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Phase I Opening
DECEMBER 3 - JANUARY 16, 2015
Phase II Opening
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Sim CHAN 陳閃 | Halley CHENG 鄭哈雷 | CHIU Yin Man, Dabie 趙燕雯 | Homan HO 何文聰 KO Tin Yan, Celia 高天恩 | KWONG Man Chun 鄺萬春 | LAW Ka Nam, Bosco 羅家南 LING Pui Sze, CC 凌佩詩 | Local Studio HK 本土工作室 | LUNG Yuet Ching, Joyce 龍悅程 NG Kwun Lun, Tony 吳觀麟 | Esther POON 潘淑嫻 | SIU Kwok Kin, Stanley 蕭國健 Damon TONG 唐偉傑 | Cam WONG 黄麗茵 | WONG Shun Chi, Vanessa 黃舜芝 WONG Yin Kwan, Queenie 黃燕君 | YUEN Ka Yee, Angela 阮家儀
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DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD The Cat Street Gallery is very proud to present the exhibition ‘Back to the Future’ in which the curators showcase a selection of 18 emerging Hong Kong contemporary artists. The works chosen will highlight the undeniable talent and potential that Hong Kong has to offer the contemporary art world. This exhibition has been made possible by the combined dedication and work of The Cat Street Gallery team and China Art Projects team. First and foremost I would like to extend my huge thanks to the curators of this exhibition, Tony Scott and Fiona Ho in choosing such outstanding artists. They have both taken a huge amount of time and effort in selecting the exhibited works and working with the artists to help develop the themes and new commissions for this exhibition. Curating such an exhibition is a huge undertaking. I would like to thank both Fiona and Tony for all the time, thought and energy they have expended creating this exhibition for Cat Street. I would also like to thank Angela Yuen for her amazing contribution of time, patience and design skills in putting together the catalogue My sincere thanks also goes to all of the incredible and talented artists who have inspired us in this exhibition. We also hope the art works will inspire and foster a greater appreciation of art among the younger generation and will also motivate them to participate in the burgeoning Hong Kong art scene.
Mandy d’Abo Founder & Director The Cat Street Gallery
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C U R AT O R I A L S TAT E M E N T In 1985 the release of the movie ‘Back to the Future’ became a popular worldwide phenomenon and led to two sequels and a cult following to this day. What makes an American adventure comedy on time travel a universally popular topic and what relevance has such a theme to an exhibition of 18 contemporary Hong Kong artists in 2015? Hong Kong is experiencing an interesting time in its history. A barren and rocky island at the extremity of the Qing Empire in 1842 when it was forcibly annexed by the British Empire, Hong Kong has grown into a major world finance and business center. Such rapid social and civil change must have left a profound impression on the thinking and cultural development of this society. Today Hong Kong seems to be struggling to both maintain and reinvent its position as both a Chinese and an international city of commerce, trade and political independence. Hong Kong is certainly vying for a place as a vibrant and dynamic art center in the Asia Pacific region – in 2015 the Hong Kong art world is energized by the development and planning of major art establishments such as M+ West Kowloon Art District, the Central Police Station and PMQ Married Police Quarters in Hollywood Road, Central. There are government supported artists run spaces such as Oil Street, Cattle Depot, Fotan Studios and the respected Para/Site Art Space (who have recently moved to bigger quarters in Quarry Bay). As well as the established Pedder Street and Hollywood Road art galleries, new centres are now competing for attention in a bustling commercial art world such as SoHo 189 Art Lane, South Island Cultural District and Chai Wan art district. With important art fairs, Art Basel HK and Art Central and the major world auction houses of Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonham’s all established in Hong Kong for some years, it is no wonder there is an air of optimism and excitement in the city in regards to the future of the art scene. Where does Hong Kong find itself in the now thriving art and cultural world of an emergent Asia – does it look backward for inspiration for both its present and its future or does it ignore its past histories and speed full throttle into the future? Where does a Hong Kong artist look to pose the above questions - Back to the Future - their long Chinese heritage or the very much shorter 156 years of colonial history imposed upon their society since 1842 to the handover to China in 1997 - or indeed - Forward to the Future. The Cat Street Gallery and China Art Projects have invited 18 Hong Kong artists to address these questions in a unique body of work for this ‘Back to the Future’ exhibition.
Tony Scott / Fiona Ho Curators, ‘Back to the Future’
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The Future, Like History by John Batten
“…I want the future now I’m young, and it’s my right. I want a reason to be proud. I want to see the light. I want the future now, I want to see it on the screen, I want to break the bounds: make life worth more than dreams.” – Peter Hammill, The Future Now (1978)
The future, as the maxim reminds us, always beckons. The future and all its unknowns also prompt speculation. There is an almost-inevitable lineal approach to how we consider the future. This can be seen in the fictional theories and anticipation of future technology in the world of science fiction; this genre’s approach is more akin to the soothsayer’s art of prediction. It can all be highly entertaining – and, like any fiction, not entirely unreal. Uncannily, much is precisely right. The future repeats itself, just like history. Creativity always plays with the future. Books, films, visual art, music – all creativity – looks back to the future. The reader consciously knows any book is not of the present: it was written, it’s not about to be written. But, the future is rooted in the words of all written fiction, words to be read at a time in the future. That is both a conundrum and the briefest of explanations of this Back to the Future exhibition. We not only look to the future, we look back: back to the future. Such a nonsense notion is allowed in the creative world. We all know Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, George Orwell’s 1984, and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it is Doris Lessing’s dystopian The Memoirs of a Survivor – with its candid shifts between past, present and future – that gives the essential, cautionary, vision of a – possibly our – future.
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We all want the future now; it is the root reason for our dreams. And to dream is to be unconsciously optimistic. This exhibition has little directly in common with the film of the same name, except significantly the date of 21 October 2015 – the ‘Back to the Future Day’ – coinciding with Hong Kong’s Chung Yeung Festival: a day of grave-cleaning and offerings of food by families who trek to Hong Kong’s far-flung cemeteries to remember their recently passed loved ones and distant ancestors. There is nothing more instructive than the reminder of death or turmoil to judge your future and readjust a life. It is the ‘dark’ offering a brighter future. Exactly one year ago Hong Kong was a city in the midst of its biggest public dissent since riots spilled across its borders from a Cultural Revolutionary mainland in 1967. Hong Kong’s Umbrella protests called for the city to have greater democracy and protection from an erosion of its “core values”- namely: the rule of law, press freedom and the intolerance of corruption.* Now, a year later, for many in Hong Kong that are wealthy or with business links with the mainland or – ironically – just fearful of the unknown, the Umbrella protests is an event that now cannot be discussed or referred to, certainly not openly. This avoidance of discussion and reevaluating the issues around the Umbrella protests is reflected in some of the city’s socialite and luxury magazines that have assiduously steered away from the topic. It is supposed that their luxury brand advertisers or readership would be opposed to such discussion. This is self-censorship - a reviled action in a liberal society. However, the Umbrella protests and the concerns for Hong Kong’s future political and social development continue to be wellaired in newspapers, radio, internet forums, at university campuses, on the floor of the Legislative Council and by mainland officials asserting the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China in Hong Kong. Vigorous debate and commentary always ensues on each occasion that democracy, freedom of expression or the rising influence of the mainland’s Liaison Office is publicly discussed. Such discussion always revolves around the future. And this is the background to this group exhibition. Post-Umbrella, Hong Kong’s art scene and galleries have generally continued to discuss ‘sensitive’ issues. Each of the participating artists in Back to the Future has social and political concerns and these are subtly exhibited in this varied exhibition. The majority of participants are recent or near-recent graduates. They are young and reflect Hong Kong’s social environment. They are also ‘promising’ and have the necessary attributes for success, for ‘their future’: ideas, an aesthetic sense, drive and technical skill. But, it is a commitment to all our futures that is their best characteristic.
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As the future (no, not the past!) will play tricks on our memory, I offer a brief one-liner (as the mind works, in no particular order) for you to recall each artist:
Bosco Law: Intricate pointillist drawings (“free will” and “individuality”) Ling Pui Sze: Collaged, digital, ink paintings (the mainland’s “biased history”) Dabie Chiu: Socially concerned ink paintings of alienation (late night McRefugees) Esther Poon: “Yarn bombing” in the city’s streets (knitter.esther) Homan Ho: Moving graphite ball (“Ultimately, are we being what we want to be?”) Kwong Man Chun: Paintings (of Hong Kong’s “modern and traditional elements”) Celia Ko: Jewellery (retro and reconstituted) Joyce Lung: Identifying with Hong Kong’s domestic helpers (ceramics) Tony Ng: Composed photographs of concrete junk as urban landscapes (dioramas) Queenie Wong: Ink (the “hand, foot and mouth disease” of overused smartphones) Sim Chan: Looking upwards (Hong Kong’s trams in the sky) Stanley Siu: Architect (with a ‘sweet’ model of the former Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank) Vanessa Wong: New maps (not really colonial; see the composite breasts, eyes etc) Angela Yuen: Toys as art (important: look at the projected shadows) Cam Wong: Etchings (“existence and disappearance”) Damon Tong: Stickers (“spatial connections between image and text”) Halley Cheng: A ‘remodelled’ Chinese flag (joining the city’s many “patriotic” flags) Local Studio HK: More maps and slogans (inspired by Hong Kong design)
We go onwards from the past through to the future – and then back again. Welcome to Back to the Future. *For further Umbrella explanations, see John Batten, ‘Then.Now’, in South Ho Siu Nam’s good day good night photo-book, Hong Kong, 2015. John Batten is an art critic, urban planning activist and contributor for the South China Morning Post, Perspective & Ming Pao Weekly.
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222 Hollywood Road Sheung Wan, Hong Kong T: +852 2291 0006 E: www.thecatstreetgallery.com Monday - Friday: 11am - 7pm Saturday: 11am - 5pm
2/F B, 126 Wing Lok Street Sheung Wan, Hong Kong T:+852 9107 5562 Monday - Friday: 10am - 6pm Saturday: 11am - 6pm
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CONTENTS
Page 4
Dir e ctor s F or w a r d
Page 28-31
LING Pui Sze, CC 凌佩詩
Page 6
Cur a tor i a l Sta te m e nt
Page 32-39
Local Studio HK 本土工作室
Page 40-41
LUNG Yuet Ching, Joyce 龍悅程
Page 42-49
NG Kwun Lun, Tony 吳觀麟
Page 50-53
Esther POON 潘淑嫻
Page 54-55
Damon TONG 唐偉傑
Page 58-61
Cam WONG 黄麗茵
Page 62-65
WONG Yin Kwan, Queenie 黃燕君
Page 66-67
WONG Shun Chi, Vanessa 黃舜芝
Page 68-70
YUEN Ka Yee, Angela 阮家儀
Page 8
The Future, Like History
An Essay by John Batten
Page 14-15
Sim CHAN 陳閃
Page 16-17
Halley CHENG 鄭哈雷
Page 18
CHIU Yin Man, Dabie 趙燕雯
Page 19
Homan HO 何文聰
Page 20-24
KO Tin Yan, Celia 高天恩
Page 25-26
KWONG Man Chun 鄺萬春
Page 27
LAW Ka Nam, Bosco 羅家南
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Si m CH A N 陳閃 D i ng Ding Wood, acrylic, LED, glass, mirror, acrylic box & stainless steel 32 x 32 x 14 cm each (2 panels) 2015
H K D 50, 000 e ac h / H KD 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 p a ir
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H a lle y CH ENG 鄭哈雷 H ow D o You M a k e A n A r t wo rk By Fl ag? Pencil, correction pen, alcoholic marker, acrylic on linen 174 x 116 cm 2015
H K D 50 , 0 0 0
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CH I U Yi n M a n, Dabie 趙燕雯 M cR e fu ge e s 麥難民
(work in progress, detail)
Ink, pastel, watercolour and colour pencil on paper 444 x 185 cm 2015
H K D 100, 00 0 (se t o f 4 )
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SOLD
Detail
H om a n HO G r a vi ty
Work in progress
(work in progress)
Aluminum with rice paper, graphite, computer controlled elevation device, video camera Diameter 100 cm 2015
P r i c e o n r e q ue st
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KO Ti n Ya n, Cel ia 高天恩 Tr a p s o f Life Fabric, bronze, antique objects, crystals, different images 13 x 30 x 53 cm 2005
HKD 40,000
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KO Ti n Ya n, Cel ia 高天恩 B le sse d Mo ment s Fabric, feathers, brass, antique, objects, crystals, porcelain, images 25 x 20 x 49 cm 2005
H K D 40 , 0 0 0
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Detail
KO Ti n Ya n, Cel ia 高天恩 C oncept io n Fabric, bronze, antique objects, crystals, different images 25 x 20 x 42 cm 2005
H K D 40 , 0 0 0
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KWO NG M a n Chun 鄺萬春 I p M a n a nd D i ng Ya n yo ng 葉問與丁衍庸 Oil on canvas 136 x 100 cm 2014
H K D 42, 0 0 0
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KWO NG M a n Chun 鄺萬春 Li w a n a nd Vi ctor i a H a rbo ur 荔灣與維多利亞港 Oil on canvas 136 x 100 cm 2014
HKD 42,000
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LAW Ka Na m , Bo s co 羅家南 Fr ame w or k a nd Conte nts (C ircul ar) 框架與內容(圓) Ink on paper 35 x 35 cm each, 70 x 35 cm total 2015 - 2016
H K D 60,0 0 0
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LI NG P u i Sz e , CC 凌佩詩 (P.1 C hinese) Lesson 23. Wa ng Er Xiao _I
(P. 1 Chines e) Les s o n 23. Wang Er Xiao _ II
Acrylic, paper, gloss quick dry liquid on canvas 30 x 30 cm 2015
Mixed media on wood 30 x 30 cm 2015
HKD 2 5 ,0 0 0 ( p a ir )
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LI NG P u i Sz e , CC 凌佩詩 (P.2 C hinese) Lesson 9 Su n Moon L ake _I
(P. 2 Chines e) Les s o n 9 S un Mo o n Lake_ II
Acrylic, paper, gloss quick dry liquid on canvas 30 x 30 cm 2015
Mixed media on wood 30 x 30 cm 2015
HKD 2 5 ,0 0 0 ( p a ir )
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Loca l Stu d i o HK 本土工作室 Redraw of The Map of The Hong Kong Railway (1898) 1898年九廣鐵路.路線開通圖 Archival pigment on acid-free paper 63 x 46 cm Edition of 10 + 2APs, 2015
H K D 8, 000 ( f ram e d) H KD 6 , 0 0 0 (unfr a m e d )
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Loca l Stu d i o HK 本土工作室 Redraw of The Cangwu Zong Du Jun Men Zhi - Coastal Map of Guang Dong Province (1552) 明世宗嘉靖三十一年(1552)蒼梧總督軍門志 - 全廣海圖 Archival pigment on acid-free paper 63 x 37 cm Edition of 10 + 2APs, 2015
H K D 8, 000 ( f ram e d) H KD 6 , 0 0 0 (unfr a m e d )
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Loca l Stu d i o HK 本土工作室 Redra w o f The M a p of T he Wa te r w a y s in Guangdo ng P ro vince (1812 - 1816) 清嘉慶十七年（1812）至清嘉慶二十一年（1816）廣東通省水道圖 Archival pigment on acid-free paper 63 x 43 cm Edition of 10 + 2APs, 2015
H K D 8, 000 ( f ram e d) H KD 6 , 0 0 0 (unfr a m e d )
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Loca l Stu d i o HK 本土工作室 Redr a w of T he Ma r i ti m e Map o f Xin’an Dis t rict (1595) 清嘉慶廿四年( 18 19)-新安海防圖 Archival pigment on acid-free paper 63 x 45 cm Edition of 10 + 2APs, 2015
H K D 8, 000 ( f ram e d) H KD 6 , 0 0 0 (unfr a m e d )
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Loca l Stu d i o HK 本土工作室 H ong Kong I s No t China I Ink on glass 21 x 29.5 cm each Ed. of 5 + 2APs, 2015
H K D 20, 000 (Se t o f 5 )
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Lo cal Studio H K 本土工作室 Ho ng Ko ng I s Not C hi na I
( In st a l l a t i o n s h o t )
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Loca l Stu d i o HK 本土工作室 H ong Kong I s No t China II Ink on glass 21 x 29.5 cm each Ed. of 5 + 2APs, 2015
H K D 20, 000 (Se t o f 5 )
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Lo cal Studio H K 本土工作室 Ho ng Ko ng I s Not C hi na I I
( In st a l l a t i o n s h o t )
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LU NG Yu e t Chi ng, Jo yce 龍悅程
Pot 1 SOLD
The y B e long To Now he r e Po t s (co mpo s ed o f 3 po t s ) Pot 1 - 14.5 x 15 x 18.5 cm
Ceramics Pot 2 - 18 x 18 x 29 cm 2015
P o t 1& 3 - H K D 8, 000 e ach
40
Pot 3 - 15.5 x 17 x 18.5 cm
P o t 2 - H KD 1 2 , 0 0 0
LU NG Yu e t C hi n g, Jo yce 龍悅程
SOLD
Su p e r D om e sti c Cl eaning Bo t t l es Ceramics From left to right - 7 x 4 x 22 cm; 13 x 6 x 18 cm; 9 x 5 x 23 cm 2015
H K D 3, 000 e ac h
H KD 8 , 0 0 0 (Se t o f 3 )
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 La b Stu d i e s Se r i e s I, K ennedy To wn C-print on acid free paper Diameter 25 cm each, 12 pieces in total 2011
H K D 40 , 0 0 0
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 G i ve a n d Take Cement, printed matter and acrylic boxes 35 x 35 x 90 cm each 2011
H K D 40 , 0 0 0
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 Cu lti va ti on of Lands cape 1 C-print on acid free paper 45 x 46 cm Ed. of 4/12, 2011
HKD 6,000
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 Cu lti va ti on of Lands cape 2 C-print on acid free paper 45 x 46 cm Ed. of 4/12, 2011
HKD 6,000
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 Cu lti va ti on of Lands cape 3 C-print on acid free paper 45 x 46 cm Ed. of 4/12, 2011
HKD 6,000
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 Cu lti va ti on of Lands cape 4 C-print on acid free paper 45 x 46 cm Ed. of 4/12, 2011
HKD 6,000
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 Cu lti va ti on of Lands cape 5 C-print on acid free paper 45 x 46 cm Ed. of 4/12, 2011
HKD 6,000
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NG Kw u n Lu n , To ny 吳觀麟 Cu lti va ti on of Lands cape 6 C-print on acid free paper 45 x 46 cm Ed. of 4/12, 2011
HKD 6,000
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Esthe r P O ON 潘淑嫻 P a r tner Yarn bombing, trolley 41 x 61 x 32.5 cm 2015
H K D 10 , 0 0 0
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Esthe r P O ON 潘淑嫻 Tw i ns 1 Yarn bombing, wooden chair 38 x 40 x 36 cm 2015
HKD 8,500
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Esthe r P O ON 潘淑嫻 Tw i ns 2 Yarn bombing, wooden chair 42 x 43 x 46 cm 2015
HKD 9,500
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SI U Kw ok Ki n, S t anl ey 蕭國健 Wa x B a nk 蠟像银行 Wax, glass cover & wooden base 30 diameter x 45H cm 2016
H K D 35 , 0 0 0
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Detail
D a m on T O NG 唐偉傑 Sw e e t a nd Sou r (d i p t ych) 甜酸 (雙連畫） Custom designed stickers, glitter and acrylic on panel Diameter 80 cm each 2015
H K D 35 , 0 0 0
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Detail
D a m on T O NG 唐偉傑 Pissing Shr i m p s a nd B e e f B a lls (dipt ych) 瀨尿牛丸 (雙連畫) Custom designed stickers, glitter and acrylic on panel Diameter 80 cm each 2015
H K D 35 , 0 0 0
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Ca m WONG 黄麗茵 A Windo w Etching 77 x 79.5 cm Ed. 1/3, 2012
HKD 20,000
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C a m WO NG 黄麗茵 B lock I Watercolour on paper 74 x 49 cm 2011
H K D 35 , 0 0 0
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Ca m WONG B loc k II Watercolour on paper 71 x 53 cm 2012
H K D 35 , 0 0 0
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WO NG Yi n Kw a n, Queenie 黃燕君 H a nd , P hone a nd M out h Dis eas e 手瘋口病 Ink on paper 4 panels of 92 x 165 cm each 2 panels of 53 x 165 cm each 2015
H K D 60 , 0 0 0
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WO NG Yi n Kw a n, Queenie 黃燕君 Ni a n Hua Ink on paper 60 x 43 cm 2014
H K D 20 , 0 0 0
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WO NG Shu n Chi, Vanes s a 黃舜芝 M e m or i e s o f Ho me Watercolour on paper 70 x 50 cm 2015
H K D 60 , 0 0 0
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YU E N Ka Ye e , A ngel a 阮家儀 O b j e ct La m p sha d e - P l as t ic To ys Plastic toys, light bulb, perspex 30 x 30 x 55 cm 2015
H K D 16 , 5 0 0
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YU EN Ka Ye e , A ngel a 阮家儀 Ob j e ct La nd sca p e C ha nd el ier - Vict o ria Harbo ur Toys, perspex, wires Diameter 60 x 37 cm 2015
H K D 20 , 0 0 0
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YU E N Ka Ye e , A ngel a 阮家儀 D a z z li ng Cit y Plastic toys, acrylic, LED light 32 x 30 x 46 cm 2015
70
H K D 16 , 5 0 0
SOLD
The Cat Street Gallery
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222 Hollywood Road, Hong Kong T + 852 2291 0006 www.thecatstreetgallery.com