from buildings along the Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, but not Qiu Zhijie’s Energy. After all, how can anyone miss a 20-meter long sculpture built of oil tanks, fur, and faucet? From afar, the installation project at the Times Square Open Piazza easily draws people to a halt. Even my friends and I had to stop, despite the fact that art was the least of our priorities in the popular shopping destination for Pinoys. Upon closer look, we discovered that Energy was much more than a visual spectacle. It was an interesting experience intertwined into a panorama of irony. The fusion of art and advocacy could be seen in distinct pieces such as “Oil Tank Dragon" and “House of Prism."

The rainbow reflections from the igloo-like “House of Prism" pushed me to take some time off from shopping, as it brought back childhood memories. Gleaming images from triangular prisms shone on people’s faces, the play of lights serving as a time machine to a children’s paradise somewhere in the past. On the other hand, the massive “Oil Tank Dragon" sculpture captured a disturbing reality. Made of 70 skillfully welded and recycled oil tanks, the piece was carved with dragon scales and horns to represent the world’s dependence on petroleum products and its colossal influence on people across the globe. Energy: Installation project sends a powerful rhetoric about sustainable energy. It provides a stark contrast between two energy sources: one as a source of sizable power and strength, and the other as a fount of enlightenment. A mixed media artist, Qiu Zhijie graduated from the Zheijiang Academy of Fine Art. Among the variety of mediums he has worked with are video and sound installations, photography, calligraphy, and interactive art. According to the exhibit notes, the artist aims to present the status quo through recycled drums, convexity lens, and prism glasses. The question is, would people see the old barrels behind the dragon or simply the mythical monster of fertility? – YA, GMA News Energy: Installation project may be seen at the Times Square Open Piazza in Hong Kong until June 9.