Negotiations are underway without prejudice ie. we agree not to divulge our meetings until we come to agreement. So I am not saying anything till further discussions come to some agreement. Meanwhile I wish to just to set the records straight for accuracy.
1) the work is entitled "Ping-Pong Go Round" please try not to give it other names as it becomes confused. Chinese name is 乒乓成圆.
2) iPreciation represented my works in a solo exhibition in Art Basel Hong Kong 2014 and the work "Ping-Pong Go Round" was part of the special section "Encounters" curated by Yuko Hasegawa.
http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/902300/yuko-hasegawa-on-the-inau...
3) After returning from Hong Kong this model being quite different as it was made from actual Ping-Pong Tables were pitched to the museums as well as the relevant Ministry and Sports hub. Subsequenty it was collected by a private collector. Now its is exhibiting in The Prudential Singapore Eye at the Art Science Museum.
http://www.singaporeeye.com/
4) if you look at my website I have listed out the 3 different modes of production.
http://leewen.republicofdaydreams.com/ping-pong-go-round.ht…As far as I m concerned my work as an artist is with belief and interest of making art work yes work for society in a way to elevate consciousness, not just about refinement of taste but hopefully make us go a step beyond creatures of mere survival of the fittest if not of power and capital wealth. At the most top priority to me is integrity and service to humanity.
I am more saddened sometimes to read the responses of those legal eagles who don't know much about art and yet making comments like an expert and putting me down as having a simple concept anyone can do hence there is no infringement of copy-rights. It is to my mind a damaging remarks and to read them in our main newspapers just reminded me of some ugly historical pass how our press gave such one-sided reports. Why do they quote two lawyers against my work and not consult the cultural experts or those lawyers advocating intellectual rights? I wonder often if our press has other interests than reporting the real and factual or not?
I ask myself only this question, does this society care for art and artists? I feel it is still a society that put us at the bottom of the stack. Now that the ministry in government holds the portfolio combining both sports and arts this incident seem to indicate we are below even that of sports. Please do not osstracize us again. I am trying to be happy and learn to respect living here although my heart is in Japan. I do love this country but I keep being reminded of the lack of care and an attitude of negligence to art in the early years of economic priorities even today.
In the experiences whenever artists work beyond that of material gain and selfish fame and making works of idealistic intentions of offering art for the public at large, and in this case approaching sports to a philosophical revision of rules of the game. Not that it is my claim only but we are dedicated pacifist soldiers of play and seriously we lack in getting paid what we deserve not only because of history but the perpetuation of suspicion that art and artists are confidence tricksters instead of conceptual philosophers. If we do not turn around fast to real care and respect for art and artists here at home, why bother about Venice?