Introduction of Artists

Edward Cheung Ho Keung (b. 1975, Hong Kong, China) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2016.

Cheung’s installation work entitled “Climbing Up a Mountain, Rubbing a Mirror” is made up of a video and hundreds of bronze plates formed into a large piece of mirror hanging on the wall. This work documents the artist’s walking meditation dragged a piece of mirror up the mountain. By rubbing away the mirror and spending time with himself in the nature, Cheung empties his mind to take away the illusion of reality in one’s perceptions and to cultivate the vision to see things clearly. In which the traces left on the mirror reflect the artist’s soul cleansing experience.

Gary Man Yiu Kwok (b. 1971, Hong Kong, China) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2015.

Man’s video installation work entitled “Fired Again…” invites audience to view a series of photographs through a triangular mirror tube placed in front of a cathode ray tube television. The kaleidoscope images are reflections of the firework scenery in the glass-walled skyscrapers captured by the artist when Hong Kong celebrates National Day on October 1, 2015. Behind the scenes of joyous celebration, these photographs were taken at the same spot where the street protests of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution took place a year before. The artwork title however ironically reminds people of the police in riot gear fired 87 cans of tear gas at protesters.

JC Jessie (b. Hong Kong, China) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2016.

In JC’s works, she explores the concept of “East Meets West” and “New Meets Old”, while she seeks to reinterpret ancient Chinese heritage by deconstructing traditional cultural elements found in Cantonese opera, giving them a new life through vivacious expressions in color and composition. JC’s installation entitled “Records With The Color Red”, which features six hand-carved wood panels, three ink paintings and red threads hanging from the ceiling. The work captures the artists pursue of the transformation of Chinese culture that has been gradually phased out. Her work speaks to the artistic value of the traditional opera culture and history, it is also an emotional response to her family that relates to this ancient Chinese culture.

Noel Li Kit Yu (b. Hong Kong, China) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2015.

Looking at Li’s containers, the artist uses pottery as a personal art form to express her physical and emotional status. She creates a series of six containers and sculptures them in the shape of human bodies, which they are holding individual objects include water, plants, stone and steel in different gestures. The carried objects in these human figures symbolize an individual’s inner spirit and belief.

Her works also respond to the Bible, Genesis 2:7 : “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”.

Ruth Ma (b. 1956, Taipei, Taiwan) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2015.

Ma’s installation work is made up of six iron plate paintings and a group of objects that she collected from the beach, include a few discarded oil drums and other rubbish washed up on beach in Hong Kong.

The rusty petroleum containers display the costs of human progression and the consequences of environmental issues. “Rusting symbolizes the temporality of immediate priorities of wealth,” said Ma. The artist transforms waste materials into her own canvas, and works directly on local recycled iron plates to paint abstract images. “I hope the artwork will re-engage us to rethink human relationship with the natural world.”

So Kwok Kin (b. 1978, Guangzhou, China) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2016.

So reinvented a set of Chinese characters based on the calligraphy script of “Stele of Xuan Mi Ta” by Liu Gongquan and detailed research on ancient Chinese characters. The meanings of word disappeared in the new character structure, leaving behind an alternative sense of aesthetic minimalism in calligraphy. His installation work entitled “New- Stele of Xuan Mi Ta by Liu Gongquan” invites audience to experience a different approach of writing Chinese calligraphy, to simply enjoy the pleasure of writing.

Tam Hing Kai (b. 1973, Hong Kong, China) graduated from Master of Arts (Fine Arts) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2015.

Tam presents a series of black and white images of nuclear ruins he photographed in Hiroshima, Japan. He photographed with a pinhole camera made of a military bullet box, which was a weapon of war. Tam was able to spend a lot of time alone to observe the ruined landscape during the long exposure shooting with the pinhole camera. The three sets of images continue to explore the same topic after Tam taking series of photographs of war ruins and religious cemeteries in Hong Kong since 2010.