Hunted Projects

As a genre-querying, boundary-bouncing and glamorous event, Hunted Projects was a success. There were DJs, paintings, video projections and performance artists - all intermingling with enjoyable fluctuations of harmony and discord.

The poor quality promotional videos gave the impression that the evening would consist of art lacking in content and crippled by a cool sense of self-importance. The cool self-importance may have been present on the night, but it was deserved. The one-off event, at the nightclub Hawke and Hunter, raised a plethora of engaging questions about what contexts are considered ‘proper’ for viewing art, listening to music, seeing performances or watching videos.

Usually, visiting a gallery alone would not make one an anomaly. However, the venue, presence of alcohol, and thumping music dictated that Hunted Projects was a social event. This made it difficult for any reviewers, attempting to meditate on the subtleties of the show in order to write a concise appraisal. A lone figure staring intently at a video and taking notes for ten minutes was rather incongruous within the nightclub environment. Is the point missed if too much attention is paid to the art, and not enough to the jovial atmosphere? Herein lies Hunted Projects' success and downfall. The night was thoroughly enjoyable, that is not in question. Neither is the calibre of most of the work, much of which was well chosen and well curated. But the event was limited by the social mores that had to be navigated or ignored in order to access the works on a meaningful level.